RIP: Jefferson Pilot telecasts

[Armchair_QB]

That ****'s funny right there. I don't care who you are.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

1995: LSU has a JP home game for the first time during my fanship. It's against No. 1 Florida, so it's a big crowd. Game starts at 11:30, the student section opens at 9. If you get there at 10, you're sitting in the nosebleeds, so we get there at 9. SIX ****ING HOURS LATER, THANKS TO THE ******* TV OFFICIALS WHO TAKE 10 MINUTES TO RUN A ****ING SET OF COMMERCIALS AND GET ON THE FIELD EVERY OTHER PLAY, the Tigers are on the wrong end of a 28-10 score in a game they could have won. It's early October, and still hot. By 3 p.m., people are passing out in the stands and using their T-shirts as makeshift bedouin headdresses. The next week you can tell who was at the game, because those who were have sunburned faces and white raccoon rings where their sunglasses were.
Despite the hardships, though, it's still a good time. We wear the racooon rings like a badge of honor and it's great to know LSU was on TV. We endure.

I was at that game and I got a horrible ass sunburn. How the hell you get a sunburn in October? What sucked is that I was waiting tables at the time and I had a damn early shift. So I went to the game with a friend of mine and split at halftime (I figured LSU would lose badly. Back then, the Gators would beat the Tigers like they stole Spurrier's paycheck)....I couldn't even get drunk.
The best LSU early season game was when they played Texas A&M as a home opener in 1992. Mid-afternoon kickoff in early September. It was about 95 degrees with 95 percent humidity. Students were passing out left and right, from the punishing combination of heat, humidity and booze. Good times!

 

[Batman]

The best LSU early season game was when they played Texas A&M as a home opener in 1992. Mid-afternoon kickoff in early September. It was about 95 degrees with 95 percent humidity. Students were passing out left and right, from the punishing combination of heat, humidity and booze. Good times!

Ahhh, yes, the good old days. I've enjoyed the SEC and national championship runs the last few years, don't get me wrong. But I do get misty thinking about the days when you could get a ticket 10 minutes before the game and had an entire row to yourself to pass out in.

 

[dog428]

As an LSU fan/grad, I've gone through the different stages of JP acceptance over the last 12 years:

1994: LSU sucked, so JP was a cool thing to have. That was before the days when almost every game was on TV somewhere, so it was great to be able to see road games. It was kind of like taking that first hit off a joint -- you know, deep down, that it'll lead to worse things, but you don't think about it at the time and just enjoy the buzz.

Wasn't that Auburn-LSU game in 94 also on JP? The one where, for some strange reason, LSU was throwing the ball despite being up by like three TDs? The one where everytime LSU threw the ball it somehow found an Auburn defender?  

If so, I'll put that as the second greatest JP game ever, behind UK-LSU. But if we're ranking in terms of stupidity in coaching, the 94 AU-LSU game is tops -- by a long shot.

 

[dixiehack]

As an LSU fan/grad, I've gone through the different stages of JP acceptance over the last 12 years:

1994: LSU sucked, so JP was a cool thing to have. That was before the days when almost every game was on TV somewhere, so it was great to be able to see road games. It was kind of like taking that first hit off a joint -- you know, deep down, that it'll lead to worse things, but you don't think about it at the time and just enjoy the buzz.

Wasn't that Auburn-LSU game in 94 also on JP? The one where, for some strange reason, LSU was throwing the ball despite being up by like three TDs? The one where everytime LSU threw the ball it somehow found an Auburn defender?  

If so, I'll put that as the second greatest JP game ever, behind UK-LSU. But if we're ranking in terms of stupidity in coaching, the 94 AU-LSU game is tops -- by a long shot.

Curley Hallman and Jamie Howard. Two great tastes that go great together.

 

[Batman]

As an LSU fan/grad, I've gone through the different stages of JP acceptance over the last 12 years:

1994: LSU sucked, so JP was a cool thing to have. That was before the days when almost every game was on TV somewhere, so it was great to be able to see road games. It was kind of like taking that first hit off a joint -- you know, deep down, that it'll lead to worse things, but you don't think about it at the time and just enjoy the buzz.

Wasn't that Auburn-LSU game in 94 also on JP? The one where, for some strange reason, LSU was throwing the ball despite being up by like three TDs? The one where everytime LSU threw the ball it somehow found an Auburn defender?  

If so, I'll put that as the second greatest JP game ever, behind UK-LSU. But if we're ranking in terms of stupidity in coaching, the 94 AU-LSU game is tops -- by a long shot.

