The Washington Huskies knew they were taking to the practice field Tuesday to prepare for their matchup with the third-ranked LSU Tigers this weekend.
They didn't expect to see a live tiger awaiting them.
Sheena, a 16-month-old Bengal tiger, was sitting in a cage right at the entrance to the Washington practice field as the players made their way in. Players had not been told beforehand about their furry guest.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Feeney was one of many to be caught off guard by the giant cat.
"I had no idea," he said. "It was pretty funny when I ran out ... I was like 'Oh! A tiger!'"
Washington contacted A Walk on the Wild Side, a private animal reserve in Canby, Ore., last week about the possibility of bringing the tiger in.
The idea was to help the Huskies prepare for LSU's live mascot, Mike the Tiger VI.
"It's cool," center Drew Schaefer said. "The whole emphasis was just to get used to it now so that when we go down there, no one is surprised or caught off guard. Just eliminate distractions so then when we go down there we're solely focused on the task at hand and coming out of there with a victory."
Sheena weighs 300 pounds and is still not fully grown. The tiger watched portions of practice from her cage while playing with a pair of plastic buckets inside.