Conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event in Utah.
KENT
Meet 66-year-old freshman Kent Broussard, who chased a dream and joined the Tiger Band.
THE
HEALTH PARTNER TIGERS TRUST
LIVING THE DREAM
At 66 years old, LSU Tiger Band member chases lifelong dream
BY RAMI BURKS Staff Writer
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. We’ve all heard it before.
This year’s Tiger Band roster features someone who embodies this through and through.
Sitting in the Bengal Brass section is 66-year-old Kent Broussard. After retiring from Sazerac, an alcohol beverage supplier, in 2023, Broussard decided to pursue something else. That meant playing the tuba in the Tiger Band.
“I’m not the kind of sit-athome type of person that I want to just sit there and do nothing when I retire,” Broussard said. “That’s not me. That was not me when I was working, and it’s certainly not me now.”
It’s been over 40 years since Broussard picked up an instrument, but he’s back into it in full swing. It wasn’t without some convincing and a lot of hard work that he decided to chase a lifelong dream.
About five years before he retired, Broussard said his daughter bought him the book “The Golden Band from Tigerland” by Tom Contine and Faye Phillips in an effort to push him toward trying out.
As a born-and-raised Louisiana boy, Broussard’s always been invested in LSU. Along with and coming from a family with a background in music, he said he would always find a way to watch the Golden Band.
“During the games before the east and west upper side lines were built, and before the south end zone was enclosed, you could walk around the stadium basically unimpeded in the stadium,” Broussard said. “I would make my way from the south end zone and go all the way to the band and just stand by the band and listen to the band play.”
Despite his love for LSU, he went to Southeastern Louisiana University. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the university, all while playing in the band too.
He later settled in Laplace, Louisiana, and started his family while working for Sazerac.
Once retired, he knew that making it onto the Tiger Band roster was not going to be an easy feat — even for the most consistent musicians — so he looked for a tutor.
Broussard filled out a form to hire a graduate assistant and was matched with Mathew Thompson, an LSU School of Music graduate. Thompson said it was one of the coolest things he’s seen during his time as a graduate assistant.
“My tuba professor, Dr. Goodman, just kind of sent it to us and said, ‘Does anybody you
know want to teach the student?
He’s 65, wants to play sousaphone and wants to join Tiger Band,’” Thompson said. “And I was like, ‘Oh heck, yeah, that’s awesome. I’ll do that.’”
Once Thompson and Broussard connected, they started from square one. Thompson helped Broussard learn how to read music again and play the tuba again, but most importantly, he took care of Broussard throughout this journey.
“I hadn’t played an instrument in 45 years, and so it took a while to get my chops back and to start to learn to read music again,” Broussard said. “Mathew was extremely helpful and very, very informative on the things that I needed to do to be successful and to read music and to get myself to this point. He was a big help.”
Thompson said what he was most worried about was the physical demand of the Tiger Band. It’s extremely physically challenging to carry a tuba down Victory Hill and across the field for performances. That’s just another necessity, along with the lung capacity needed to play the tuba well.
But Broussard came prepared for the Tiger Band. His hard work didn’t start because of a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“For the past 16 years, I’ve run between 25 and 30 miles a week,” Broussard said. “I lift
weights. I actually bought a weighted vest for me to put on, walk around my neighborhood, mow the grass at my house. Just do a lot of things outside with the vest on. That’s helped, that’s helped a lot…I used a 20-pound weighted vest for like, four months before I started this.”
In addition to teaching Broussard how to read music, Thompson also helped him understand marching band techniques while replicating the expectations of a season in the Golden Band.
Thompson would emulate the fast practices and mental struggles Broussard would likely face. He’d give Broussard a sheet of music; first, he would preview it in front of Thompson, and then, he would take a week to practice before playing it again.
“I kind of prepared him for the fast-paced environment of Tiger Band, which is they send you the music, you learn it really fast and by Saturday, you’re ready to play it in front of 100,000 people,” Thompson said.
All of the hard work that Broussard and Thompson put in paid off, because Broussard made the 2025 Tiger Band. Despite the accomplishment, he won’t accept the attention.
Broussard says that although his story is headline-worthy, he wants to direct all of the attention to every single hard worker in the Golden Band. He said he’s not an attention-seeking person,
B-16 Hodges Hall
and he wanted to do this for other reasons.
“I’m not a big attention person,” Broussard said. “That’s just not me. I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes person, and this is a perfect example. In the classes that I’m in, I’m sitting almost in the back row. It’s like, I don’t want to be noticed, and yet, what I’m doing, people are noticing, but I think in a good way.”
The band often goes unnoticed, and Broussard said that all of the attention he is bringing is good for the future of the band and himself. He wants to inspire anyone who wants to do something to just do it because it has been extremely rewarding for him.
Broussard said that one of his greatest accomplishments so far, other than making the band, was running down Victory Hill. Broussard also said that not many people, especially at his age, are in good enough shape to be able to carry a tuba that far, let alone run down the hill.
He also wants to inspire everyone to try to live out their dreams, even if it takes them 66 years to make it there.
“The only failure is not trying,” Broussard said. “You’ve got to try. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s not just about older folks. It’s about younger people, too. This is about younger people seeing what’s possible if you push and push.”
Baton Rouge, La. 70803 LSUReveille.com
Louisiana State University
ADVERTISING (225) 578-6090
Layout/Ad Design ASHLEY KENNEDY
Layout/Ad Design REESE PELLEGRIN Layout/Ad
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.
ALEXIS PERSICKE / The Reveille
LSU Tiger Band’s 66-year-old tuba player Kent Broussard plays Sept 3 on the Tiger Band Hall practice field in Baton Rouge, La.
