NEW ORLEANS — In record-setting fashion, LSU running back Domanick Davis, quarterback Rohan Davey and wide receiver Josh Reed combined with a dominating defensive performance in the first half to win the 2002 Sugar Bowl over No. 7 Illinois, 47-34, in front of 77,688 on Tuesday night.
No. 12 LSU (10-3) won its first Sugar Bowl since a 1968 win over Wyoming, 20-13, and won its sixth-straight game to end a spectacular 2001 season. After falling behind 34-7 at the half, Illinois’ rally came up short again and again in the second half and the Illini fell to 10-2 overall.
Davey, who returned from an injury in the SEC Championship game to start his final game as a Tiger, completed 31-of-53 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns to earn the Miller-Digby Award for the game’s most valuable player.
Davis, a 5-11 junior running back from Breaux Bridge, La., was called to starting duty when sophomore LaBrandon Toefield tore his left ACL against Tennessee in the first half of the 2001 Southeastern Conference Championship game. Davis broke an LSU bowl record with four rushing touchdowns while gaining 122 yards on 28 carries.
Reed caught records of 14 passes for 239 yards, with two scores. Michael Clayton added a relatively quiet 120 yards on eight catches. Robert Royal caught LSU’s other touchdown pass from Davey.
LSU’s 595 yards of total offense was also a record, while the Tigers held Illinois to 363 including 229 in the second half.
The victory gave LSU its first 10-win second since 1997 and was LSU’s sixth straight bowl win dating back to a 23-10 loss to Syracuse in the 1989 Hall of Fame Bowl.
LSU also improved to .500 in bowl games at 16-16-1 while improving to 4-7 in Sugar Bowls.
Illinois won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half.
On the first drive of the game, Royal’s dead ball personal foul stalled movement deep in Tiger territory and Donnie Jones came on to punt for 37 yards.
Starting on LSU’s side of the field at the 49, Illinois went right after LSU’s shorter cornerbacks with 6-2 Brandon Lloyd and 6-3 Aaron Moorehead, but were unsuccessful and moved backward on a false start penalty.
Davey completed his first pass of the game to Michael Clayton for 16 yards on first down from his own 22 to begin the ensuing drive. On third-and-2 from the 46, Joe Domingeaux dropped a ball in the wide-open flat that ended the drive with a mistake once again. Jones punted 38 yards to the Illinois 16.
Defensive tackle Howard Green and free safety Ryan Clark busted two Kittner passes — the second on a third-down blitz — and Illinois went three-and-out for the second straight time. A short 31-yard punt and a 6-yard return by Domanick Davis gave LSU its best field position of the quarter at the Illinois 43.
Davis benefited from an opportune bounce after fumbling on the first play of the drive, however, Davey connected to Clayton twice and Josh Reed for 18 yards to the Illinois 15. On second-and-9 from the 13, Davey then hit Myers slashing to the 4-yard line to set up a touchdown run by Davis. The extra point by John Corbello was successful and LSU led 7-0 with 7:22 remaining. The seven-play, 43-yard drive took 3:40.
On third-and-5 from the 19, Kittner rushed for 15 yards for the Illini’s first first down of the game when he was flushed out of the pocket. The drive was allowed to continue when LSU cornerback Randall Gay was flagged for pass interference on third-and-6 from the 36. Clark missed an interception deep in LSU territory on the first-down play, but it made no difference as Illinois punted for the third time in as many drives.
A 46-yard punter pressed LSU to its 4-yard line, but Davey found Reed for 14 and 12 yards to get out of danger. Illinois brought pressure on Davey to force an incomplete pass on second-and-10 before Reed missed a ball deep off his fingertips. LSU punted down to the Illinois 6 and the first quarter came to and end one play later.
In the quarter, LSU outgained Illinois 122-33 and held the high-powered passing attack of Kittner to 1-yard. Illinois picked up only one first down and LSU held the ball for 9:20. Kittner was1of-9 passing.
