The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl. The game matched the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the LSU Tigers and was televised on Fox.
| 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| BCS Bowl Game 73rd Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 3, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Louisiana Superdome | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | LSU QB JaMarcus Russell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | LSU by 8½ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Irvin Mayfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Tom Walker (Big XII) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | LSU and Notre Dame Marching Bands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 77,781 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | FOX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Kenny Albert, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 9.3[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
This game received extra attention because it was the return of the Sugar Bowl to New Orleans. In 2006, the game was played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome (that game also featured a virtual "home" team, the Georgia Bulldogs). LSU won the 2007 contest 41–14, tying the Notre Dame-LSU series at 5–5 (with LSU taking a 2–0 lead in bowl game meetings).
With the loss, Notre Dame lost a record-setting nine bowl games in a row,[2] including losing their three BCS bowl games by wide point margins.[2]
Teams
editNotre Dame
editNotre Dame, a Division I FBS independent, finished the regular season at 10–2. The Fighting Irish entered the season ranked at no. 2 in the AP Poll before losing 21–47 to no. 11 Michigan in week three. The team won its next eight games, reaching no. 6 in the AP Poll, but lost the regular season finale 24–44 to no. 3 USC. The Fighting Irish entered the Sugar Bowl ranked no. 11 in all three polls.
LSU
editLSU, from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), finished the regular season at 10–2. The Tigers entered the season ranked at no. 8 in the AP Poll before losing 3–7 to no. 3 Auburn in week three. The team won its next two games before losing to no. 5 Florida 10–23. The Tigers won their next six games, including victories over no. 8 Tennessee and no. 5 Arkansas. LSU entered the Sugar Bowl ranked no. 4 in all three polls.
Game summary
edit| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Notre Dame | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 4 LSU | 14 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 41 |
at Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST (7:00 p.m. CST)
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 77,781
- Referee: Tom Walker
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Terry Bradshaw (analyst) and Howie Long (sideline)
| Game information |
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Statistics
edit| Statistics | ND | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 31 |
| Plays–yards | 66–291 | 71–577 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–143 | 37–245 |
| Passing yards | 158 | 345 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–35–2 | 21–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:14 | 31:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | Passing | Brady Quinn | 15/35, 148 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Darius Walker | 22 rushes, 128 yards | |
| Receiving | Jeff Samardzija | 8 receptions, 59 yards, TD | |
| LSU | Passing | JaMarcus Russell | 21/34, 332 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Keiland Williams | 14 rushes, 107 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Early Doucet | 8 receptions, 115 yards |
Aftermath
editNeither team has returned to the Sugar Bowl. However, LSU has played three national championship games in the Superdome since, defeating Ohio State for the 2007 BCS title, losing to Alabama for the 2011 BCS crown, and defeating Clemson in the College Football Playoff title game following the 2019 season. LSU also defeated Tulane in a 2007 regular season game in the Superdome.
LSU and Notre Dame met in the 2014 Music City Bowl and 2018 Citrus Bowl, with the Fighting Irish winning both. Brian Kelly, who led Notre Dame to those wins, became the Tigers' coach in 2022 after 12 seasons in South Bend.
References
edit- ^ Sugar Bowl Sweet for FOX Wednesday - Chicago Tribune, January 4, 2007
- ^ a b "Irish Fall In Sugar Bowl". UND.com. January 4, 2007. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
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