Kirk Herbstreit was in the broadcast booth for Thursday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, but he called the game while dealing with a significant personal loss. Herbstreit's dog Ben died on Thursday after fighting cancer for several months.

As much as Saturday’s broadcast of ESPN’s College GameDay was a tribute to LSU’s football culture, it was also a celebration of life for Ben Herbstreit, the faithful golden retriever and travel companion of Kirk Herbstreit who’d become a star in his own right for hanging out on set and in the broadcast booth.