That was actually the game that simultaneously popped my LSU football cherry and my JP game cherry. That was my freshman year, the third or fourth game of the season. Knew next to nothing about LSU's history at the time but learned in a hurry how frustrating it can be. LSU dominates that game -- they literally didn't allow Auburn across the 50 after the first series -- and is up 23-9 in the fourth quarter. AU's one TD was on a fumble recovery in the end zone. Then, since LSU was having such an easy time, Jamie ****in' Howard decides it'd be fun to start throwing into quintuple coverage. AU runs three picks back for scores and wins 30-26. It still shows up on Turner South or FSN as a College Flash Classic every so often. And every time I want to throw a large brick through Jamie Howard's windshield.

 

[slappy4428]

Wasnt there a JP game with Kentucky a couple of years ago when it had just grabbed a lead and all it had to do was stop the visiting team (can NOT remember who) for like 12 seconds deep in their own end. The visitors ran two plays and won... USC? Florida?

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Sounds eerily like a game I covered once.

Once.

Oh, and as I recall, the 1994 meltdown came about when Hallman insisted LSU keep throwing, against the wishes of offensive coordinator Lynn Amedee. Howard was just the unlucky guy who happened to be at the end of those orders.

 

[slappy4428]

Sounds eerily like a game I covered once.

Once.

Oh, and as I recall, the 1994 meltdown came about when Hallman insisted LSU keep throwing, against the wishes of offensive coordinator Lynn Amedee. Howard was just the unlucky guy who happened to be at the end of those orders.

No, this was under Jared Lorenzen

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Yes.

My reference to the 1994 Auburn-LSU game at Jordan-Hare was a separate thought from my reference to the 2002 LSU-Kentucky game at Commonwealth Stadium. Wasn't it J-Load who called the timeout that frustrated Guy Morriss, because it stopped the clock with too much time left? Kentucky should have run the clock down to single digits, and Morriss knew it.

 

[Batman]

Sounds eerily like a game I covered once.

Once.

Oh, and as I recall, the 1994 meltdown came about when Hallman insisted LSU keep throwing, against the wishes of offensive coordinator Lynn Amedee. Howard was just the unlucky guy who happened to be at the end of those orders.

I know it was ****ty playcalling. Still doesn't mean Howard shouldn't have been able to tell blue jerseys from white ones. Or at least that there were three blue jerseys between him and his receiver.

Oh, and Slappy...the game you're thinking of was the LSU-UK hail mary game. LSU got the ball on its 2 on the kickoff, caught a pass up to the 25, called a timeout, then hit the bomb to win it.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

One of my favorite stories about the aftermath of the 1994 debacle was when Jamie Howard heard a Baton Rouge talk show host continue to rip him, and I think Howard either called and threatened to go down to the station and whip his ass or actually went to the station.

Not sure. Maybe someone here has a better memory than me about that.

 

[dixiehack]

The nadir of my JP existence was Alabama-Arkansas game in 95 where the Hogs scored the late TD for the upset, thanks in part to ROGERS REDDING AND HIS AMERICAN IMBECILES the referees failing to notice Arky's 12 men on the field during a crucial first-down conversion earlier in the drive.

 

[dog428]

Sounds eerily like a game I covered once.

Once.

Oh, and as I recall, the 1994 meltdown came about when Hallman insisted LSU keep throwing, against the wishes of offensive coordinator Lynn Amedee. Howard was just the unlucky guy who happened to be at the end of those orders.

I know it was ****ty playcalling. Still doesn't mean Howard shouldn't have been able to tell blue jerseys from white ones. Or at least that there were three blue jerseys between him and his receiver.

Oh, and Slappy...the game you're thinking of was the LSU-UK hail mary game. LSU got the ball on its 2 on the kickoff, caught a pass up to the 25, called a timeout, then hit the bomb to win it.

To be fair to Howard, I think two of those picks involved a helluva lot of luck. Didn't the final two picks bounce off the hands of his receivers?

Seems right to me, but it's been a long time since I've watched that game.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Legend has it that when Amadee found out Hallman called for the pass play that turned into the final INT he, and his defensive coaches, ran down the sideline towards Hallman screaming for a timeout before the ball was snapped.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

As an LSU fan/grad, I've gone through the different stages of JP acceptance over the last 12 years:

1994: LSU sucked, so JP was a cool thing to have. That was before the days when almost every game was on TV somewhere, so it was great to be able to see road games. It was kind of like taking that first hit off a joint -- you know, deep down, that it'll lead to worse things, but you don't think about it at the time and just enjoy the buzz.

