By: Jonathan Goad

The LSU Tigers football team is doing something very respectable for the 100-year anniversary of the Silent Season. If you aren’t familiar with the Silent Season, I recommend researching it, but here’s a brief description.

In 1918, World War I was in its later stages. However, LSU did not have a football program that year because many of the students ended up serving in the Great War. Unfortunately, many of those students lost their lives. LSU planted 30 oak trees, called Memorial Oak Grove, in honor of those who lost their lives including one additional tree for those unknown soldiers M.I.A.

LSU is honoring that season and the WWI veterans with their uniforms in their game against Mississippi State on Saturday, 10/20. The numbers on the jerseys have an oak leaf pattern to represent the Memorial Oak Grove. There won’t be names on the back of the jerseys to remember the unknown members who lost their lives in the war.

LSU will emerge Saturday night from the Tiger Stadium chute in specially designed uniforms that salute the past and pay homage to heroes. #LSU125 pic.twitter.com/GA8L5HSVsf

— LSU Football Equip (@LSUFBEquipment) October 18, 2018

The coolest part is probably the helmets. While they simply look like purple helmets with “LSU” and the Tiger logo, there’s something special about them. The purple will actually turn to gold under the lights. That’s going to look pretty awesome when the Tigers come out of the locker room for the third quarter and their helmets change from purple to gold. Also on the helmets is an American flag. This flag is slightly different from our current flag. It only has 48 stars on it. In 1918, Alaska and Hawaii were not states yet, so the U.S. only had 48 states and that is represented on the helmets.

Uniforms designed for the future that pay respect to the past. #LSU125 pic.twitter.com/qmOmdRPlAF

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 18, 2018

Anytime our military veterans are honored, I’m on board. They deserve to be honored every single day, and I’m a big fan of uniform concepts that show respect to our military heroes. We’ve seen a number of ways that pay homage to our veterans. What LSU is doing is a bit different. We’ve seen camouflage worn multiple times, but an oak pattern is very original to LSU and their Memorial Oak Grove. The color-changing helmet is the first of its kind. I’m very excited to see how it ends up looking on Saturday night. The pictures and videos look great, but I can’t wait to see them on the field. I just hope they don’t end up looking like the Jacksonville Jaguars old helmets.

Photo credit to CBS Sports

It’s going to be an awesome experience and I recommend checking it out, even if that’s only for a few minutes. Although, it should be a decent game as number 5 LSU hosts number 22 Mississippi State. SEC football is the best college football in the country, and the way LSU is honoring the Silent Season should only make it better. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm Central Time. Tune in if you can.

I’m not an LSU fan by any means (simply because a good buddy of mine is a huge LSU fan), but for one night, I’ll be cheering them on. Geaux Tigers!