Three plays and out was again the story for Illinois, as two more passes were broken up by Damien James and Gay to force the 50-yard punt. After 15 yards were tacked on for a personal foul, LSU began the drive at the Illinois 36.
Three plays later, Davis tied an LSU bowl record by scoring for the second time on the ground, scampering 25 yards over the wide-open right side. Rondall Mealey in the 1997 Independence Bowl was the last of six previous Tigers to score two rushing touchdowns in a bowl game. The PAT was blocked up the middle by Terrell Washington for his fourth blocked kick of the season.
LSU led 13-0 with 13:29 to play in the second quarter, the largest lead in LSU’s Sugar Bowl history.
Davey and the Tigers got on the move again with a 24-yard connection with Myers and then a 28-yarder to Reed on third-and-15 from midfield. On second-and-6 from the 16, Davis broke the LSU bowl record for rushing touchdowns with his third. Corbello’s PAT was successful and LSU led 20-0.
The six-play, 69-yard drive took 1:31.
Illinois earned its first rushing first down of the game with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. Another batted down pass was nearly intercepted by Jeremy Lawrence to set up third-and-7 from the LSU 48. Kittner was unable to connect with Moorehead on the slant and the Illini punted yet again.
LSU was unable to convert on third-and-1, as Davey’s pass to Clayton went high. Jones’ punt traveled 42 yards and gave the Illini the ball at their own 20.
Kittner finally completed his second pass of the game to Lloyd for 4 yards. However, Gay stripped the ball from the sophomore wide receiver and returned it 19 yards to the Illinois 5 to set up a third-and-goal touchdown pass from Davey to Reed in the back of the endzone for a 27-0 lead.
Kittner benefited from a bit of luck when LSU’s 6-7, 285-pound true freshman defensive end Marquise Hill wound up in the secondary covering 5-9, 183-pound running back Rocky Harvey. Harvey caught the 33-yard pass to set up Illinois’ first score of the game with 3:47 left in the half. The PAT cut the lead to 27-7.
Davey and the Tigers struck right back, completing 4-of-6 passes for 63 yards culminated by a 7-yard strike to Royal in the back of the endzone. LSU set a Sugar Bowl record with 34 points in a half, breaking Oklahoma’s first-half record of 31 set in 1972 against Auburn and Notre Dame’s points-in-a-half record of 32 set in the second half in 1972 against Florida.
Both Illinois and LSU went three-and-out to begin the second half, yet field position did not change much as Illinois took over at its 30 with 12:29 to play in the third quarter.
Illinois changed that in a big way when Kittner hit Moorehead over the top of Demetrius Hookfin for 61 yards to the LSU 9. On second-and-goal, Kittner was sacked by Kyle Kipps back to the 12 and then the Illini were pushed to the 17 on a false start. Kittner then found Lloyd streaking across the endzone for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the lead was 34-14 with 10:35 left in the quarter.
Davey and Reed then went to work, quick-like. Davey hit the junior Biletnikoff Award winner three times in a row for 13, 22 and 32 yards, the last of which was a touchdown. Reed set a bowl record with his 10th catch, while Davey set another LSU bowl record with his 21st completion. Davey broke Jeff Wickersham’s previous LSU bowl best of 20 completions in the 1985 Sugar Bowl and Reed broke three former Tigers’ record of nine catches. On the drive, Reed also tied Andy Hamilton’s LSU bowl record for receiving yards with 165.
LSU led 41-14.
Undaunted, Kittner worked his way down the field again, completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Lloyd to cap a 78-yard drive that took only 2:09. The LSU lead was 41-21 with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
Records continued to fall on the next drive, as Reed broke the Sugar Bowl record for receiving yards (178 by Alabama’s Ray Perkins) and Davey broke the LSU record for pass attempts in a bowl (37 by Wickersham in ’85 Sugar). Later in the drive, a holding penalty on first and 10 from the 28 negated a touchdown pass from Davey to Davis. LSU would punt from its 36-yard line on fourth-and-18.
