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WHAT WENT
WRONG? LSU loses to Auburn Saturday 24-19
Read on
page 2 NEWS
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Students complain that LSU’s pathways are unsafe for skateboarding. LSU is in the process of creating new pathways.
ENTERTAINMENT
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Lsu_memes_for_laville_teens has accrued over 12,000 followers by giving the people what they need: good memes.
SPORTS
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Auburn quarterback Bo Nix had the game of his life on Saturday. Read how the junior led his team to a comeback win.
OPINION
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“Our justice system must ensure those who are guilty face consequences. That is not what happened in this case.”
L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le
page 2
HOW LSU COLLAPSED
LSU squanders early lead, drops crucial SEC game to Auburn a home game at night against a his receiver’s hands. Offensive BY REED DARCEY struggling Auburn team was ar- Coordinator Jake Peetz had seem@byreeddarcey Student Media guably the most winnable game. ingly decided to abandon their A quarter and a half into LSU’s It may be the last time LSU is fa- troublesome run game and orPoll dered aggressive, downfield passpainful 24-19 loss to Auburn, the vored this season. From the 35-yard line, Org- es. He called only one run play Bayou Bengals were in control. Teams Ranked The Auburn pocket was caving eron watched Nix take the snap in the opening stanza, and seven quickly under pressure from the and roll to his right. The play was more by halftime. But, when it mattered most, LSU front seven, and the offense designed to hit a receiver running No. 1-10 looked explosive. Max Johnson in the flat, but LSU had it covered. Peetz could not get on the same looked sharp, and Kayshon Boutte dominated the first quarter. Then, with five minutes left in the first half, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix crouched under center on a Fourth and Two just outside the red zone. A tight end and a fullback flanked him on his right. Nine Tiger defenders crouched in the box. Nix’s Tigers trailed 13-0 — if LSU stops them here, they could face a 20-point hole at halftime.
Major Burns and Bugg Strong contained Nix’s scramble, but the quarterback evaded both tacklers and veered left, pump-faked and froze another would-be tackler before sprinting to his sideline. Nix kept his eyes downfield as the speedy Micah Baskerville zeroed in on him. He then slipped through that tackle, juked out of another one, stepped back and fired to an open receiver in the end zone as four Tiger defenders
JULIAN COOPER / The Reveille
LSU sophomore quarterback Max Johnson (14) gets ready for the snap on Oct. 2 during LSU’s 24-19 loss against Auburn in Tiger Stadium. As the play clock wound down, neither side had time to grasp the enormity of the moment. Neither did the fans, a deafening crowd of nearly 98,000. But those in attendance would soon realize that the game — and maybe LSU’s season — would turn on this play. How important was it for LSU to stop Auburn here? First, look up in the stands. Saturday marked the post-pandemic return of Death Valley in all its strength. As Nix called the play on fourth down and the previous third down, he shouted over deafening noise, the first true roar of Tiger Stadium in 672 days. This game — this season — matters. Then, look to the sidelines. Ed Orgeron yearned to go home with a win. His team had quieted critics the week before, when they executed a smart game plan and beat Mississippi State. With a road tilt in Kentucky up next, Orgeron needed his team confident before they played the undefeated Wildcats, who earlier in that day toppled No. 10 Florida. Finally, look ahead — to upcoming dates with Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Of the SEC gauntlet,
brought him down. Touchdown. LSU 13 - Auburn 7. LSU mostly succeeded in pressuring the quarterback. But it didn’t finish the job: Nix broke tackle after tackle all night, scrambling outside the pocket and hitting receivers on the run. LSU ended the game with six hurries and zero sacks. The plays in which Nix evaded the rush told the story of the game: LSU surely had the game in control, but ultimately, like Nix, it slipped away. The defense wore out, and the offense, out of sync and without a ground game to rely on, sputtered. Auburn took the lead late in the second half and went home with a win. “Very disappointing loss,” Orgeron said. “Their quarterback, we couldn’t get him down. He made some tremendous plays, so give him credit. That was the ballgame.” In the first quarter, the LSU offense looked electric. Johnson somehow threw for 122 yards on the opening drive. He connected with Boutte on a beautiful 31yard touchdown, when the lefty dropped the ball perfectly between two defenders, right into
page with Johnson and his offense. Before Nix’s theatrics, LSU had a chance to go up 17-0. They faced a fourth and one from the Auburn three-yard line with eight minutes to play in the second quarter. The play clock wound down before Johnson was ready, and Orgeron burned his final timeout of the half. On the play, LSU jumped offsides, and they kicked a field goal: 13-0. The first drive of the second half looked promising: LSU had a first and goal at the five. But a run for no gain and two incompletions led to a field goal. They had a chance to go up two scores, but didn’t. 16-10. After the game, Johnson said, in hindsight, his offense should have thrown the ball on first down in the red zone and stayed aggressive. “We should’ve taken more shots,” he said. On the second drive of the half, a holding penalty by Austin Deculus and a sack pushed LSU back. Cade York converted on a 51-yard field goal, and LSU’s lead was 19-10. The purple and gold followed those two drives with three consecutive punts. Johnson was under duress, the receivers struggled to separate and the backs had no room to run. Post game, the culprit of LSU’s collapse turned out to be the offensive line. “I’m really disappointed in that,” Orgeron said. “We have two guys on that offensive line that we won a national championship with. I thought that would’ve been one of the strengths of our football team, but it’s not.” Meanwhile, Auburn had scored two touchdowns and taken a 24-19 lead. The defensive adjustment LSU had made at halftime — choosing to spy Nix, bull rush the interior and contain the outside (what they call a “cage rush”) — was not working. LSU still had a chance with two timeouts and three minutes left in the quarter. Johnson and his offense lined up at the 25. How important was it for LSU to score here? First, look up at the stands. The Auburn contingent was rowdy, while a nervous silence fell over the LSU fans. Then, look to the sidelines at Orgeron. After a 2020 season in which his players reportedly tuned him out, he needed to be on the same page with his offense at a crucial moment. And finally, look ahead: at 75 yards of green grass, the Ti-
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gers must cross before they could score. The play clock expired before Johnson could snap the ball, and Orgeron called his second timeout. He lifted his headset, clapped in encouragement and walked to the offense, a nervous look on his face. Boos rained down on his offense. Six plays later, Johnson threw an interception on the fourth down, and Auburn started celebrating. LSU had lost an important game. They fell to 3-2 on the season, and Orgeron is now 8-7 since he won a national championship. Auburn beat LSU in Tiger Stadium for the first time in 22 years. After the game, the beleaguered coach was asked what went wrong on the play when the play clock expired. “The play call was in late,” Orgeron said, “then we tried to change it at the line of scrimmage, and we just weren’t wellorganized.”
CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsu.edu.
ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.
NEWS BUMPY ’BOARDING
‘How skate-able is campus?’ Skaters, campus planning officials weigh in BY DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16
Thomas Buchmann preferred skateboarding over walking when navigating campus. He found it to be the easiest way to get between his classes and to blow off some steam. His attitude towards skating has since shifted, however. Last year, the finance sophomore broke his leg while skating downhill behind the PMAC. He hasn’t skateboarded since. “There was a turn, and I couldn’t see a car coming until I got near the bottom. I went to get out of the way and hit a traffic arm while trying to avoid the car,” Buchmann said. “I was going really fast and that’s what broke my [tibia and fibula].” He feels what happened to him could have been prevented if he was riding on the sidewalks instead of the road. But some of campus’ sidewalks are unsuitable for skaters trying to navigate campus, he said. “The sidewalks and roads are pretty messed up with twigs, a bunch of cracks and different things that make it hard to ride around campus,” Buchmann said. Fixing the disrepair of campus’ paved areas, especially the sidewalks, is a major concern of assistant president of Campus Planning Dennis Mitchell. “Every day we are repairing trip hazards and identifying issues in terms of how to make our
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
LSU senior history major Charles Desobry skates near the Clock Tower on Oct. 26, 2018. sidewalks without any changes in elevation so that it’s smooth,” Mitchell said. The state of campus sidewalks is such that skaters have no choice but to contend with traffic through and around campus. Mitchell said his team at Campus Planning has begun to make changes to the infrastructure of campus to make it as accommodating as possible to skaters. One of Mitchell’s main goals is to eliminate on-street parking and to introduce bike lanes. He said that these efforts are done to “open up the line of sight” for students using the streets and sidewalks. “The biggest danger that we have is when someone on a skateboard comes up to a crosswalk at a high speed, cars can’t see them. So we want to eliminate the cars
[parked] on the road and certainly want people using skateboards to be mindful of crosswalks and be careful,” Mitchell said. The bike lanes, Mitchell said, would allow campus to be shared by more students than before. The changes he has been pushing for also include improving the accessibility of sidewalks, installing more ramps and partnering with student government to install skateboard-locking racks. Some skaters have found that campus is already well suited to their lifestyle with the changes Mitchell is beginning to implement. Despite owning a car, architecture freshman Skylar Vollmer finds using her leaf-shaped green longboard to be a much more efficient mode of transportation on campus.
page 3 ACADEMICS
Students want in person SI sessions
“There’s a whole lot of stops in my car and with pedestrians around, you just end up getting places faster on a skateboard,” Vollmer said. After skating since the sixth grade in her home state of Virginia, Vollmer said that when she skateboards, it feels like a smoother ride than a bike or a scooter while allowing her to get out of the heat faster. “It feels really cool to skateboard down LSU campus with the big buildings going by,” she said. “You feel like a movie star.” Computer science freshman Andrew Nguyen feels skating is really helpful in his commute to class. After a period of not skating following high school, one week into school Nguyen picked it up again after he noticed how long it would take him to get across campus. He said a 20-minute walk is cut down to about seven minutes if he’s on his skateboard. Skaters like Vollmer and Nguyen have to contend with pedestrians if they want to use the sidewalks. Sometimes this can be a hinderance to their own mobility, the freshmen skaters said. “When it’s a time where everyone’s out and about, I can’t really skateboard. I really don’t want to run into people,” Nguyen said. Nguyen said that it’s rare if he crosses someone’s path on his board, but when it does happen,
Some students attending Supplemental Instruction sessions through the Center for Academic Success are frustrated that unlike the previous year, there are no zoom options available. CAS teaching assistants offer Zoom office hours, but not for the sessions themselves. Many students attend SI sessions because they offer valuable reviews before quizzes or tests, and some professors offer bonus points for attending a certain amount of sessions in a semester. With solely in-person sessions (excluding other senior colleges that may offer online SI) some students are worried about COVID transmission, and others say busy school and work schedules don’t give them the time to attend in person. Social work junior Amelia Vidrine is a full-time student and worker who has an SI session for her chemistry class. She said her busy schedule doesn’t leave her the time or energy to go to an inperson session. “I think I could really benefit from going. SI sessions helped me a lot my freshman year,” Vidrine
see SKATING, page 4
see CAS, page 4
BY AIDAN PRIMEAUX @acprimeaux
ATHLETICS
LSU, Auburn fans tailgate despite muddy field conditions BY MADDIE SCOTT & GABRIELLE JIMENEZ @madscottyy & @gvjimenezz College football fans gathered on a dreary campus day to tailgate for the highly anticipated LSU Auburn football game. Muddy shoes and wet skies did not deter the fans from celebrating what they love most: LSU football. At the Parade Ground, students constructed mini-dance venues with DJ setups, speakers and tents. Mosh pits turned into mud pits. Tailgaters either joyously hobbled in mud-plastered sneakers or hopped around barefoot in the dirt. LSU Alumna Maggie Williams’ solution was not only efficient in avoiding the Parade Ground mud trenches, but also filled with southern pride; She wore her cowgirl boots. “The rain is kind of making it fun because it’s all muddy and everyone is just like, ‘why not?’” Williams said. Sports administration junior
MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Daily Reveille
A group of men gather by a tree on Oct. 2, while tailgating near Peabody Hall in Baton Rouge, La. Caleb Westfall said he didn’t mind the weather either. As long as he had his buddies and a game of corn hole set up, he was content. “When you’re with the right people, all of that stuff doesn’t matter,” Westfall said. “Everyone comes out to watch the Tigers play, and it’s fun.” Beside the Pentagon Commu-
