It’s Saturday. Purple night. The hangover talk ends at kickoff.

No. 8 LSU hosts Louisiana Tech in a second straight Death Valley sellout — 6:30 CT on SEC Network+.

By Rhett Landry

The SEC Zoom cooled Thursday. The lawsuit can wait for another filing. Friday was the preview. Today is the night. Louisiana Tech at No. 8 LSU, Tiger Stadium, 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+, purple encouraged, second sellout in two weeks. LSUSports.net locked the window at 6:32 with Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, and Laura Stickells on the call. LA Tech Athletics lists the same 6:30 CT kick on their game center. Wear the color. Get in the seat. The rest is noise.

Last Saturday the Tigers buried Clemson 51–10  644 yards of offense, 145 allowed, Sam Leavitt and Dilin Jones both over 100 on the ground, Winston Watkins Jr. at 110 receiving, Jordan Ross walking one back 30 yards. Three SEC weekly awards on three LSU debuts. That tape is public. Tech’s tape is public too: 806 over Northwestern State, Blake Baker for 232 and three scores, Jalen Mickens needing three catches for 133 and a touchdown. Kiffin already said scoring 80 means you’re doing something right, and he called their 3-3-5 “really unusual. Crescent City Sports and Tech’s own preview note it’s the first back-to-back LSU–Tech meetings since 1940–41. Last year’s 23–7 was the fewest points Tech has allowed LSU since 1913. Different LSU then. Different LSU now.

Kiffin’s challenge, on the record all week: last Saturday doesn’t buy tonight. Same prep. Same standard. Don’t let the opponent decide how you practice. He challenged the crowd the same way — electric for Clemson, bring it again. Sonny Cumbie’s bunch is 1-0 and driving into Death Valley for an in-state night that matters in Ruston whether the national graphic cares or not. Treat it like a shrug and they will make the evening longer than anybody in purple wants. Treat it like Clemson and the place sounds like what the ticket stub promised.

Elsewhere on the board, No. 1 Ohio State is at No. 4 Texas tonight in Austin — third straight year these two meet, ABC window, the game half the country will argue about at breakfast. Fine. Watch it if you want. In Baton Rouge the only ranking on the jersey is No. 8, and the only visitor that counts is Louisiana Tech. Ole Miss is Sep 19. Oxford already talked loud after beating Louisville. First you have to clear Saturday without looking past it.

Death Valley sold out again. Kick is tonight. Make it sound like one.

Related:

- Death Valley sold out again: https://capitolandcleats.com/blog/death-valley-sold-out-again-tech-gets-the-hangover-test

- No. 8 LSU / Ole Miss / Tech Saturday: https://capitolandcleats.com/blog/no-8-lsu-no-9-ole-miss-tech-is-still-saturday