Wasn't that Auburn-LSU game in 94 also on JP? The one where, for some strange reason, LSU was throwing the ball despite being up by like three TDs? The one where everytime LSU threw the ball it somehow found an Auburn defender?

If so, I'll put that as the second greatest JP game ever, behind UK-LSU. But if we're ranking in terms of stupidity in coaching, the 94 AU-LSU game is tops -- by a long shot.

Oh, the cursing that I did that day. I was listening to that game on the radio, going to some crappy assignment way out in Hicksville. (At the time, I was working for a newspaper that covered your typical weekend festival like it was Woodstock.) The photographer who was with me couldn't get over all the cursing I was doing.

 

[Batman]

The nadir of my JP existence was Alabama-Arkansas game in 95 where the Hogs scored the late TD for the upset, thanks in part to ROGERS REDDING AND HIS AMERICAN IMBECILES the referees failing to notice Arky's 12 men on the field during a crucial first-down conversion earlier in the drive.

I didn't think any calls went against Bama. Ever. Every SEC ref has to graduate from the Alabama School of Officiating.
Just thought of another JP lowlight, from 1999...LSU's Josh Booty, dumbass that he is, tries to run into the end zone instead of throwing it away from the Bama 2-yard line with about 5 seconds left. Two Alabama players are badly hurt on the play. One of them has a broken leg. Ref blows the play dead after Booty is tackled, looks at the clock for about five seconds, then calls for the injury timeout at 0:00. If you watch, you can almost see his lips counting the time down.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

One of my favorite stories about the aftermath of the 1994 debacle was when Jamie Howard heard a Baton Rouge talk show host continue to rip him, and I think Howard either called and threatened to go down to the station and whip his ass or actually went to the station.

Not sure. Maybe someone here has a better memory than me about that.

I don't know if that story is true or not, but I've heard it too. It's become legendary.
Those were the days, if you were an LSU fan, you were happy if they would just go to the Poulan Weed Eater Independence Bowl....the Peach Bowl was a bit too much to hope for. Forget about the SEC Championship game. God bless you Kevin Faulk, Gerry DiNardo, Michael Clayton, Nick Saban and Rohan Davey.

 

[dixiehack]

The nadir of my JP existence was Alabama-Arkansas game in 95 where the Hogs scored the late TD for the upset, thanks in part to ROGERS REDDING AND HIS AMERICAN IMBECILES the referees failing to notice Arky's 12 men on the field during a crucial first-down conversion earlier in the drive.

I didn't think any calls went against Bama. Ever. Every SEC ref has to graduate from the Alabama School of Officiating.
Just thought of another JP lowlight, from 1999...LSU's Josh Booty, dumbass that he is, tries to run into the end zone instead of throwing it away from the Bama 2-yard line with about 5 seconds left. Two Alabama players are badly hurt on the play. One of them has a broken leg. Ref blows the play dead after Booty is tackled, looks at the clock for about five seconds, then calls for the injury timeout at 0:00. If you watch, you can almost see his lips counting the time down.

I was at that game. Marvin Constant, he of the broken leg, never played again. Now a sherrif's deputy in T-town.

The quality of SEC officiating has gone to **** since Jimmy Harper retired. Actually, one of the better refs (Steve Landis) did go to Alabama, which means he can't call any Tide games.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

The nadir of my JP existence was Alabama-Arkansas game in 95 where the Hogs scored the late TD for the upset, thanks in part to ROGERS REDDING AND HIS AMERICAN IMBECILES the referees failing to notice Arky's 12 men on the field during a crucial first-down conversion earlier in the drive.

I didn't think any calls went against Bama. Ever. Every SEC ref has to graduate from the Alabama School of Officiating.
Just thought of another JP lowlight, from 1999...LSU's Josh Booty, dumbass that he is, tries to run into the end zone instead of throwing it away from the Bama 2-yard line with about 5 seconds left. Two Alabama players are badly hurt on the play. One of them has a broken leg. Ref blows the play dead after Booty is tackled, looks at the clock for about five seconds, then calls for the injury timeout at 0:00. If you watch, you can almost see his lips counting the time down.

Josh Booty...the only guy who left LSU early who I was glad to see go. I hope he's living under a bridge or turning tricks for pocket change.