Sugar Bowl
2004
LSU 21
Oklahoma 14
NEW ORLEANS -- They're the best in the bayou and on Bourbon Street.
The LSU Tigers hardly care if the rest of the country considers them
co-champs in college football. Boosted by thousands of purple-and-gold
partyers, LSU held off Heisman Trophy winner Jason White and Oklahoma
21-14 at the very end Sunday night in the Sugar Bowl, proving they
belonged in the Bowl Championship Series finale.
Too bad there's not one more game left for No. 2 LSU, against top-ranked
Southern California. The Tigers automatically received the coaches crown
for winning this game over the third-ranked Sooners. But a split
championship was the result because top-ranked USC won the Associated
Press title with a 28-14 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl on New
Year's Day. USC received 48 of the 65 first-place votes cast in the AP
poll.
"All I know is the powers that be selected us to be in this game," LSU
quarterback Matt Mauck said. "We just received the trophy."
"There was always a chance it could be out of whack and it happened this
year. It doesn't take anything away from what LSU accomplished winning
that football game," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I think there'd be an
awful lot of people who would love the matchup. It would be exciting for
the country. It's too bad it can't happen." USC received 48 of the 65
first-place votes cast in the AP poll and LSU got the other 17. Three
coaches broke the agreement and instead voted for USC.
Freshman Justin Vincent ran loose for 117 yards and was selected the
Sugar Bowl's most outstanding player, defensive end Marcus Spears scored
on an interception return and coach Nick Saban's team never trailed in
bringing LSU its first crown since 1958.
And it was a rewarding win for Saban. He makes $1.5 million, but a
clause in his contract said that if he won this game, he was guaranteed
$1 more than the highest-paid college coach, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, at
$2.3 million.
Lavalais and his LSU teammates shut down the nation's top-scoring team
for most of the game, extending the jinx that haunted previous Heisman
winners such as Chris Weinke, Eric Crouch and Gino Torretta. Defensive
end Marquise Hill and his LSU teammates blitzed White a lot, often
putting him on his back.
White found his touch in the fourth quarter and led the Sooners down the
field in the final minutes. But on fourth down at the LSU 12, White's
pass was tipped and it trickled off the hands of star receiver Mark
Clayton in the end zone. Other Sooners argued, yet Clayton picked up the
ball and shook it, knowing his chance had slipped away. Oklahoma got the
ball back once more, and White was sacked on its final play as the LSU
band blared yet another version of Hold that Tiger! White finished
13-for-37 for 102 yards with two interceptions.
Up to 1 million people were expected to swarm the French Quarter, LSU's
campus in Baton Rouge is only 70 miles away, and the Tigers' victory
brought in Mardi Gras about two months early for those fans wearing
beads and painted faces.
Inside, a record crowd of 79,342 that slowly made its way through heavy
security before the game went crazy cheering for the Tigers (13-1), who
finished last season not even ranked in the AP Top 25.
The loss was a bitter one for the Sooners (12-2). They had seethed for
nearly a month after their perfect season was wrecked in a humbling 35-7
loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game.
Kejuan Jones scored on two short runs for the Sooners (video),
but their hope for an eighth national title was ruined by 11 penalties
and mistakes. Stoops, whose team won the unified championship in 2000,
spent as much of the game shouting at the officials as his own team.
Stoops' brother, Mike, also was on the sidelines. The co-defensive
coordinator for the Sooners, he spent one more game with the team before
taking over full-time as Arizona's new coach.
Vincent gave a glimpse of what was to come on the very first play from
scrimmage. The MVP of the Southeastern Conference championship game
juked right, cut back left and galloped up the middle for 64 yards. LSU
fumbled away its chance to score right away when Mauck bobbled a snap on
first-and-goal at the 1 and Strait recovered. Mauck is known for having
better hands than that, he was a catcher in the Chicago Cubs' minor
league system.
White gave the ball right back, though. On the Sooners' second play, he
made an ill-advised throw that Corey Webster intercepted at midfield.
And this time, LSU quickly took advantage. Shifty receiver Skyler Green
went in motion, took a handoff from Mauck and danced around the right
side untouched for a 24-yard touchdown (video).
The top-scoring team in the country, Oklahoma was blanked in the opening
quarter for the first time this season. Then again, the Tigers were
accustomed to such performances. LSU limited opponents to only 10.8
points, the best scoring defense in the nation.
Oklahoma broke through midway in the second quarter, literally, when two
Sooners burst through LSU's punt-block formation and Brandon Shelby
smothered Donnie Jones' kick. They took over at the 2, and Jones' 1-yard
burst tied it.
LSU took the ensuing kickoff and zoomed down the field 80 yards behind
Mauck and Vincent. Mauck completed passes to four receivers and Vincent
carried three times for 43 yards, capped by a snaking, 18-yard TD run
for a 14-7 lead (video).
When the third quarter began, the fans got even wilder because of
Spears. On the first play, he sacked White. On the next, Spears dropped
back into coverage in the right flat and seemed to surprise White,
making an easy interception. The big defensive end barreled toward the
end zone and no one was going to stop him, scoring standing up when
White bounced off him at the goal line (video).
The final polls were a complicated mess, BCS or not
Attendance: 79,342
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
LSU- Green 24 yd run (Gaudet kick)
Second Quarter
OU- Jones 1 yd run (DiCarlo kick)
LSU- Vincent 18 yd run (Gaudet kick)
Third Quarter
LSU- Spears 20 yd interception return (Gaudet kick)
Fourth Quarter
OU- Jones 1 yd run (DiCarlo kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
LSU- Vincent 16-117, Mauck 14-27, Green 3-22
OU- Jones 20-59, Clayton 4-38
Passing
LSU- Mauck 13-22-124
OU- White 13-37-102
Receiving
LSU- Clayton 4-38, Jones 3-54, Henderson 2-24, Green 2-23
OU- Clayton 4-32, Wilson 3-31, Runnels 2-19
