Jim McElwain knows a thing or two about massive SEC football crowds, but his current Central Michigan squad has a big task ahead of them in their visit to Tiger Stadium this week.
The former Florida coach has already led the Chippewas against one SEC program in Missouri, but he didn't mince words when he compared the Tigers behind him and those ahead of him.
"The difference between playing at Missouri and playing at LSU in Death Valley at night -- quite a bit different," McElwain said.
Central Michigan fell to Missouri 34-24 in their opener before shutting out Robert Morris 45-0 a week ago. The coach said he hopes his team can avoid entering Death Valley "with big eyes," while full well knowing it's not an atmosphere they'll often see in the Mid-American Conference. What makes that environment so difficult to play in? It "all starts with the fans," who get especially rowdy under the lights on Saturday evenings in Baton Rouge.
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LSU opened up with a deflating loss to UCLA at the Rose Bowl before righting the ship a bit with a 34-7 win over McNeese State last weekend.
"They are rabid about their home team and they make it something special and they don't cut you any slack when you go in there, I'll tell you that," McElwain said. "And yet that's what makes college football so great. You know the stadium itself, obviously, they're right there on top of you. There's no hiding."
The effusive praise of LSU -- which included its coach Ed Orgeron -- was a bit of a shift from the tone taken the last time McElwain matched up with the Tigers, then the Gators head coach in the 2016 season. The game marked a stopping point in the much-maligned saga of rescheduling of the game due to Hurricane Matthew. Florida won that game 16-10 Gators and clinched the win on a goal-line stand.
"They got what they deserved, and it should've been worse," McElwain said at the time, referring to criticism that Florida was using Hurricane Matthew as an excuse to duck the matchup.
LSU returned the favor with a 17-16 victory in Gainesville the next season, McElwain's last with the Gators. This time around it's Louisiana recovering from Hurricane Ida ahead of a matchup at Tiger Stadium. McElwain shared his best wishes for everyone impacted throughout the Gulf south, as well as LSU running backs coach Kevin Faulk, who is away from the team after the tragic death of his daughter.
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"Our thoughts are with those people and what they're going through, and we're getting ready to go down there and play a ball game," he said. "It's one of those things where the atmosphere is like no other. It is a great place to play."