BATON ROUGE - The mass of LSU humanity starved for its first top two victory in Tiger Stadium in more than 20 years was salivating, and, more importantly, moving toward the exits that are not actually exits.
No. 12 LSU was leading No. 2 Georgia, 36-16, with 3:17 to play Saturday. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm had just thrown his second interception of the second half, and LSU was running out the clock.
Not since Oct. 11, 1997, had a top two team lost in Tiger Stadium. That was No. 1 and defending national champion Florida, 28-21, and the goal posts came down in seconds like twigs when the field was rushed just as the game ended.
Three close home LSU losses to No. 1 teams followed - 27-21 in overtime to Alabama on Nov. 8, 2008, 13-3 to Florida on Oct. 10, 2009, and 21-17 to Alabama on Nov. 3, 2012. But LSU had this one - a victory over a No. 2 team for the first time since Nov. 5, 2011, at Alabama, 9-6 in overtime.hen we came off to the sideline after they threw that interception, the students started bombarding," LSU defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko said Monday. "They were getting closer and closer."
So LSU's equipment staff started preparing for a form of a hurricane, asking players to give them their valuables for safe keeping in the locker room - if they could get there.
"The equipment guys were like, 'Give us your helmets! Give us what you want in the locker room right now,'" Fehoko said. "So everybody started taking off their helmets, and we all started moving closer to the student section."
Finally the game ended, and students and fans alike began climbing over railings, and in most cases, falling over railings and onto the green grass of Tiger Stadium - torso first in some examples with little or no resistance from the authorities.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron shook hands with Georgia coach Kirby Smart, then hurried to find his wife Kelly after the game ended for their usual singing of the alma mater with players. He didn't realize at first how many people were swarming the field.
"You're so entrenched in the X's and O's and motivation, you don't know what's happening at the time," Orgeron said Monday at his weekly press luncheon. "I still haven't seen a picture. Me and my wife were on the field. Thank God we had security guards. I was happy to see the fans where they were."
A $100,000 fine was dished out by the Southeastern Conference office Monday to LSU's athletic department, which had a prior. LSU was fined $5,000 for rushing the field after its No. 24 Tigers knocked off No. 3 Ole Miss, 10-7, in 2014. Those fines have since increased, and now a second offense is $100,000.
"I was just happy for the LSU family," Orgeron said. "I grew up watching LSU football, seen that happen a couple times. Always wanted to be a part of it."
But not a part of the fine. Athletic department funds will be used for the $100,000 that will go toward post graduate scholarship funds via the SEC. LSU's athletic department did enjoy a bump in concessions as tickets sold out for the game last Monday, and in a rare instance, Tiger Stadium was full. And LSU has reported a net profit of approximately $3.5 million for regular home games.
This was not your regular home game.
"It was pretty special," LSU quarterback Joe Burrow said. "I didn't know it would feel quite that good."
The Tigers (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) jumped higher than any other team in the national polls on Sunday - from No. 13 and No. 12 to No. 5 in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls. LSU hosts No. 22 Mississippi State (4-1, 1-2 SEC) at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
Should LSU storm the field again, it could be fined as much as $250,000 by the SEC for a third offense and any future offenses. LSU hosts No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 3 after an open date.
"It was wild on that field. I've never been through anything like that," said Fehoko, a junior transfer out of Texas Tech who is from Honolulu, Hawaii. "It was fun. I must have took 100 selfies. Somebody asked for my gloves. I feel sorry for whoever has to pay that fine, but it was well worth it."
Fehoko, a communications studies major, even ran into a classmate among the mass of humanity that stayed on the field for several minutes.
"And we're sitting there talking about our group project we have coming up," he said. "I'm like, 'When are we going to meet up?' And he says, 'Bro, I'm not worried about that right now. We just beat the No. 2 team in the nation.'"
Well yeah, Fehoko was on the team that did that, and had two more tackles in the game than his friend did.
"But I kept saying," Fehoko said, "We've got to get together for that project after this."
