I went over to Baton Rouge this past Saturday with my friend John Stevenson and his family to visit my old friend Dan McCarney — who is now the Assistant Head Coach of the Florida Gators — and to attend the SEC showdown between the 4th-ranked LSU Tigers and the no. 1 ranked Gators. The Gators won 13-3 in a defensive slugfest.

Gameday Saturday in Baton Rouge is a special cultural event. The entire state of Louisiana — which produces more NFL players per capita than any state in the U.S. — takes special pride in its flagship university and its football team. A record Tiger Stadium crowd of over 93,000 attended the game, but tens of thousands more milled around outside the stadium in hundreds of tailgating parties (which feature splendid Cajun and New Orleans-inspired cuisine) spread throughout the campus.

The atmosphere for a big Saturday night football game is so intimidating for the opposition that the stadium was nicknamed "Death Valley" years ago. The Florida win on Saturday night snapped a 32-game winning streak for LSU in Saturday night games at Death Valley.

Here is slideshow that will give you a glimpse of Gameday Saturday in Baton Rouge. It is one the special experiences in college football. Enjoy!