NEWS CHARLIE KIRK DEAD
Career Expo provides opportunity
BY JORJA ETHRIDGE & KALEY MELANCON Staff Writers
LSU kicked off fall recruitment with the Career Expo in the PMAC Wednesday to provide students with a way to learn about opportunities and meet employers.
Blake Winchell, the associate director for Student Services, said around 260 employers attended the event to advertise what they are looking for in students. Companies set up tables with merchandise and displays showing information about their organizations and opportunities.
Students used a guide with employers’ names, locations and details to find who they wanted to speak to. Civil engineer sophomore Kameryn Washington came to find opportunities and put herself out there.
“I wanted to get more comfortable talking to people I won’t see on a day-to-day basis,” Washington said.
Three to four employees at each table greeted interested stu-
see CAREER EXPO, page 4 FINANCIAL AID
Attendance being monitored for financial aid
LSU will be using student attendance from the first three weeks of the semester to affirm their eligibility for financial aid.
Students are required to have attended or participated in each of their courses at least once by Friday to remain eligible for financial aid.
If a student did not attend or participate in each of their classes by that point, their aid must be returned for any class they did not attend.
“Failure to verify attendance for your students may result in loss of federal financial aid for the student and could create out-
AID, page 4
Conservative campus organizations react to the news
After conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon, conservative political groups around LSU campus mourned his death.
“Political violence in the U.S. must end. Charlie Kirk was a husband and father, a man devoted to his faith, and a man dedicated to inspiring young patriots across the country. We keep his wife, Erika, and his children close to our hearts at this time, and turn our faith to the Lord to protect him,” LSU College Republicans said in a statement to the Reveille.
Kirk was hosting an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on his The American Comeback Tour. He was seated under a tent labeled “Prove Me Wrong” when he was shot in the neck.
Kirk was set to take the tour to Baton Rouge on Oct. 27 and hold an event at LSU’s Greek Theater.
When asked for comment, LSU’s Turning Point USA chapter forwarded the Reveille its national organization’s statement.
“It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that Charles James
FUNDING
Kirk has been murdered by a gunshot,” the statement read. “May he be received into the merciful arms of ours loving Savior, who suffered and died for Charlie. We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers. We ask that you please respect their privacy and dignity at this time.”
U.S. President Donald Trump
initially announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump posted.
The suspected shooter has not been arrested, Orem Mayor David Young said. A person who was taken into custody by law enforce -
ment at the university where Kirk was speaking was not the suspect, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Kirk, 31 years old, leaves behind a wife and two children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cybersecurity program awarded $2.4 million scholarship by the National Science Foundation
BY DREW SARHAN Staff Writer
LSU received $2.4 million in scholarships from the National Science Foundation for American students in the cybersecurity program. It is one of only six schools nationwide to receive this funding this 2025 school year.
Undergraduate students each receive $27,000 per semester and graduate students receive $37,000 each semester. Golden G. Richard III, a professor at LSU and the director of the LSU Cyber Center and Applied Cybersecurity Lab, works directly with the students.
“LSU cybersecurity students are not just excellent,” Richard said. “They’re sort of beyond excellent.”
The scholarship for service program gives cybersecurity students the money for their tuition in exchange for work at a federal agency of their choice for an equal number of years they were given funding. Thirty one students have gotten the award and 18 have since graduated.
Many students choose to stay
at these federal jobs after their contracted time is over.
Thomas “Tre” Landaiche is a master’s student studying cybersecurity on the scholarship. Landaiche is thankful for the scholarship because it lets him focus primarily on the rigorous coursework required in cybersecurity.
“Money helps,” Landaiche said. “Specifically for me, it’s really a matter of time, and with income coming from my education itself, I don’t have to worry as much about getting a job outside school.”
LSU is a designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, a title more exclusive than SFS funding. While there are 80 SFS programs, there are only around 20 CAE-CO programs in the country.
“At LSU, our internal motto is that we’re creating absolute Earth-stomping cyber supermen and women,” Richard said. “That’s what [the] NSA has noticed.”
LSU cybersecurity fosters an environment of learning, with connections and resources worth more than the scholarship
itself. It is a vital recruiting tool for getting the top technical talent in the U.S.
“You might get a recruiter from one of the federal labs to come to your school and check out the students,” Richard said.
“But when they send a recruiter to LSU, they send like five people – away from their research job at a national lab – to come chatter to LSU students.”
The cybersecurity program at LSU started in 2019 and has grown tremendously over the past decade. The program is very hands-on with less of a traditional lecture setting. Richard has worked to make the Cyber Lab feel immersive, with old Cathode Ray Tube televisions adorning the top shelf and a hardware tinkering station in the corner.
While a traditional lab may seem intimidating, LSU tries to be as welcoming as possible. From the lab mascot, Cecil, stationed on the wall with a Q*bert sound chip, to freshmen working on research projects with post-graduates.
“The most important thing is [the scholarship] lets us pick and recruit amazing cybersecurity students,” Richard said.
Despite the rigorous coursework, the environment allows for students of all levels to thrive.
JEFFREY PHELPS / AP Photo
File photo of Charlie Kirk speaks during a town hall meeting on March 17 in Oconomowoc, Wis.
COURTESY OF GOLDEN RICHARD III Professor Golden Richard III.
LSU engineering students design community playgrounds
BY TORI BONIN Staff Writer
LSU biological engineering students collaborate with community members at least once a year to create a dream playground for schools and parks across South Louisiana as a part of the LSU Community Playground Project.
LSU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department Chair Marybeth Lima started the project in 1998 after she was asked to teach a first-year design class to biological engineering students.
“Students in this major are interested in many different areas like medicine, biomedical engineering and environment,” Lima said. “So what could I pick in terms of a design project that everyone would enjoy, and what would they know something about?”
Lima picked playgrounds because they would be something all the students could connect with. Her connection to a local public school allowed LSU to collaborate with the school to plan, fund and build the playground.