nity, Shelley Taylor, a 1996 alumna of Auburn University wore her school colors and came to root for her team. Her orange and blue stuck out in a sea of purple and gold, especially protruding behind her LSU friends whom she came with. “They have welcomed us here even though we are the enemy,
but we are friends and so happy to be here,” Shelley said. “It’s been a great day.” For the past 20 years, Shelley and her husband have watched their team lose on LSU turf. They believed it was time to claim their victory. In a true Louisiana fashion, they planned to hunker down under their tent if the rain tested them. Mario Bogran, a proud father to two LSU alumni, loves college football. On Saturday, Oct. 2 he arrived to campus at 6 a.m. to beat the hectic gameday parking and to continue his tailgating tradition of cooking an early-morning breakfast on his grill. The rain didn’t deter him. “We still do the same thing,” Bogran said in response to the weather. “We stick it out. It never rains in death valley.” Ashley Frugé and her tailgating group also brought their Louisiana culture to the scene by carrying their hurricane generators to power TVs and fans to showcase the big game and avoid the
October heat. Frugé was joined by her coworkers from a local news station. She said tailgating with them every year has made them more than just coworkers. To Frugé, they’ve become family. “The comradery of everybody – it’s just a joyous occasion,” Frugé said. “We all have fun and we connect with one another.” Over the years, Frugé and her friends believe they’ve earned their distinguished tailgating spot, complete with an awning blocking the rain and a bathroom close by. Jared Mullen has extensive experience in the tailgating scene. With friends from several surrounding universities, he came to the conclusion that LSU’s football experience is like no other. “LSU by far is the most unique and amazing experience you will ever have in your life,” Mullen said. “If you go to any other tailgate like ULL and Northwestern, or ULM, you will never have and experience like LSU.”
Monday, October 4, 2021
page 4 SKATING, from page 3 he has had nothing but positive experiences. “I don’t know if I’ve been lucky, but everybody’s really nice about it,” Nguyen said. Vollmer’s experience has not been as positive. She said people tend to be a little bit more rude
to people using alternative forms of transportation like bikes and boards. “I don’t see why they get so upset when you’re coming up behind them,” she said. “When a skateboarders coming at you they can always bail.” The main difficulty Vollmer has had while skating was trying
to get to Tiger Band Hall, where sidewalks are “sometimes too bad” to skate on, Vollmer said. She feels that the renovation of old sidewalks that Mitchell has begun is essential to improve the quality of life for skaters on campus. Describing himself as a “champion of mobility,” Mitchell said
CAS, from page 3 said. “I don’t think it’s fair that students last semester got more accessible help.” She also thinks students who live with immunocompromised people may be discouraged from attending, even with masks and social distancing measures. Political science sophomore John Ellender attended SI sessions for his world religions course over Zoom last year, but between school, work and fraternity activities has little time to attend in-person sessions. “[The sessions] were great. I would attend them weekly,” Ellender said. “Now that sessions aren’t being offered online it makes it a lot harder to attend.” His SI sessions for this semester are only scheduled 24 hours in advance at most, so he doesn’t have the time to rearrange his schedule with such short notice. He added that he doesn’t have any COVID concerns about in-per-
SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille
LSU Center for Academic Success sits Oct. 1, in B-31 Coates Hall at LSU. son sessions because he believes the university protocols work well. Environmental geology sophomore Connor George feels that student feedback about the accessibility of Zoom has been ignored. “It frustrates me that the school isn’t listening to the students but
making choices based on what they had already predetermined would be best for us,” George said. “To have both on the table is what matters.” George also said some of his in-person SI sessions have online signup sheets that fill up quickly,
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he is fine with skaters using their boards to get around campus, but the problems start to arise when they use their boards to perform “dangerous stunts” in busy areas on campus. Buchmann pushes back against this notion, feeling that the university needs to allow skaters to use spots like low-traffic ar-
eas and parking garages, home to “no skateboarding” signs, to practice stunts and have free reign in their skating. “I don’t see why it’s a problem for us to be skating there,” Buchmann said. “We’re out of the way of people walking to class just practicing on flat ground. We’re not messing anything up.”
especially when they are scheduled close to test reviews. He says this creates a disadvantage for those who want to attend but can’t. Associate Director of Academic Support Matthew Mattox said CAS, like the rest of LSU, had a directive to schedule as much as they could in person, and said SI sessions are not meant to be lectures but a collaborative practice between the SI leader and students. This collaborative element was difficult to incorporate last year because many students would join sessions and turn their video camera off. “When we were online, it was incredibly difficult to do the sessions properly,” Mattox said. “The sessions are just better in person. They get immediate feedback from their SI leader.” For students that need an online experience, he said CAS still offers online office hours for teaching assistants, as well as other online tutoring. Mattox also said students must
understand that SI is not specific to LSU but part of an international organization. Accredited institutions must meet certain requirements to keep their status, and one of these is a certain percentage of enrolled students going to SI sessions. During the pandemic, SI participation was very low, but CAS has seen a surge in attendance at the in-person sessions. Mattox says sessions are supervised and CAS has not heard reports of anyone failing to comply with masks or social distancing measures at a session. Biological engineering junior Atula Danivas said he attended SI sessions before the pandemic, but hasn’t had any for his classes since then. He believes an in-person experience is crucial to SI being effective. “Going to the SI, hearing all the material from a different perspective helps you understand it better,” Danivas said. “It does result in a better grade.”
