Earlier this week during the 2024 SEC Media Days, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables took some time to reflect on what will soon be his first time experiencing LSU football in Tiger Stadium later this coming season.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is looking forward to the challenge that is Tiger Stadium
During his time within the sport of college football, head coach Brent Venables has found himself in some fairly hostile environments. From the annual Red River Rivalry against Texas to a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship with Clemson, heās just about seen it all.
With that said, he hasnāt seen Death Valley at night.
āIām trying not to get ahead of myself. We certainly know that itās on the schedule, and we understand ā Iāve heard it from any coach thatās coached in the Southeastern Conference, they talk about playing in Baton Rouge at any time, let alone a night game and the challenge of that, the difficulties of that. Theyāre very real,ā the Oklahoma head coach explained during this weekās 2024 SEC Media Days.
Even despite them being two of the most historic programs in the entire sport, the Tigers and the Sooners have faced off just three total times, and none of those matchups have come during the regular season.
However, with the purple and gold currently leading the all-time series 2-1, that streak will officially come to a close in 2024, as Tiger Stadium will host the Sooners in the final week of the season, and the fanbase is sure to give the new SEC program a nice warm welcome.
āSo, for our players, as a program we want to go to those venues. We want to be on the biggest stage in the biggest games. We donāt shy away from that as a program. Itās something that we know is gonna be tough and challenging, but weāre glad that itās on the schedule. I know itās gonna bring out the best in our guys, and Iām sure it will for them as well, and itāll be a great game for college football.ā
The last time LSU and Oklahoma faced off was in 2019, when the Tigers beat the Sooners by a score of 63-28 en route to an eventual national championship victory shortly after.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier shares a similar sentiment
Interestingly enough, coach Brent Venables isnāt the only one who spoke about Oklahomaās first trip to Tiger Stadium during 2024 SEC Media Days.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is in the midst of preparation for his first season as a starter for the purple and gold, and even despite the lack of experience on game day, the star senior out of Lake Charles, LA, understands the standard that heās in charge of upholding.
āThereās no experience like Tiger Stadium at night,ā the veteran signal caller said. āDeath Valley at night is unlike anything in college football, but I think OU and Texas both have already played in games at big stages, so I donāt think thatās going to be anything new to them. But I will say that Death Valley is something special.ā
Entering the 100th season since the opening of Tiger Stadium, LSU has recorded an eye-popping 444-156-18 record while playing at home, helping to earn it the nickname of āDeath Valley.ā Additionally, having won 10 straight games at home while competing in arguably the most challenging conference in the sport, the crown jewel stadium hasnāt lost a single step.
Head coach Brent Venables and the Oklahoma football team will soon get their first glance at Death Valley later this coming season, as theyāll face off against LSU on Saturday, November 30, 2024. While we donāt yet know an exact time for the matchup, we do know that it will kickoff somewhere between 2:30 and 7:00 p.m. CST. Even so, regardless of when things do end up getting started on the football field, thereās little doubt that fans will be ready to go from the moment the sun rises.
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