After the first build, other schools started reaching out and the project has grown ever since.
This past year the project completed its 50th build at Marais Park in Assumption Parish. Students, volunteers and community members came together for this monumentous build.
Gabriella La Perna, a senior studying biological engineering, was involved in the Community
FINANCIAL AID, from page 3
standing account balances,” read the office’s email to faculty from Aug. 18.
Student attendance or participation could include physical presence in class, completing a Moodle activity or participating in an academic-related activity, per their instructor’s directions.
“Students who receive federal aid funds must attend all courses to keep financial assistance,” the university’s Financial Aid and Scholarships class attendance policy reads. “Failure to attend class could result in a reduction or cancellation of aid. A student could be required to repay some or all of their financial aid, and they could lose their eligibility for future financial assistance.”
The requirement is in adherence to institutional and federal guidelines, but the university’s transition to Workday Student has streamlined this process, a spokesperson said.
The policy has been on the Office of Financial Aid’s website since 2017 according to the site’s archives accessed through the Wayback Machine.
“This process helps ensure the accuracy of enrollment records for all students and supports compliance with federal regulations, including those related to financial aid,” the email read.
50th playground from the LSU Community Playground Project
Playground Project for many years and helped with the 50th playground build.
“It was my second build,” La Perna said. “My first one was a couple years ago. But seeing the community come out together to all do one thing is really awesome. It poured on us and nobody was in a bad mood, it’s just a fun time.”
Getting funding for these
CAREER EXPO, from page 3
dents with firm handshakes and exchanged introductions. Students presented their resumes and sparked conversations about career goals.
Most companies at the event, such as the Olin Corporation, are specifically looking to hire LSU students for internships. Reliability engineer Chad Babin said Olin has positions for chemical, mechanical and electrical engineers.
“We have noticed over the year that some of our best employees come from LSU,” Babin said.
The Career Expo is for more than just engineering students; it’s also for many other majors and students regardless of their focus. Those pursuing mass communication, general business, law enforcement or healthcare can benefit from coming to the expo.
Kinesiology freshman Dailyn Smith said she knows she wants to be a physical therapist, but she is trying to find a minor. Smith said the expo was a good experience for students, especially if their path of study is undecided.
Some employers are willing to work with the student’s interests. Heather Bagala with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said she is looking for “all of the
projects is the biggest challenge the students and community members have to face. How the funding is received varies, but recently it is the community members writing and receiving grants to have the playgrounds built for their community.
Maria Gonzales, a nutrition and community health agent with the LSU AgCenter that also serves Assumption Parish, was
above,” whether it be part-time, full-time, forensics, IT, patrol or human resources.
“Anything that you’re interested in, I can make it happen,” Bagala said.
On top of employers, students can find representatives from other schools looking to recruit LSU students. The Mississippi College School of Law has been at the LSU Career Expo upwards of 60 times, said professor Phillip McIntosh. McIntosh went to LSU himself and said he is now looking for students who excel academically and are interested in law.
The Career Center held sessions prior to the event to prepare students for the expo. These prep sessions help students mentally prepare, gain confidence in their resume and practice introductions. Winchell encouraged students to come to the expo with a plan and browse the list of employers coming on Handshake.
Ramon Escobar did exactly that. Escobar, a senior economics major, said he has plans for after graduation but still benefitted from attending the expo. When looking at the employers on Handshake, he recognized one company that he talked to at last year’s expo who also remembered him.
“I did my research on it, and
showed middle school students that they do have the power to make a positive difference in their own community.”
Grant Harris, a junior studying biological engineering, has been involved with the project for over a year. Harris said that the project is to help the community and keep the focus on the kids.
“We really emphasize working with the community,” Harris said. “The kids are the experts at play.”
According to ChildCare.gov, play encourages brain development, strengthens physical development, fosters emotional and social skills and encourages language development.
The focus of the project is to develop safe and accessible playgrounds for communities in need. Brian Gage, a senior studying biological engineering, helped to make the playground even more accessible with his background in robotics.
involved in the 50th playground.
The idea was originally sparked by a Labadieville Middle School student who wanted to make improvements to the Marais Park.
“The playground equipment has been needing to be replaced at this park for a while, so the new equipment is definitely a positive change for the community,” Gonzales said. “But even greater than that, this project
I remember pretty much what they’re looking for because I read it on Handshake,” Escobar said.
“And I think it went pretty well, and I’d be expecting a callback anytime.”
Another way to prepare is to dress the part. Students came in business casual – suits, ties, dresses and long skirts. Electri-
“I came to Lima looking for a summer opportunity to replace an internship,” Gage said. “Because I have a robotics minor, she wanted me to find a way to scan an overall playground with a drone and turn that into a 3D model and later turn that into a tactile map for visually-impaired kids.”
For the past 27 years the Community Playground Project has provided children from different communities access to play. LSU plans to continue the project for many years to come.
cal engineering sophomore Nick Palermo thinks the best impression comes from showing up in person.
“If you apply on Handshake, you’re just a blip,” Palermo said. “If you come in here, you’re shaking a hand, meeting everyone face-to-face so they have further recognition of you later on.”
COUTESY OF MARIA GONZALES
The
at Marais Park.
COLE TAMPLET / The Reveille LSU students greeting employers Sept. 10 during the Fall Career Expo at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.
ENTERTAINMENT
Who is LSU’s tailgate Lorax?
If you attended the LSU vs. Louisiana Tech pregame tailgate or have a TikTok account, chances are that you spotted a certain Dr. Seuss character running around campus. Was he there to speak for our stately oaks, or just to participate in the revelry with Tiger fans?
The Reveille made it our mission to find out who this enigma was. Our search eventually led us to 24-year-old Jessie Smith, who arrived at the Parade Ground on Saturday dressed head-to-toe as the Lorax.