ENTERTAINMENT
page 5
THIS WEEK IN BR
Want to see your event in the Reveille? Email information to editor@lsu.edu.
THURSDAY AT 6
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BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab
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TH
The Vinyl Underground | East Baton Rouge Parish Library Bluebonnet Regional Branch
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES / The Reveille
Vinyl records sit in crates at the North Gate Music & Arts Fest on W. Chimes Street.
If Monday has your head spinning, go back in time to the good old vinyl record days. Whether you’re a record collector or a music enthusiast who swears by the sound quality of vinyl, you can meet with like-minded individuals at 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd. The meeting will focus on debut album openers, or the first song on an artist’s first album.
OCTOBER
5
TH
Learn to Climb | LSU UREC
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES / The Reveille
Rock climbing is available for UREC members.
Climb every mountain, or since its Tuesday, just settle for the rock-climbing wall in the UREC. Climbing beginners can learn basic climbing skills. Registration is open until noon the day of the event.
OCTOBER
6 TH 7
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Fall Festival | LSU Student Union
FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille
A LSU student walks up steps in the Student Union.
Campus Outreach is hosting a fall festival celebration in the Magnolia Room of the Student Union. Enjoy all kinds of fall fun like pumpkin painting, games and fall desserts. Register for free on TigerLink.
OCTOBER Rock N Rowe | Perkins Rowe
courtesy of Visit Baton Rouge
Bring your lawn chairs and dancing shoes to the Town Square at Perkins Rowe for a live performance from Phat Hat, a Baton Rouge funk/soul band covering the best of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Grab some ice cream at Creamistry, the liquid nitrogen ice cream parlor, and enjoy the free show.
Monday, October 4, 2021
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The Story of famous LSU-themed Instagram, @lsu_memes_for_laville_teens BY EDDY HAGE @hage_eddy Have you ever made the trek to Kirby Smith only to find that it’s now a Spirit Halloween? How about pretending to be interested in journalism to flirt with Manship students? And do you miss Mr. Ronnie’s Hot Famous Donuts? If you found yourself answering “yes” to any of these questions, then you may be entitled to follow @lsu_memes_for_laville_ teens. With over 12,000 followers on Instagram, @lsu_memes_for_ laville_teens is the biggest nonbranded LSU meme account. Starting in summer 2018, the account owner noticed a serious
lack of LSU meme accounts and decided it would be a fun outlet to express humor creatively. “I decided ‘why not?’ and created the page with very few expectations. Looking back, I’m still shocked to see how much the page has grown since then,” said the account owner, who is currently a second-year graduate student. The creator went on to say that they only expected around 1,000 followers before ending the project, but the account is currently the most successful independent LSU account, amassing over 12,000 followers and thousands of likes on every meme posted. “I think one of the reasons
courtesy of @lsu_memes_for_laville_teens
the account has grown the way it has is because of how relatable many of the posts are. Whether it’s being waved down in Free Speech Alley or getting lost trying to find a classroom in Coates, “I believe that there are many experiences that most LSU students go through at some point in their college career” said the owner. The memes showcase the unique aspects of being a student at this university and let people laugh at how crazy it can be sometimes.” Outside of relatability, the page’s runner also credits LSU’s legendary 2019 football season on inspiring some of their best memes. The creator noted that Joe Burrow and the team “having arguably the greatest college football season of all time” helped many LSU accounts receive national attention and skyrocket in popularity. Regarding inspiration, the creator said that either the jokes appear out of thin air, like the infamous car in the quad, or they come out of general annoyance, like having to squeeze past the Cane’s drive-through since there’s always a line backed out in the street. Despite poking fun at the university, the creator also added that they are proud to be a Tiger and grateful to be a part of LSU.
7.99IZZA
courtesy of @lsu_memes_for_laville_teens
“A lot of the time, the posts are usually my own experiences or observations that I just exaggerate for the joke. Luckily for me, there always seems to be something unique happening at LSU that I can make a post about,” said the account owner. @lsu _ memes _ for_ lavi l le _ teens expected to run out of jokes after one or two years, but once the account got attention from other students, it became hard to quit. Being a unique and positive part of the LSU commu-
nity helped them keep the page going. “It’s always a cool experience to see LSU students like and share my posts about the university as well as all of the nice comments and messages. Of course, I’m not the biggest page out there, but it is still nice to know I can bring some laughter to a decent amount of students on campus. Just to be a fun part of the LSU college experience for some definitely helps motivate me to keep running this page after so many years.”
