BATON ROUGE, LA -The game's biggest star wasn't any of the players, but rather a tiger.
Mike VI, LSU?s beloved live mascot, made his game debut in Death Valley as BEye of the TigerC blared from the stadium?s speakers.
Mike remained pretty mellow and hardly moved from his reclining position as he was carted around the perimeter of the field in a yellow cage towed by a white truck with LSU cheerleaders on top of the cage?s roof.
The tiger, formerly named Roscoe, succeeded Mike V, who died at age 17 in May from renal failure.
Although LSU fans hold Mike the Tiger in high regard, Gators fans weren?t so kind. One fan held up a sign during ESPN?s BCollege GameDayC which read, BAlbert ate Mike V.C
The 2-year-old, 300-pound tiger could possibly weigh as much as 700 pounds by adulthood, and he lives in a 15,000 square-foot habitat, which boasts a waterfall, bathing pool and fresh greenery.
Mike VI was supposed to make his game debut before LSU?s matchup against South Carolina on Sept. 22, but Mike?s caretaker changed his mind because of heat issues.
The tradition of Mike the Tiger has even made an impression on Florida players.
BYou can't help but notice that big lion they?ve got right when you get off the bus,C senior Andre Caldwell said.
ETC: Tebow broke his own school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season when he broke into the end zone late in the second quarter. The touchdown was the sophomore?s ninth so far this season. … The Gators managed to squeak by the first half without a charged penalty. UF was cited for two flags, but one was declined and the other was offset by an LSU infraction. The Gators were charged with their first penalty of the game with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter when Haden was cited for pass interference.