Smith said she and her friends were influenced by popular TikTok content creator Ashby, who frequently posts skits dressed as fictional characters. After a night of laughing over the creator’s videos, inspiration struck Smith in the form of a short orange creature.
“I was like, ‘What if I just went to the tailgate like the Lorax?’ and we kind of just took it and ran with it, and I did it,” Smith said. “Did not think it would blow up like this. Definitely not.”
To fully commit to the part, Smith ordered an overnight Amazon delivery of an orange bodysuit, complete with a fluorescent yellow beard and furry eyebrows. She then purchased an inflated ball from Walmart to simulate the Lorax’s rotund belly. The ensemble cost her around $50.
“It was, like, a spur of the moment thing,” Smith said. “I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m just gonna do it,’ and I just overnighted it.”
According to Smith, the campus’ reaction to her costume was electric. Tailgate attendees began flocking to her from the moment she climbed out of her truck.
“I kind of thought people would be thinking it’s kind of
weird, you know, but no,” Smith said. “Everybody loved it. Everybody was stopping us to take pictures or videos and dancing and stuff.”
Smith spent her time dancing at fraternity tents and posing for photos with Lorax fans. However, she said after spending several hours in the sweltering Louisiana humidity, she was done. The costume, though hilarious, trapped heat to an uncomfortable degree.
Though the Lorax retired from his campus jaunt, his legacy at LSU lived on for several more days through TikTok. Smith’s friends posted several videos to the platform of the Lorax’s antics, many of which went viral. The overwhelming online reaction shocked Smith.
“I was so hot that I went home and went to sleep, and then by the time that I woke up, it was at, like, 100,000 views,” Smith said.
As of Sept. 9, the videos are still gaining traction, with the most popular having
PUZZLES
nearly 300,000 views. The com ment sections are filled with praise for Smith’s costume, with one user even declaring that “the people yearn for whimsy.”
Fear not, Tiger fans — Smith says the Lorax will indeed re turn to tailgate again soon.
“Everybody in the comments is saying, ‘Please do it again, you got to come back,’” Smith said. “I mean, I will do it. I’ll do it a lot. It’s just the heat, like, that sucks. I definitely am going to do it a lot more once it cools down.”
What began as a silly joke between friends ended as a hit campus sensation that will not soon be forgotten.
“I just went into it thinking, like, even if nobody else thinks it’s funny, at least me and my friends will think it’s funny,” Smith said. “And it was worth it.”
BY LEXIE WARE Entertainment Editor
PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSIE SMITH
The Lorax lounges on the Parade Ground to celebrate LSU’s first home game on Sept. 6.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSIE SMITH
Tigers defeat Bulldogs 23-7 in home opener
Design by Alexandra Gerstner
Photos by Luke Ray and Cole Tamplet
Fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) gears up to throw.
Junior linebacker Whit Weeks (40) hypes up the crowd.
Sophomore running back Caden Durham (29) runs through the defensive line.
Cheerleaders hype up the crowd
Here’s everything you might have missed at the 2025 VMAs
BY SARAH WALTON Staff Writer
Sunday, Sept. 7 was a great night for fans of all kinds of music. The MTV Video Music Awards is an awards show in which fans’ voices are heard, and the world gets to see the best of the best.
Though he wasn’t nominated for an award this year, Conan Gray stole the show. He showed up to the red carpet in a corseted and boisterous sailor inspired outfit, a tribute to his new album “Wishbone.”
Dressed as Romeo in a baroque-style velvet cape and surrounded by a fairytale-like stage, Gray performed “Vodka Cranberry” from the album. He began the song singing to Corey Fogelmanis, who played a falsely deceased Juliet in the performance; Gray then descended from the “grave” to sing to the audience.
The singer looked as if he emerged right from a storybook as he sang to a crowd of thousands. When he belted at the climax of the song, the audience lost it; several celebrities, such as the Grande family, earned viral moments due to their explosive reactions to the moment. The performance ended with Gray, like Romeo, taking a swig of poison and dying with his love.
The VMAs can be life-changing for certain artists, introducing them to the wider world or solidifying their place as an artist to pay attention to. Each year has had some sort of show-stopping performance that attracted public attention, and this year was no exception.
Rev Rank: Food truck Smash City smashes it out of the park
BY MIA HATTAWAY Staff Writer
Even though Louisiana is known for its distinct food culture, most people just need a good burger every once in a while. This hearty meal is surprisingly hard to come by at LSU, but with the recent opening of Smash City, they are now more available than ever.
Smash City was born out of Houston, Texas, and opened its Baton Rouge truck early this summer. Based on the food, you would never guess that this is only its second location.
With everything made fresh, the truck serves everything you could ask for in a smash burger. Between the tender yet crispy patty to the perfectly melted cheese, you’re sure to be satisfied with your meal. All of this is sandwiched by a fluffy bun branded with its picture-perfect logo.
are also available to order. From the Sweat Heat, which will make your mouth water, to the cheesy C&C, there’s definitely the right dog for you. Others include the creamy Cornado, the traditional Classy and the savory Slaw Dawng.
Also featured on Smash City’s menu are two standard burgers. While the Walkin’ On Sunshine is a typical American burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions, the Swiss Mushroom Deluxe contains bacon, sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions.
Available add-ons are bacon, fried eggs and extra patties. The zesty signature sauce is included on all of the burgers besides the Smashroom and the Swiss Mushroom Deluxe, which come with truffle mayo.
The night was similarly big for other artists like Sombr, who recently bloomed in popularity due to his viral song “Back to Friends.” He won the VMA for Best Alternative for the song, then later performed it alongside “12 to 12” from his new album.