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Airbnbrilliant designs: Unique stays on online lodging marketplace, Airbnb BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab Winnie the Pooh “Bearbnb” Vacation in the Hundred Acre Wood at “The House at Pooh Corner.” This “Winnie the Pooh” themed Airbnb is in Nutley, England. The so-called “Bearbnb” celebrates the 95th anniversary of the first publication of A.A. Milne’s beloved children’s book series “Winnie the Pooh.” Although the silly old bear won’t judge you if
you spend your stay doing nothing, the stay comes with a guided tour of the Hundred Acre Wood and a chance to play Poohsticks on the Poohsticks Bridge. The cottage comes stocked with yoga mats when it’s time for your stoutness exercise. And if you’re in the mood for food, there’s “hunny”inspired snacks. The Big Idaho Potato Hotel The potato is the room in South Boise, Idaho. Gather your best spud for a stay in the 28-foot
long, 12-foot wide Big Idaho Potato Hotel listed on Airbnb. The 6-ton potato traveled around the country as part of the Idaho Potato Commission’s Big Idaho Potato Tour and now sits on 400 acres of farmland. The potato stay includes an indoor fireplace, spa retreat and a resident pet jersey cow. River Paradise Architecture buffs will enjoy the River Paradise Airbnb. Located on 7 acres in Folsom, Loui-
River Paradise courtesy of Airbnb
siana, this unique Airbnb looks like a fantasy tower. If “Sleeping Beauty” were set in the swamp, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather would’ve taken Aurora here. The house includes a wraparound deck with views of the river and a bridge and trail leading down to it. The McFly and The Slater Take your DeLorean down to Dallas, Texas, for this blast from the past. The downstairs portion of this Airbnb duplex is known as the ‘80s themed McFly, while the upstairs area is the ‘90s themed Slater. Both are stocked with sugary cereal options, retro video games and decade-appropriate décor. You bet there’s posters of all five New Kids on the Block on The Slater’s walls. The nostalgia doesn’t stop indoors- there’s a McDonald’s Hamburglar jail in the backyard. Great Escape Host the ultimate game night with 43 of your friends at the Great Escape, a game-themed Airbnb in Clermont, Florida. Enjoy themed bedrooms, like the Pac-Man arcade. Step in for your favorite chess piece on the life-sized board. Act like a “Big” kid, with the Zoltar machine and 7-foot in-floor piano. Venture outdoors for human foosball and bowling. One thing’s for sure, you
Great Escape courtesy of Airbnb
won’t be “board.” Underground Hygge Have a quiet, peaceful stay at your own hobbit hole in Orondo, Washington. The Underground Hygge is nestled into the Columbia River Gorge mountainside. Throw open the round doors to watch the sun set behind the hills at this “Lord of the Rings” location. There’s even a hot drink bar for your afternoon tea.
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SPORTS THE BO SHOW
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Offensive mishaps spell trouble BY JOE KEHRLI @ joekehrli9
likely hindsight bias) of many Auburn fans. Throughout the week, Nix split first-team reps with Finley, keeping Auburn, LSU and college football fanatics on their toes all week. Media across the south licked their lips at the thought of Finley coming home in his first start at Auburn to take on Max Johnson, the quarterback who beat him out in spring practice, in a night game in Baton Rouge. Finley even got into the game on the third drive of the game after Nix started. Many can remember Nix’s first game against LSU in 2019 in Tiger Stadium. At that point, he was just a freshman locking horns with the Heisman frontrunner and the future national champions. He strug-
It is a pantheon of concrete and steel. It is haunted, and it was loud until the Auburn Tigers scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter behind their omnipresent defense. Death Valley was packed with over 96,000 amped fans to witness the Tigers from Auburn get the best of Tigers of LSU, in their first win in Tiger Stadium (at night) since 1999. In a game where neither Auburn nor LSU could establish a credible run game, the two teams’ defenses held together each team. This does not imply that either defense had a stellar game, but clearly, Auburns’ Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason had his shining moments, only allowing 11 rushing yards. Edge position for Auburn, Derick Hall was one of the strengths of their defense, locking in place a sturdy pass rush, which was expected preparing for LSU. “We knew coming in that they were a pass first team, so that was something we really emphasized, getting to the quarterback,” Hall said. “We had to make a lot of adjustments … I think that’s what really helped
see NIX, page 9
see OFFENSE, page 9
JALEN HINTON/ The Reveille
Junior Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball on Saturday during LSU’s 24-19 defeat against Auburn at Tiger Stadium. BY JARED BRODTMANN @ _therealjarbear Bo Nix was tired. Really tired. “I’m exhausted,” he said in his postgame interview Saturday night. “I haven’t run around quite like this in a while. I’m going to sleep good tonight.” And for good reason. The junior Auburn quarterback played the game of his career in one of the most unusual chapters of his time in college. LSU fans surely felt the surge of old nightmares of mobile quarterbacks putting their Tigers in a game of Twister and leaving them to rot. Vivid apparitions of Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts had to appear reincarnated in Nix.