A 13-yard sack by Clark stopped Illinois’ attack for the first time in three tries to push the Illini back to their own 4 and force a punt to the Illinois 43 at the end of the third quarter.
A Gay interception on the first play of the quarter gave the Tigers the ball at their own 34 but LSU went three-and-out on a third-down sack for minus-17 yards.
Illinois took over at its 46 with 12:56 to play in the game. On third-and-10 from the LSU 40, Lloyd caught a pass to the 17 to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, split end Walter Young caught a 17-yard touchdown score to cut the lead to 41-28 with 11:33 to play. The drive took only 1:54.
After punting on three consecutive possessions, LSU needed a 42-yard reception by Reed from Davey on third-and-8 to break the back of the feisty Illini. Three plays later, Davis ran in the endzone from 4 yards to break the Sugar Bowl and LSU bowl records for scoring and touchdowns rushing. The two-point conversion was intercepted in the endzone.
Davey broke Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel’s Sugar Bowl passing record of 394 set in 1995.
Illinois took advantage of an LSU fumble after a 26-yard gain by Clayton to score a 40-yard end-around pass from Lloyd to Young. The two-point conversion fell incomplete.
LSU led 47-34 with 5:41 to play, the break the Sugar Bowl’s combined total points record of 72 set by Florida and Florida State in 1997 (52-20).
LSU opens the 2002 season on Aug. 31 when it travels to Blacksburg, Va., for a match-up with Virginia Tech. Before that, national signing day for football is Wednesday, Feb. 6, and the spring football session begins in late March or early April.
LSU Game Notes
LSU vs. Illinois
Sugar Bowl
January 1, 2002
Louisiana Superdome
- LSU moved to .500 all-time in bowl appearances, improving to 16-16-1 all-time in bowl games. LSU won its fifth consecutive bowl game, its longest consecutive streak of wins ever.
- In addition, LSU improved to 4-7 all-time in the Sugar Bowl. LSU won its first Sugar Bowl title since defeating Wyoming 20-13 in 1968.
- With 47 points, the Tigers set an LSU bowl record for points, surpassing the previous mark of 45 against the Nick Saban-led Michigan State Spartans in the 1995 Independence Bowl.
- Josh Reed broke the LSU bowl record and Sugar Bowl record for receiving yards on a 14-yard reception in the third quarter. The catch gave him 179 yards at the time, bettering Ray Perkins’ Sugar Bowl record of 178 yards in 1967. He broke Andy Hamilton’s LSU bowl record of 165 yards receiving set in the 1971 Sun Bowl. He finished with 239 yards.
- Reed also broke the LSU record for receptions in a bowl game on a 32-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, his 10th reception of the night. He broke the mark of nine which he previously held with Wendell Davis (’87 Gator Bowl) and Andy Hamilton (’71 Orange Bowl). He went on to break the Sugar Bowl record of 12 previously held by Chuck Dicus of Arkansas in 1969. He finished with 14 receptions.
- Rohan Davey broke the Sugar Bowl record for passing yards, becoming the first man in the 68-year history of the bowl to pass for over 400 yards. His total of 444 surpassed the previous record of 394 by Danny Wuerffel in 1995. Davey also broke the LSU bowl record of 229 yards passing by Mike Hillman in the 1968 Peach Bowl.
- Davey also broke the Sugar Bowl record of 28 completions, finishing the game with 31 His mark also broke the LSU bowl mark of 20 by Jeff Wickersham in the 1985 Sugar Bowl.
- LSU’s 27 points in the second quarter were the most in Sugar Bowl history by any team in any quarter. In addition, LSU’s 34 first half points were a Sugar Bowl record for points in a half.