When the 20-year-old breakout star accepted his award, he stated he could not believe it was true. After learning the award was, indeed, being given to him, Sombr enthusiastically thanked his family, team and fans.
Is it truly an awards show if one of the biggest pop icons of this century is not there? Lady Gaga showed up at the VMAs to accept the award for Artist of the Year, then immediately left to perform a concert as part of her Mayhem Ball tour. However, her win was not the last the audience saw of her that night.
Though she was at Madison Square Garden, Gaga performed “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance” which was streamed for the VMA audience. The performance was everything one would expect from Gaga: colorful sets, stellar vocals and all-around pure camp.
The VMAs also celebrated some of the greatest artists in the past decades. Mariah Carey was awarded with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. She also sang a medley of some of her greatest hits for the audience.
Ricky Martin also sang “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and other fan-
Speaking of stellar performances, Sabrina Carpenter performed as well. She won two of the biggest awards of the night, Best Pop Artist and Best Pop Album, for “Short n’ Sweet.” For her VMAs performance, she sang “Tears” from her new album, “Man’s Best Friend.”
Emerging from a manhole in a set of the New York streets, Sabrina in her jeweled mini dress brought life to the stage. Her performance paid homage to the history of New York’s queer culture, which is a reference to the song’s music video.
Sabrina’s choreography was backed up by drag queens and other queer dancers. The dancers held up signs with slogans like “Protect Trans Rights” and “Dolls, Dolls, Dolls,” making a bold statement about the current political climate.
favorite favorite songs for the VMAs. He became the first performer ever to win the Latin Icon award.
Other award winners of the night were Katseye, who won an award for their song “Touch” and performed popular hits “Gnarly” and “Gabriela.” Bruno Mars and
Rosé’s song “APT.” won for Best Song. Mars also won alongside Lady Gaga for Best Collaboration with “Die With a Smile.”
Well-known and loved throughout the years, the VMAs have had some of the most iconic moments in pop culture history. This year was no exception.
Smash burgers, the company’s specialty, first rose to popularity in the mid 2000s with the advent of chains like Shake Shack. In the past few years, though, it seems most restaurants selling any type of beef offer the thin, caramelized patty.
Smash City offers a handful of burger options. The Smash City signature is simple, being composed of American cheese, pickles and grilled onions. Swiss cheese, bacon, mushrooms and onions comprise the Smashroom, while the OG contains American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and onions. The Jalapeno Jackpot, with American cheese, grilled jalapenos, bacon and onions, kicks the flavors up a notch. The last smashburger, named the Smash Melt, has swiss cheese, pickles and onions.
An assortment of hot dogs
On the side, you can order fries, onion rings and mozzarella. And if you’re fixing for a sweet treat, you can grab an order of flurry churros or one of Smash City’s classic milkshakes. The flavors include Cookies & Cream Dream, Biscoff Buzz, VNilla and Berry Bomb.
The burger joint neighbors an assortment of other hot spots on campus, including Clutch City Cluckers, Insomnia and Chipotle. Such close proximity offers the great opportunity to mix and match your meal. Though everything on the menu pairs together perfectly, each item is delicious on its own.
While most fast-food spots in Baton Rouge are closed by 1 a.m., Smash City is open well into the night. From Sunday to Thursday, you can grab its delectable bites from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Smash City is located at 159 W. State St., right off of Highland Road.
COURTESY OF SMASH CITY
One of Smash City’s burgers, complete with its branding on the bun.
CONAN GRAY
SOMBR
SABRINA CARPENTER
COURESY OF MTV
Conan Gray performing at the 2025 VMAs.
COURTESY OF MTV
Sombr performing at the 2025 VMAs.
COURTESY OF OUT MAGAZINE
Sabrina Carpenter performing at the 2025 VMAs.
LADY GAGA
COURTESY OF MTV
Lady Gaga performs at the 2025 VMAs.
SPORTS WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
How LSU and Florida’s upcoming matchup compares to last season
BY TRE ALLEN Staff Writer
The story of the 2024 season for the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators began with them being in largely different positions. Still, they both found themselves with the same championship hype heading into the 2025 season.
Last year, LSU was starting its season off in Las Vegas with a top-25 showdown against USC. Being ranked No. 13 in the country, the expectation for the Tigers was high like always.
Unfortunately for LSU, the season stated 0-1, but it wasn’t out of the playoff race. After big wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss, the Tigers found themselves in the driver’s seat in the SEC, winning six straight games.
For one of the biggest of the year, LSU traveled to College Station to take on Texas A&M. It was a blackout for the Aggies and a whiteout for the Tigers ahead of a game that would take this rivalry to the next step.
Although LSU got out to a 17-7 lead in the first half, a couple of crucial turnovers from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier turned the game on its head. Texas A&M also brought in a backup quarterback in Marcel Reed, and the Tigers didn’t have any answers for his mobility.
As the game continued the energy or the Tigers lessened. LSU suffered its second loss of the season in a game that was right in its hands, but the season wasn’t over yet.
College Gameday was in Baton Rouge for the Week 11 showdown against Alabama, and a spot for the playoffs was on the line.
With all eyes once again on them, the Tigers had the opportunity to forget all about the heartbreaking Texas A&M loss two weeks prior by defeating another rival in Death Valley.
The hype that filled the entire city was soon demolished after the Crimson Tide defeated LSU, 42-13.
From heartbreak to disappointment, LSU suffered back-toback losses, and the season was falling off the rails. Despite losing its second conference game, there was still a sliver of hope to make it to the SEC Championship game.
Regardless of the path, LSU had to take care of what was
ahead: the Florida Gators.
Before the game in “The Swamp,” Florida’s season was also shaky, but it was expected. The Gators had one of the hardest schedules in 2024, with six ranked opponents on the schedule. After losing to Miami, Tennessee, Georgia and Texas, the playoffs were out of sight for Florida, but pride was still on the table.