He devastated LSU’s tacklers with his speed, athleticism and intelligence, a feeling longtime LSU faithful know all too well. In Auburn’s 24-19 win over LSU, Nix threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, one that will go down as one of the most dazzling touchdowns in SEC history. Rolling to his right, Nix sensed pressure. As he surveyed the field for his receivers, he also had to dodge LSU defenders in his face. He rolled back to his left, evaded another potential LSU tackler and hit Tyler Fromm in the back of the endzone for a magical touchdown. It robbed LSU of the energy built up by over 90,000 screaming fans, thrilled to be back at a full–capacity SEC football game. Nix’s legs remained a factor, as he rushed
for 74 yards total on the evening and punched in a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cut LSU’s lead to two. “I saw Tyler Fromm running in the back,” Nix said of the touchdown. “I’ll never forget the vision I had. I just saw that hair coming out the back of his helmet, just flopping running wide open. I got lucky and threw it, got the ball of my hands just fast enough, and he ran under it and caught it.” The ecstasy Nix must be feeling is nearly unimaginable. After an uninspiring team performance at Penn State and falling behind to Georgia State at home, Nix was replaced by former LSU quarterback TJ Finley. The transfer led Auburn back to get the win and won the hearts (and most
SOCCER
LSU soccer falls to Alabama, moves to 1–3 in SEC play BY MORGAN ROGERS @ __morganrogers On Friday at the Alabama Soccer Stadium, the Tigers’ matchup with the Crimson Tide fell nothing short of the usual Alabama–LSU intense rivalry. Last time out, the Crimson Tide fell to the Tigers 2-0 in the 2020 SEC Tournament. Ninety minutes full of extreme physicality and 30 combined fouls made for a heated match from start to finish, despite the disappointment of the Tigers’ 0-1 loss by the end of the night. LSU garnered double the amount of fouls in comparison to Alabama, contracting seven in the first half and 12 in the second half. Three Tigers– Shannon Cooke, Tiana Caffey and Rammie Noel–received yellow cards solely within the second half. The fourth card
of the night was issued to Alabama’s Riley Tanner. The No. 26 LSU team’s loss only resulted within the last five minutes of the game. The two SEC teams were tied 0-0 for the entirety of the match, with the Crimson Tide outshooting the Purple and Gold 17-9. The Tigers actually outshot Alabama in the first half, and then were stunted to a wide shot margin of 3-12 in the second. Despite the gap, LSU had more shots on target than their opponent. Despite enduring their third straight loss after an undefeated start, LSU soccer still finds themselves breaking records left and right. Midfielder Chiara Ritchie-Williams officially topped the LSU career minutes chart with a total of 7,828 minutes, beating the previous record set in 2015 by Alex Arlitt. The London native set the re-
cord in the 45th minute of her 88th collegiate career game. Most of LSU’s offensive action of the night was in the first half, with a chance as early as the 10th minute. The Tigers’ leading forward, Tinaya Alexander, made a shot on goal towards the top of the net that Alabama goalkeeper McKinley Crone managed to collect in time. About halfway through the first 45 minutes, defender Cooke shot on a free kick from approximately 30 yards out. Alexander moved to capitalize on the moment, but Crone sweeped up the ball before she could. The Tigers’ made more efforts throughout the first but could not manage to best Crone’s reflexes. Besides Alabama’s breakthrough in scoring within the last minutes of the game, the Tigers’ net kept quiet for most of the night. LSU goalkeeper
Mollee Swift took action only three times during the match. She thwarted a good chance by the Crimson Tide in the 21st minute by making a quick diving save to reject Ashlynn Serepca’s goal attempt. Her second save was picked up in the 70th minute with a clean save to stop Macy Clem’s shot. The sole goal of the night came late in the 85th minute from the Alabama squad. A manuever by Bella Scaturro granted junior Reyna Reyes a perfect opportunity to bounce the ball straight into the net. With the Tigers’ record now sitting at 8-3-0 on the season, they’ll host Texas A&M on Thursday at 6 p.m. So far, LSU has won a single conference game and lost three this season. Since taking over the program last year, Sian Hudson has yet to earn a SEC win on the road.
ABBY KIBBLER/ The Reveille
LSU soccer senior forward Meghan Johnson (31) keeps the ball away from Georgia junior forward Mallie McKenzie (28) Sunday, Sept. 26, during their 2-1 loss against Georgia at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
Monday, October 4, 2021 OFFENSE, from page 8 us quarter to quarter, becoming more confident and playing looser and more physical as we made those adjustments.” Late in the first drive of the game, LSU was showing promise: They were completing their passes and possessing a fast tempo. However, when they arrived in the red zone, the machine seemed to sputter. Center Liam Shanahan snapped the ball from the nine-yard line and sent the ball well above Max Johnson’s head, resulting in a 22-yard team loss. Luckily Johnson had the presence of mind to fall on the ball and did not try to be a hero and recoup lost yards. Johnson responded on the next play, hitting star wideout Kayshon Boutte in stride in the endzone.
NIX, from page 8 gled, completing just 15 passes for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Despite Auburn’s dominant win at Jordan-Hare Stadium last year, many continued to overlook the fingerprints he could leave on a game against LSU. Everyone was ready for Finley. To succeed at the level he did with all of the hoopla surrounding him, whether it was criticism of his play or expression of a desire
page 9 The next time LSU had the ball on offense, the last minutes of the first quarter, Shanahan lacked. After a major gain from a hands to the face penalty on second down, the center slipped his grip on the ball causing a low snap to Johnson. Johnson again picked up the slack with a fouryard run. Shanahan’s mishaps were not the only offensive line quandaries on Saturday. LSU couldn’t find any open lanes to penetrate Auburn’s stacked front seven. Ty DavisPrice and Corey Kiner combined for a total of 40 yards of rushing. This was the first game of the season where the offensive line was healthy and energized to show their strength since the season opener against UCLA. Cam Wire entered the game in
the late first quarter, and Austin Deculus started. “I’m really disappointed in that [struggles with the offensive line].” Coach Ed Orgeron said. “We have two guys on that offensive line that we won a national championship with. I thought that would’ve been one of the strengths of our football team, but it’s not. We have to continue to look at it and improve.” Although it seemed like after LSU’s dominant first-quarter performance, the team had resolved past issues of clock management. Wrong. The Bayou Bengals had spent four of their five called timeouts to avoid delay of game penalties. Orgeron also admitted after the game that the play-call was coming in late, and with the young quarterback it was difficult to stay well-organized when
making adjustments on the line of scrimmage. Against Auburn, the offensive line couldn’t make the proper ingame adjustments to combat the rush-heavy defensive schemes from Auburn, but they managed to show slight improvements in allowing Max Johnson to maintain a longer in-pocket presence. With more comfort in high-pressure games, Johnson completed 26 of his attempts for 325 yards. LSU led throughout the majority of the game until the fourth quarter, in big part to Max Johnson’s dependability on his favorite target Boutte. The offensive line yet again struggled with time management and creating opportunities for the run game to get established. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line had their share of woes as well.
