The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl is not devoid of storylines for the media to chomp on leading up to the Jan. 3 Bowl Championship Series showdown in New Orleans. No. 4 LSU (10-2) is playing only about an hour away from home in a city still reeling from the crippling effects of Hurricane Katrina. No. 11 University of Notre Dame (10-2) has lost eight-straight bowl games. And neither team truly expected to participate in this year’s Allstate Sugar Bowl. As the game draws closer, the focus is likely to zero in on two of the nation’s most prolific quarterbacks – LSU junior JaMarcus Russell and Notre Dame senior Brady Quinn. “I can only tell you that I’ve seen bits and pieces of the Notre Dame games,” LSU coach Les Miles said after the bowl invitation announcement. “The only thing I can see is a tremendously talented quarterback, a great receiving corps and the ability to strike from long distance.” Russell is third in the nation in passer rating at 168.10 and has thrown for 2,797 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He leads the nation’s No. 11 scoring offense with 33 points per game and is completing 68.5 percent of his passes. Quinn’s resume is just as impressive. The Heisman Trophy candidate has passed for 3,278 yards this season to go along with 35 touchdown passes compared to only five interceptions. He has four 300-plus yard passing games and has only thrown two interceptions in the past nine games. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is pleased with the strides Quinn has made this season after advising him to remain in school for his senior season. “I think what really makes him special that really separates him from a lot of other players is he has that special something that only rare quarterbacks have,” Weis said. “And I can’t really explain what that special something is but he’s got it.” LSU players, like senior safety LaRon Landry, spoke highly of Notre Dame and the prospect of playing such a high-profile team led by a big-name quarterback on a big-time stage. “We are going against a team with a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, and I am excited about the challenge,” he said. Landry, who remained at LSU this season after contemplating leaving for the 2006 draft, said he is anxious to play and possibly lay a hit on Quinn. “Personally, I wanted to play either one of those guys – USC or Notre Dame,” he said. LSU junior defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey shared Landry’s same sentiments. “We get to play Notre Dame – this is the team of teams,” Dorsey said. “They have a great quarterback, a Heisman Trophy candidate. We’re going to come out and look forward to getting some hits on him.” In scouting LSU, Weis has one immediate concern about the Tigers nearly one month prior to the game. “Obviously, when you’re playing against a team the caliber of LSU, the first thing that comes to mind is making sure our players are ready for the speed of the game,” he said. “The speed of the game is the number one thing we’re going to have to be ready for, because if you’re not, you’re in for a long night.” Playing games against teams such as the universities of Michigan and Southern California has taught the Fighting Irish an important lesson and should provide a sample of what to expect against LSU, Quinn said. “The thing we need to do is to get off to a fast start,” he said. “In all those games, we got behind, and that was the tough thing for us. Anytime you get behind…you’ve got to start to play catch up and you start to get desperate.” Against the Wolverines and Trojans, Notre Dame was outscored 55-24 in the first half and 91-45 for the game. Both Weis and Miles agreed keeping their teams fresh is a challenge when there is no game being played in the coming weeks. “What we’re going to do is spend the next few weeks doing the good guys versus the good guys and not going against show teams here in the beginning so we don’t fall into a rut here prior to exams,” Weis said. As the game draws nearer and the teams gradually draw more national attention, LSU senior wide receiver Craig Davis will be ready for a classic. “I think we are up for the challenge,” he said. “They have great coaches and great players. We have the same thing over here. It is going to be a hard fought battle.”
—–Conact Kyle Whitfield at [email protected]