Both LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Florida head coach Billy Napier joined their new teams after the 2021 season, having drastically different seasons.
Kelly made it to the SEC Championship in his first year and produced a Heisman winner, along with a plethora of draft picks.
For Napier, it’s been anything but sunny in the sunshine state, having lost 19 games in
three years and going 1-1 in bowl games.
Fans called for Napier to be fired, but Florida had faith. In hopes of a program-changing win, the Gators believed he was the man who would bring them back to glory.
Florida came prepared and gave LSU its best fight, knocking off the ranked Tigers, 27-16. With a passing game that leaped with true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and a running game that averaged over six yards a carry, LSU couldn’t stop them.
After a win that proved to change the morale, the team continued with the same intensity going into the next week, where the Gators ruined the playoff hopes of No. 9-ranked Ole Miss after beating the Rebels 24-17.
It was another big-time win over an SEC opponent. The fans who were once asking to get Napier fired were silenced, and they believed things were starting to get better.
Florida went on to beat Florida State in the last game of the regular season and fought off Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl, ending the year on a four-game winning streak. The win against LSU allowed the Gators to create momentum toward the end of the season and into the 2025 season.
LSU would eventually bounce back after the loss against the Gators, ending its season on a threegame winning streak and defeating Baylor in the Texas Bowl.
FOOTBALL
Florida players to watch in SEC opener
BY GABBY GRAY Staff Writer
After an underwhelming 23-7 victory over Louisiana Tech last week, No. 3 LSU is back in Death Valley again this Saturday night, charging into one of the most anticipated games of the season.
Marking the start of conference play for both teams, the Tigers will face the Florida Gators, who after a shocking 18-16 loss to now No. 18 USF last weekend, are entering this matchup as an unranked team.
While the Bulls’ sweep in the swamp was great news for Tiger fans, that doesn’t mean LSU is out of the woods, so here are four Florida players to keep an eye out for this weekend.
DJ Lagway
From Willis, Texas, is sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway. His skills as the Gators’ offensive leader surface through passing compared to rushing.
This scoring tactic should sound similar since it’s the same as LSU fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s preferred course of action on the field.
While Nussmeier may have 469 yards and two touchdowns under his belt, Lagway is venturing to Baton Rouge with 342 yards and four touchdowns, being responsible for the only touchdown
see DIFFERENCES, page 11 see PLAYERS, page 11
Remembering the most iconic LSU-Florida rivalry games
BY ISABELLE CALLAHAN Staff Writer
It’s another Saturday night in Death Valley, and the LSU Tigers are prepping to take on the University of Florida. There are few matchups in the SEC with the same amount of upsets, chaos, miracles and madness as this storied rivalry between two teams from the swamp.
Born out of scheduling necessity, the now yearly meetup has grown into one of the most anticipated games of the college football season from fans all around the SEC. Every year comes a new legendary game, questionable controversy and no shortage of tension between two proud fan bases.
“Playing Florida is always a big game on everybody’s schedule,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said.
The early years of this rival-
ry date all the way back to Sept. 25, 1937, with the Tigers winning with a shutout score of 19-0. In the years following, the matchup wasn’t seen annually until 1971. It wasn’t until the expansion of the SEC that LSU consistently meeting Florida was solidified. With them being two of the original SEC teams, people quickly took note of the cross-divisional rivalry.
Florida would go on to win many games over LSU after the conference expansion, but that changed in 1997 when a No. 1-ranked Florida team went into Death Valley.
The Tigers stunned the Gators and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in program history, coming back from a 15-point deficit, snapping the reigning national championship Gators’ 25-game SEC winning streak with a final score of 28-21.
After that, one of the most iconic matchups was in 2007 when the Gators again took a trip to The Boot and didn’t know what was in store with the Les Milesled team. Over the course of the game, there were 139 plays, but it all came down to one.
LSU tailback Jacob Hester rushed the ball for 106 yards against the Gators in the last 1:09 remaining. The No. 1 LSU Tigers had overcome a 10-point fourthquarter deficit in front of a thenrecord crowd of 92,910 emotional fans.
Fast forward to 2016, Florida came to Death Valley after a flood eliminated the option of playing in Gainesville. In the final minutes of the game, the Gators shoved LSU at the goal line for a 16-10 victory.
While the aforementioned games are all memorable LSU wins, none of these compare to the 2020 “Shoe Toss Game.”
Thanks to a last-minute field goal — made possible only because Florida defender Marco Wilson threw an LSU player’s shoe that kept the drive alive for a personal foul penalty — LSU upset the No. 6-ranked team with a 3734 score.
The story of LSU vs Florida is lined with nothing but emotionfilled moments for the history books of college football. This Saturday will be no different; with the Gators coming off a stunning loss to USF, head coach Billy Napier will need to bounce back.
For the Tigers, after the subpar performance last weekend against Louisiana Tech, the offense is going to need to work the ball more. There can be no more going backwards; finding the open pocket is going to be just as critical as the defense being able to take down quarterback DJ Lagway.
“It’s a really good football team
we’re playing in Florida, and we know that,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “It starts with their quarterback. DJ [has] arm talent off the charts.”
There is always something new for this LSU vs Florida storybook. The pantheon of college football will be packed with gold against the Gators as LSU returns a storied tradition, and the sun will set with a voice over the loudspeaker saying it’s another Saturday night in Death Valley.
The 100,000-strong fans of LSU will remind the Gators why this is the hardest place to play in college football, and when the dust settles, there will be only one winner who will fill another page in this rivalry book.
“We’re in Tiger Stadium, so we need to be Death Valley,” Kelly said. “We need to live up to our resume as the most difficult place to play in the country.”