“Their quarterback [Bo Nix], we couldn’t get him down,” Orgeron said. “He made some tremendous plays so give him credit. That was the ballgame … we couldn’t tackle the quarterback.” Last week against Georgia State, the Auburn quarterback only attempted two rushes for zero yards. Against LSU’s defense, which leads the SEC in sacks, 18, Nix attempted 12 rushes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Nix, however, could not figure out a passing game against the Tigers deep secondary, only completing 52% of his 44 attempts for 255 yards and connected to tight end Tyler Fromm for a 24-yard touchdown. LSU will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the 5-0 Wildcats in a game where the imperative will be on the offensive line.
to move on to the next generation, is a remarkable accomplishment that LSU fans should give him credit for. The atmosphere called for a hero, and Nix answered. “Going into this week, there was a lot of things going on that I don’t necessarily have anything to say about,” Nix said. “It’s just a lot that was just out of my control, but I think I did a good job of focusing on those things that I could control.” It has to be mind-numbingly
frustrating for LSU’s defense to have as much pressure as they did and come out of Tiger Stadium without a sack in hand. At each moment it seemed an LSU tackler would unquestionably bring Nix down, he quickly jumped, juked or accelerated out of harm’s way. “We couldn’t tackle Bo Nix,” junior LSU linebacker Damone Clark said. “We had him where we wanted him. We stopped him on first and second down, and we were able to have some fun on
third down. We just didn’t come through. Way too many missed tackles.” LSU forced six QB hurries of Nix. They did not bring him down once. The defense as a whole played well, but those instances where they had assured yardage losses until they did not will haunt them for a while. LSU’s offensive shortcomings should and will be discussed. The offensive line needs desperate improvement, Max Johnson needs
to find more consistent play, and the offense needs to develop more cohesiveness. There is no denying their performance, or lack thereof, is owed some credit for Auburn achieving victory. That should not be the storyline after the game. It should be Bo Nix, and more importantly his triumph over challenge in spectacular fashion. Grant him the recognition. He was incredible. Maybe a little tired, but incredible.
s l w o t nigh
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OPINION
page 11
Team USA gymnasts deserved more than FBI’s mishandling FROM THE CRO’S NEST ELIZABETH CROCHET @elizabethcro_ Growing up, I always admired the FBI as a highly-esteemed group that kept our country and its people safe. However, as the years have passed, I have increasingly found myself reading and listening to stories that describe the FBI in every manner other than “highly esteemed.” Last week, four Team USA gymnasts—Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman—testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the FBI’s handling of the Larry Nassar case. As team doctor for the U.S. gymnastics team from 1978-2016, Nassar sexually assaulted more than 330 underage women. Unfortunately, due to the FBI’s incompetence, the pedophile lived unscathed for far too long.
GRAEME JENNINGS / ASSOCIATED PRESS
United States Olympic gymnast Simone Biles testifies during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Sept. 15, in Washington. I am a firm believer in our constitutional right that someone is innocent until proven guilty. However, our justice system must ensure that those who are genuinely guilty face consequences. Unfortunately, that is not what happened in this case.
Maggie Nichols was one of the first gymnasts to report her abuse. She told USA Gymnastics about Nassar’s behavior over six years ago, and to this day, there are unanswered questions. Yet, over a year after her first complaint, the FBI had to interview
her. “USA Gymnastics, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the FBI have all betrayed me and those who were abused by Larry Nassar after I reported,” Nichols powerfully testified before the Senate. Similarly, it took 14 months of repeated interview requests before Aly Raisman finally got a chance to talk to the FBI about Nassar’s abuse. FBI agent Jay Abbott and USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny stood in her way as they collaborated to cover for Nassar, eventually pressuring Raisman “to consent to Nassar’s plea deal.” When McKayla Maroney reported her abuse to the FBI, “there were certain FBI agents who chose to falsify what [she] said and conceal Nassar’s crimes….” How despicable for the country’s highest federal law enforcement agency to twist her words to discredit her and protect Nassar. During Simone Biles’ testimony, she made clear that she
blames not only Nassar but “an entire system that enabled and perpetuated his abuse.” The cover-up done to protect this man should concern everyone. These women deserve answers. FBI Director Christopher Wray blamed his organization’s conduct on “fundamental errors.” Unfortunately, those words simply are not enough. As of now, no one involved in the case other than Nassar has faced any federal charges. Wray went on to say that the “reprehensible conduct… is not representative of the work that I see from our 37,000 folks every day.” However, between the bureau’s incompetence in both this case and countless others, it seems that accountability is desperately missing from the FBI’s operations. As Maroney posed to the Senate Judiciary Committee, “Who are they trying to protect?” Elizabeth Crochet is a 20-year-old political communication junior from New Orleans.
Social media influencers deserve a shot at traditional fame EMILY ON CAMPUS EMILY DAVISON @ichigoemily It is universally acknowledged that the internet is an incredibly strange, sometimes unforgiving, but always fascinating place. It’s been this way, or at least ever since I stepped onto the Earth in 2001. Optimistically speaking, the Internet is a powerhouse for development and progress—people from across the globe can work together, sharing a virtual space for scientific, philosophical and social growth. Despite its ever-changing nature, a few fundamental aspects of internet culture have remained the same since its inception: lively forum posting, convoluted meme manufacturing, overly heated arguments and online celebrities. I’m here to focus on the lattermost institution—that inexplicable concept of Internet celebrities. I remember the early glory days of YouTube and all of its accidentally viral icons:Tay Zonday, Ryan Higa, Rebecca Black. As internet trends evolve, so
too has its manifestations of stardom. Compared to seemingly random virality and people using the Internet for sheer fun, it’s become infinitely more common for people to flock to social media with intentions of fame and wealth through influencing. The modern interpretation of the term “influencer” connotes a social media-savvy individual who endorses different products, brands, or even ideologies by relating to their audience. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat—you name it; if it’s a social media platform, it has its ecosystem of influencers. In the past few years, the increasing number internet stars has led to an emergence of influencers in just about every realm of entertainment, bringing online fame offline. A lot of people are not happy about this shift. People despised Lilly Singh’s late-night television hosting debut, and by the time I finished counting the number of failed YouTuber music careers, hundreds more likely spawned. More recently, beauty vlogger Nikita Dragun’s sloppy runway walk during New York Fashion Week provoked pure rage in the high fashion community. And,
COURTESY OF US WEEKLY
Influencers Addison Rae and Kourtney Kardashian, co-stars of Netflix’s 2021 film “He’s All That,” pose at the Met Gala on Sept. 13. who could forget Addison Rae and her slew of odd media jobs. One minute she was a TikTok dancer; the next, she was working as a UFC correspondent? Then, she landed an acting contract with Netflix? Finally, was she at the Met Gala? Of course, all of these gigs are notable accomplishments for a 20-year-old. Still, when that 20-year-old is Rae—or any of the other esteemed influencers dipping a toe into traditional media—they are met with an outpouring of backlash.
