Late-afternoon storms rolled into Baton Rouge, bringing rain and lightning that forced NCAA officials to pause play when lightning lingered within an eight-mile radius. The original kickoff was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, but the delay pushed long into the evening. Teams finally began their mandated 90-minute warm-up at 8:10 p.m. ET, and the game eventually kicked off around 9:40 p.m. ET. Even after the storm departed, the air remained heavy and challenging.
Galloway discussed the experience on the Nonstop EP. 21 podcast with Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit had warned him that a night game in Tiger Stadium could be brutal, and Galloway soon realized what that meant. “I was sweating in here. Yes, in here,” Galloway recounted. “You get back home, and you’re soaking wet. By the time I got to the plane Sunday morning, that’s when you finally cooled down, but it was a blast. Humidity. I love it. That was my first time for the night experience there.” His clothes stayed damp after returning to his accommodations, underscoring how intense the conditions were for someone on the sideline for hours.
It was also Galloway’s first night game experience in Baton Rouge, despite having visited Tiger Stadium previously. The temperature hovered around 77 degrees, but the humidity lingered near 96%, creating a sticky, challenging atmosphere—especially for players and staff who spent extended periods outside.
The weather played a key role in the strategic decisions surrounding the delay. After the lightning cleared, officials asked LSU whether to shorten the 90-minute warm-up. Head coach Lane Kiffin opted against shortening it, preferring to keep Clemson in the visiting locker room as long as possible.
“That locker room over there,” Kiffin commented after the 51-10 win, signaling the perceived advantage of extra time for LSU’s side. “And when you sit in there, the longer you sit in there—No, it’s a real thing.” He treated the delay as part of the game’s challenge, not just a weather problem.
Kiffin connected the decision to his general approach to winning, referencing the ongoing roster-related battles that had affected the opening lineup. The matter involved Wright and Harris, two former Ole Miss players who had court rulings in their favor but were not activated for the game. “If you haven’t figured out my competitiveness to win, I’ll go through all that other stuff for two players, nationally; I’m certainly going to do it. If I think 90 minutes will help us win, we’re going to sit in the locker room for 90 minutes,” he said.
LSU proceeded to roll despite the absence of those players, piling up 644 total yards and a school-record 38 first downs. The Tigers dominated on both sides of the ball, and Kiffin even commented to Holly Rowe at halftime, with LSU leading 31-3, that he wished his team had access to “pro players” for perspective on what could have been.
Clemson’s coach Dabo Swinney offered a different perspective, describing the delay as frustrating rather than humid. He would have preferred staying at the hotel for extra film time and another walkthrough. LSU initially proposed that there would be no delay, only to adjust once weather moved through the area. The experience highlighted how weather disruptions can influence preparation and momentum in a big-game environment.
The LSU-Clemson matchup was just one event amid a weekend of weather chaos across college football. In other games that weekend, teams faced heat and high humidity in conditions that affected performance and pacing. For example, South Carolina played in sweltering heat against Kent State, with the heat index rising significantly and the fourth quarter shortened. Other notable openers in hot conditions included Georgia and Alabama/Texas matchups, while Arkansas opted for caution with Electrical safety considerations regarding its live mascot, Tusk VII.
Earlier in the week, College GameDay’s planned outdoor appearance was relocated indoors due to lightning, marking the 500th road show for the program. Even with the weather-induced disruptions, attendance numbers remained strong, with LSU reporting a turnout of more than 102,000 fans for the late kick.
The night’s coverage, the weather interruptions, and the on-field performance together created a memorable chapter in LSU’s football narrative. The Tigers leveraged the conditions to showcase their depth and play-making ability, posting a decisive victory while emphasizing the unpredictable nature of college football under stormy skies and sticky humidity.
