Before the season, if someone told me the LSU student section would rush the field after the Tigers beat a No. 3 Ole Miss team, I would’ve laughed in their face — mostly because I’ve seen the student section after games, and there usually aren’t enough people still in the stands who could get on the field.

LSU is a team that is perennially ranked in the top 25. It was runner-up for the national championship three seasons ago and is generally considered one of the premier programs in the nation.

And the fans just rushed the field after beating a team they’ve watched struggle through mediocrity since Eli Manning left in 2004.

Act like you’ve been there before. If you’re going to cry and moan about the home schedule and leave early because “it’s hot,” then you can’t rush the field after beating Ole Miss.

The safety concerns are real. Sprinting as fast as you can to get down to the field after consuming alcoholic beverages all day is a quick way to get someone seriously injured.

It didn’t happen this time, but if Alabama comes to town in two weeks and the Tigers pull off another upset and the student section rushes the field again, someone will get hurt.

When I first saw the reports of the death happening in Tiger Stadium, I immediately thought it was caused by the pandemonium in the crowd. Imagine your parents at home hearing someone died as the replays of people climbing over one another to get on the field to stand around and look like an idiot.

I realize these points fall on the deaf ears of an 18-to-22-year-old student who just chugged the pint of Fireball they smuggled into the stadium, but it shouldn’t take something bad to happen for people to realize their actions have consequences.

Plus, storming the field after beating Ole Miss is ridiculous, and it took away from a great game — a game in which the fans had a large part in determining the result.

The LSU defense looked the best it has in two seasons against the Rebels, and a large part of it had to do with the electric atmosphere in the stadium.

With so many young players contributing in crucial spots for the Tigers, the team feeds off the energy. LSU was able to generate a consistent four-man pass rush throughout the game, something it hasn’t been able to do all season.

Rushing the field distracted from what was one of the best crowds I’ve ever seen. The Alabama and South Carolina games from the 2012 season are the closest in comparison, but without the crowd on Saturday night, LSU loses the game.

After a bevy of early mistakes, the fans could’ve easily lost hope and turned on the team, something they’ve done as recently as the New Mexico State game. But they stuck with it, letting players like freshman Jamal Adams feed on their energy. The defense flew to the ball, breaking up almost everything Ole Miss tried to do on offense.

When people reverently talk about Tiger Stadium being one of the scariest places to play, they are talking about the four quarters of effort the fans put in to make the Rebel offense’s life a living hell.

They aren’t talking about a bunch of drunk idiots running onto the field, putting themselves, the stadium staff and the everyone else in danger.

If the Tigers are able to beat the Crimson Tide in two weeks time, don’t rush the field. Have a little class and conduct yourselves like you’ve seen a football team win before.

Rushing the field is a selfish act, because it distracts from what was a great performance by a team that looks like it’s growing into its skin.

LSU fans claim to be the “greatest fans on earth,” and it’s time for them to act like it.

Trey Labat is a 22-year-old history senior from Mandeville, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @treylabat_TDR.