At first, I was right there with it. It seemed ridiculous to hire influencers for random jobs over other candidates trained in the field. This column was initially intended to bash influencers’ invasion of pop culture…but I might be coming around to it. Think about it: “new” forms of entertainment have threatened older media for decades—video supposedly killed the radio star. Our unfamiliarity and discomfort with new types of celebrities is nothing new, so, understandably,
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influencers would catch flak for entering the scene. The more I think about it, I’m honestly kind of disappointed in Gen Z for falling into the generational trap of resistance to change. As an overall progressive generation, you’d think we would be willing to play along with changing celebrity tides. Their transition to traditional media hasn’t been the smoothest; I’ll admit that. It reads as cringeworthy and downright weird most of the time. Nevertheless, I still don’t see anything morally or conceptually wrong with influencers breaking out of the confines of internet fame to a more prolific status, even if it reeks of second-hand embarrassment at times. I’m going to take a leap of faith and say we should give these influencers a chance. We don’t have to like it necessarily, but in the end, influencers are human beings trying to make it in the world like the rest of us…even if embodying perfection and selling gummy vitamin supplements is in their job description. Emily Davison is 20-year-old anthropology and English major from Denham Springs.
Quote of the Week “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L. M. Montgomery Author 1874 — 1942
Monday, October 4, 2021
page 12
Our entertainment culture needs a new Dick Cavett personality EVAN ON EARTH EVAN LEONHARD @evan_leonhard I discovered “The Dick Cavett Show” this summer. The iconic late-night talk show from the ‘60s and ‘70s helmed by the titular, mild-mannered host was an unexpected breath of fresh air at a time in which much of contemporary talk programming struggles to be anything other than tedious and trite. I suppose what made “The Dick Cavett Show” seem so remarkable had to do with the fact that Cavett drew from such an impressive range of guests and topics, creating what almost was a national town hall where events of the day could be seriously discussed and debated. I was honestly taken aback by the sort of people he would have on the show. Anyone who was anyone during that time seemed to have made an appearance. Of course, given that several decades have passed since the show’s final episode, the guest list undoubtedly appears much more illustrious now than it would have at the moment—Icon status can only be granted in retrospect.
COURTESY OF YOUTUBE
There were undoubtedly the sorts of pop-cultural figures that might appear on your standard late-night show these days: actors, athletes, musicians. But, considering the era in which the show aired, Cavett was chatting it up with John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Marlon Brando, Louis Armstrong, Katherine Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock and Muhammad Ali. The list of icons could continue for days. However, Cavett also hosted several influential figures from the artistic avant-garde and intelligentsia, realms where the sophomoric comedian-hosts of
contemporary late-night would probably have difficulty keeping up. Cavett appeared well-adjusted in this world of art, comfortably holding court with figures like Salvador Dalí, Susan Sontag, James Baldwin, Ingmar Bergman, Angela Davis, Gore Vidal and Jean-Luc Godard. But again, the list of icons could seemingly go on forever. I recall casually asking my dad one afternoon who he thought might be filling this cultural role today. He reluctantly responded with “Jimmy Fallon?”. . . so yeah,
basically no one. Imagining how guests like these might fit within a contemporary talk show context is laughable. One can only chuckle at the thought of today’s preeminent intellectuals and artists trying to hold a substantive conversation with Jimmy Kimmel or Ellen DeGeneres. Now, it is worth noting that most talk television we know today has emerged from a rich tradition of its own, probably tracing its lineage back through the light-hearted, largely familyfriendly comedy of people like Johnny Carson. There is even a famous anecdote about Carson advising Jay Leno, his successor as host of “The Tonight Show,” to avoid discussing subjects that may be considered “too serious” at the risk of alienating parts of his viewership. This sort of escapist comedy hour undoubtedly has its place, but does it deserve its current dominance of the small screen? There is simply nothing comparable to Cavett’s late-night show in our current media and entertainment culture. In the years following Cavett’s departure, a handful of shows like William Buckley’s “Firing Line” and “Charlie Rose” seemed to maintain Cavett’s niche as a locus of
cultural discourse. However, after Charlie Rose was ousted off the air following sexual assault allegations in 2017, this august seat of televised cultural criticism has mainly been left vacant. The decline of this sort of robust, sophisticated commentary and debate is quite obviously a massive loss. Yet, in an age of incensed ideological polarization and media distrust, an intellectual arena like Cavett nurtured is more essential than ever. Specific trends on the Internet, particularly on YouTube, definitely have potential. The ubiquitous video-viewing platform seems to have nurtured a substantial boom in pundits, video essayists and public intellectuals, connected mainly to intensifying culture war tensions. However, what the internet, (and even streaming services like Netflix and Hulu) might never be able to provide is the impression of cultural centrality that one senses while watching an episode of “The Dick Cavett Show.” Perhaps our culture, fragmented as it is, has lost the ability to sustain such a phenomenon. Evan Leonhard is a 20-year-old English and philosophy junior from New Orleans.