- Davis broke the LSU record for rushing touchdowns in a bowl game on his 16-yard scoring run in the second quarter. Six players in LSU history had scored two rushing touchdowns in a bowl game. Rondell Mealey was the last Tiger to score two touchdowns in a bowl game, doing so en route to earning MVP honors at the 1997 Independence Bowl. Davis added to his total with a Sugar Bowl record fourth rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
- Domanick Davis’ 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter marked the 10th time in 13 games this season that the Tigers scored first. The Tigers entered with an 8-1 mark when scoring first with their lone loss coming at Tennessee on Sept. 29.
- Rohan Davey posted the seventh 300-yard passing game of his career. He finished with 300 yards or better in six of 13 games this season.
- Josh Reed posted the 18th 100-yard game of his career and his 11th in 13 games this season.
- Davis’ 31-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave LSU a 13-0 lead its largest lead in its 11 Sugar Bowl appearances. The previous high was a 10-point lead over Nebraska in the 1985 Sugar Bowl, as the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead before falling 28-10.
- LSU’s 34 points in the first half surpassed their highest single game output ever in a Sugar Bowl. Their previous high came in a 20-13 victory over Wyoming in the 1968 Sugar Bowl.
- Nick Saban improved to 6-0 all-time against Illinois. LSU improved to 6-3-1 all-time against Big Ten opponents.
- LSU improved to 18-1 under Nick Saban when scoring 20+ points 10-1 this season with the only loss coming against Ole Miss when the Tigers fell 35-24. LSU has won 19 of its last 20 games overall when scoring better than 20 points.
- LSU scored 20+ points in the first half for the seventh time in 13 games this season and for the fourth time in their last five games.
- With an 18-yard reception in the first quarter, Josh Reed extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception to 28. Since moving to receiver prior to the Tigers game at Alabama in the ninth week of the 1999 season, Reed has caught at least one pass in every game at the position. In addition, Jerel Myers’ first quarter reception gave him at least one in 15 straight games, the second longest streak on the Tigers. Myers has now caught at least one pass in 35 of 36 career games (including bowls).
- Team captains for LSU were 2001 permanent captains QB Rohan Davey, TE Robert Royal and LB Trev Faulk, while DE Jarvis Green served as honorary captain for the Tigers.
Sugar Bowl Record Broken By LSU
Receiving Yards: Josh Reed, 239, (previous mark 178 by Ray Perkins, Alabama, 1967)
Receptions: Reed, 14 (12, Chuck Dicus, Arkansas, 1969)
Passing Yards: Rohan Davey, 444 (394 by Danny Wuerffel, Florida, 1995)
Completions: Davey, 31 (28, twice)
Rushing Touchdowns: Domanick Davis, 4
Total Offense: 595 (527 by Arkansas, 1970)
Points In A Half: 34 (first half)
Points In A Quarter: 27 (second quarter)
LSU Bowl Records Broken Or Tied
Passing Yards: Rohan Davey, 444 (229, Mike Hillman, 1968 Peach Bowl)
Completions: 31, Davey (20, Jeff Wickersham, 1985 Sugar Bowl)
Attempts: 53, Davey (37, Wickersham, ’85 Sugar Bowl)
Touchdown passes: 3, Davey (ties mark held by three QBs including Davey last year)
Total Offense: 595, Davey (267, David Woodley, 1979 Tangerine Bowl)
Receiving Yards: 239, Josh Reed (165, Andy Hamilton, 1971 Sun Bowl)
Receptions: 14, Reed (9 by three players including Reed last year)
Rushing Touchdowns: 4, Domanick Davis (2 by six players)
Total Touchdowns: 4, Davis
Points In A Game: 47 (45, 1995 Independence Bowl)
Points In A Half: 34-first half (27, 1971 Sun Bowl)
Points In A Quarter: 27-second quarter (21, 1995 Independence Bowl)
Combined Points: 81 (71, 1995 Independence Bowl)