GABRIELLA GUILLORY / The Reveille Players run moments after LSU makes a play against University of Florida during LSU’s 16-27 loss against Florida on Nov. 16, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fl.
FOOTBALL
•
•
•
•
DIFFERENCES, from page 9
Two seasons that started on opposite sides of the spectrum found themselves in a similar boat in the end.
Heading into 2025, both teams received plenty of hype.
The Tigers returned starting quarterback Nussmeier for his final collegiate season and also got better through the transfer portal on both sides of the ball. Barion Brown, Nic Anderson, Patrick Payton and Mansoor Delane stand out, just to name a few.
The roster landed LSU as a top-10 team in the country, and put national championship expectations on the table.
Only two games into the sea-
PLAYERS, from page 9
Wilson III.
His other three touchdowns this season — each being the result of less than 10-yard passes — came from Florida’s heavyset 55-0 win against Long Island University.
With that in mind, LSU’s defense is going to have to work extra hard to keep Lagway away from the goal line if they want to keep the Gators from finding their way to the top of this game.
Jadan Baugh
A big contributor to the offense is sophomore running back Jadan Baugh, who Tiger fans can expect
son, the Tigers picked up a massive Week 1 win, defeating Clemson 17-10. It did so with a defense that has a new identity of speed and aggression, and this LSU team is hoping that this is just the beginning.
As for the Gators, the momentum from the end of the season carried over to the offseason, and expectations have also risen.
Lagway is now a sophomore, and people are excited to see what the former five-star has in store with a full year of experience under his belt. With playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Gators have been seen as a dark horse team to make the playoffs, and most people agree.
A 55-0 blowout win to start
to rush a storm on Death Valley’s field.
From Atlanta, Georgia, this running back has rushed an average of 870 yards over his collegiate career, with 197 of those across 27 rushing attempts this season.
Baugh has brought home one touchdown as the result of a 4-yard run against LIU, and while that might not seem like a lot, he’s the only Gator to secure a rushing touchdown this year.
On top of that, he’s able to secure first downs for his team time and time again, so the Tigers will have to make sure the ball stays out of his hands if they want to
the season against Long Island suggested that the Gators were picking up right where they left off. However, this momentum would come to a halt in Gainesville as Florida was stunned in Week 2 after USF took it 18-16 off a game-winning field goal.
The Gators are now unranked, and after LSU struggled against Louisiana Tech, only winning 23-7, the Tigers are being questioned. These teams will meet on Saturday under the bright lights of Death Valley, both with something to prove.
Last time out, Lagway gave the Tigers a problem. He has a great pocket presence, breaking sacks in the backfield and delivering throws down the field. Lagway
keep Florida’s time of possession short.
Vernell Brown III
Also on the receiving side of the ball is freshman wide receiver Vernell Brown III, who has eight receptions this season.
Averaging 16.9 yards per reception, with 135 total yards to his name, Brown’s catching skills were showcased in Florida’s win against LIU, where he caught the ball from Lagway on the receiving end of a 41-yard pass.
is still one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country despite the loss to the Bulls last week.
“He’s hard to get on the ground, so we know whenever we get back there, we’re going to have to wrap up and bring him down because he’s a big dude,” junior linebacker Whit Weeks said.
“He can sling it, he can throw the ball all over the field, and I think, in my opinion, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
Last week, both the Tigers and the Gators struggled offensively, despite having talent across the board.
Kelly was not happy with the performance after the game.
“We’re happy with the win,
Sure, Brown’s yet to catch a receiving touchdown, but there’s a first time for everything and that very well could be in Tiger Stadium this weekend.
Jaden Robinson
Looking at Florida’s defense, Tiger fans should be on the lookout for junior linebacker Jaden Robinson. With 40 solo total tackles in his career, Robinson has made eight of those this year. Combined with his assisted tackles, the Lake City, Florida, native has 69 tackles to his name and one forced fumble.
We’ve yet to see a sack from him this season — with the only ones in his career coming from last season — but that can change in this matchup if LSU’s offense doesn’t bring its all on Saturday.
we’re not happy with the production across the board,” Kelly said.
It’s a reasonable reaction coming from the head coach of a team that has one of the best wide receiver rooms in the country and a veteran quarterback in Nussmeier.
The Florida defense was all over the Tigers’ offense last year, but the senior quarterback expects his team to find their identity on offense and get revenge on the Gators this time around.
“I think we’re still kind of growing in our identity and trying to work out the kinks,” Nussmeier said. “Hopefully we can continue that into the week and [show] we’re ready for this, excited for this opportunity.”
University of Florida player celebrates during LSU’s 16-27 loss against the University of Florida on Nov. 16, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fl.
GABRIELLA GUILLORY / The Reveille
OPINION
Katrina anniversary is perfect time to mourn Louisiana’s coast
SAVOY’S SCOOP
CADE SAVOY Columnist
Two weeks ago, as college students across the country prepared to start their fall semesters and the LSU football team prepared for its season opener at Clemson, New Orleans grieved.
August 29 marked the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a generation-defining natural disaster that killed nearly 1,400 people and left thousands more stranded on the rooftops of their flooded homes.
The day was bittersweet.
On one hand, we were reminded of the sheer magnitude of the catastrophe. News channels circulated images of abandoned houses spraypainted with red Xs, commentators decried the Bush administration’s botched disaster response and lower 9th Ward residents laid
bare the hurricane’s lasting impact on Louisiana’s most populous city.
On the other, our collective response to Hurricane Katrina is perhaps this state’s greatest show of solidarity. From the Red Cross to the Cajun Navy, Chalmette to the Caesars Superdome, Louisiana banded together to keep its most vulnerable communities above water — literally.
I found this duality particularly striking in a CBC clip I came across last week. In it, a crowd of predominantly New Orleans city leaders march across the Hurricane Katrina Memorial, holding wreaths and pictures of lost loved ones. Leading the march, a local jazz master played a cover of Louis Armstrong’s “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
An upbeat tune normally reserved for Mardi Gras parades, the jazz master’s performance might seem an inappropriate backdrop to what would otherwise appear to be a funeral procession, but it felt fitting. It
captured the audacious hope of a city underwater, a city that has suffered, mourned and moved forward.
Grief is powerful.
Of course, grief is also in many ways a privilege. In her 2009 book Frames of War, philosopher Judith Butler posits that grievability is the presupposition of a life that matters. To be grieved is to be loved and to be able to grieve is to have time — a luxury that, for many, is swept up in the tide.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina are a grievable catastrophe. It has all of the makings of a spectacle: it was loud, severe and big. It swept up the Big Easy, which, to paraphrase Harry Connick Jr., had been America’s largest repository of sin, salvation, sex and sanctification.
But how can we grieve cities that suffer in silence?
According to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s latest estimates, Louisiana has lost nearly 2,000 square
miles of land since the 1930s and stands to lose over 3,000 more over the next 50 years.
Unlike Katrina, land loss isn’t a spectacle. It happens slowly, quietly and imperceptibly. The towns it affects aren’t metropolises; they’re so rural that they scarcely register on maps. Yet for these communities, every drop of rain is a catastrophe. Any day could be a disaster.
Perhaps for this reason, state authorities have understood land loss as an abstract, structural phenomenon. The CPRA’s most recent Coastal Master Plan purports to invest in hundreds of technologies that, if properly installed, will end coastal land loss.
One wonders how the architects of the master plan hope to answer a problem brought about by humans attempting to control the environment with more control — and when policymakers will start regulating the oil and gas companies that are responsible for land loss.
But more importantly, we focus so much on the future that we fail to consider the needs of communities that are losing their homes here and now. They are rendered invisible and ungrievable, left to rebuild their lives without help and often in destitute poverty.
In 2018, a group of Native Americans in Isle de Jean Charles became Louisiana’s first environmental refugees. In the years since, many of them have resettled in Houma, awaiting federal assistance that has trickled in so slowly that many are convinced it may never come.
I wonder what it must be like to lose your home and not have the time to cry.
So as we remember Katrina, I make one plea: don’t just grieve the dead that make headlines. Mourn those who have been relegated to the margins.
Cade Savoy is a political science and philosophy major from Breaux Bridge, La.
Forget FOMO — it’s horrible for your health and your grades
RILEY’S REVIEW
RILEY SANDERS Columnist
Are your friends going out this weekend? Are you stuck inside wishing you could be anywhere but your dorm? You probably have FOMO, or the “fear of missing out.”
If you were born anywhere from 2000 on up, this feeling is most likely commonplace to you. If you were born before then, chances are you’ve experienced it without naming it. College students are in the unique position of having the most free time to date in their lives, and for most college freshmen, this is a huge transition from nonstop eight-hour school days and endless extracurricular activity. With class times ranging from seven in the morning to nine at night, there is a seemingly infinite pool of things to fill the empty space in our days with. Naturally, opportunities to hang out with your friends 24/7, to go out to the bars every night, to get Whataburger at midnight, to see Waka Flocka Flame on a Thursday of all days or any num-
EDITORIAL BOARD
ber of other things abound with this newfound free time, and it’s extremely easy to get wrapped up in it all. When you get to college, you want to think that you can do anything you want whenever you want, that things all magically work out and schedules are optional; you want to maximize the memories you can make and rightfully so. Don’t be fooled, though — forget FOMO before it’s too late.
You are in college to learn and grow. To become a future physician, lawyer, writer, world leader, anything you dream of, but it comes at a cost.
You can’t make your dreams come true if you aren’t willing to sacrifice your time and put in your best effort. Having been here for a mere three weeks, I’ve already been forced to make several ultimatums in respect to the time required for my success. I’m certain that I’m not the only one.
Imagine for a second that your friends are going out tonight and you’re worried that missing out will hurt your relationships or cause you to be left out.
Maybe you have a biology exam in Himes tomorrow morning, a chemistry assignment
you’ve neglected for two weeks or a research paper that’s due in a week. If going out means that you will have a blast for a few hours, that’s great.
However, going out probably means that you’ll either oversleep or perform poorly on your exam. Going out might mean forgetting about that chemistry assignment and earning a zero. Going out is stealing valuable time from your research process for your paper. Going out makes you more inclined to worry about not going out the next time or the time after that.
Going out when you have more important priorities means trading temporary pleasure for long-lasting fulfillment.
Unfortunately for us, we live in a fast-paced society that places a high value on living in the moment and an even higher value on capturing that moment. We hear so frequently, “you had to be there,” when we miss out on fun events our friends went to, and it makes us worry about going another day not experiencing everything we can with them.
It’s easy to forget that your life now will not be your life forever, and it’s even easier to forget
everything it took to get you to this point of achieving your aspirations: time, money, countless hours of effort and duress, blood, sweat and tears. Letting your emotions get in the way of your longterm life goals is a waste of your energy and a disservice to yourself as well as those who helped you get here. Recognizing that there is a time for everything, for studying and stressing and working hard, for partying and staying
out late and enjoying yourself, is of the utmost importance. There is a delicate balance to strike, an important line between happiness and foolishness, but you cannot let it ruin your life. Be willing to forget FOMO in favor of fool-proofing your future. I promise that you won’t regret it.
Riley Sanders is an 18-year-old biology major from Denham Springs, La.
Editorial Policies and Procedures Quote of the Week
The Reveille (USPS 145-800) 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. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to editor@lsu.edu or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
GRAPHIC BY KALEB SEARLE
Jason Willis Editor in Chief Managing Editor Olivia Tomlinson