BATON ROUGE — LSU made the short 75-mile drive from its campus to New Orleans on Wednesday as the fourth-ranked Tigers made their much anticipated arrival in the Big Easy for the 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The Tigers will face 11th-ranked Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 in the Louisiana Superdome. The game will be televised to a national audience on Fox. Both teams enter the contest with identical 10-2 records, however, the Tigers are riding a six-game winning streak, while the Irish dropped their final game to Southern Cal. It will mark the first meeting between the Tigers and the Irish since 1998 when Notre Dame posted a 39-36 win over LSU in South Bend.
Notre Dame also arrived in New Orleans on Thursday as the Irish flew into Louis Armstrong International Airport from their home in South Bend, Ind.
Thursday’s arrival for LSU featured the Tigers being welcomed to the Hilton Riverside with a New Orleans Jazz Band as well as a host of Sugar Bowl Committee members. Earlier in the day, the Tigers practiced one final time in Baton Rouge before departing campus at 2 p.m. for New Orleans.
“Our work in Baton Rouge has concluded and we are very excited to be in New Orleans,” LSU coach Les Miles told members of the media upon his teams’ arrival. “We are looking forward to representing this state, our city and LSU in this great game. We understand that Notre Dame is a great opponent and we look forward to lining up and facing them in the Superdome.”
Miles said that his team will have the early practice slot each day this week in leading up to the game, however, he expects his team enjoy themselves while away from the field, but be ready to go once they step between the white lines.
“The players will have some free time and we expect them to have some fun,” Miles said. “Being in this game is a reward for a great season. To be here in New Orleans just outside the French Quarter is exciting and a lot of fun, but we are also here to prepare and be ready for a football game against a very talented Notre Dame team.”
The Tigers arrived in New Orleans with 10 practices behind them in preparing for the Sugar Bowl. After a handful of days of going “LSU vs. LSU”, the Tigers have since turned their attention to the Irish. LSU has already installed its game plan for the Notre Dame and will use its time in New Orleans to continue to refine its preparations for the Irish.
“We had 10 good workouts in Baton Rouge,” Miles said. “We have increased the tempo of the practice each time out. Our team came back from the break with their legs back underneath them and they have done a good job in our four workouts in Baton Rouge this week. Now that we are in New Orleans, it’s basically game week for us. We’ll approach each practice leading up to the game that way. We feel good about where we are and what we have accomplished on the practice field up to this point.”
The remainder of Thursday had the Tigers participating in a dinner at Mulate’s where the team enjoyed an all-you-can-eat seafood and Cajun food buffet along with a Cajun band. The Tigers will practice in the Superdome for the first time on Friday as LSU will have a 10 a.m. practice session at the facility.
Later in the day on Friday, Miles will meet with members of the media in an official Sugar Bowl Head Coaches Press Conference.
HEAD COACH LES MILES
Opening Statement
“The work in Baton Rouge has concluded. We’re excited to be in New Orleans. We are looking forward to representing this state, our city and our school in this great game. We understand that Notre Dame is a great opponent. We understand that they are very capable, and we look forward to competing against them.”
On the week’s schedule …
“The bad news is that we have the early morning slot. We will be meeting early and practicing before noon. Curfews will kind of be reflected that we have an early morning meeting. They will have some free time, and we expect them to have some fun. It’s an award for a great season to be downtown in New Orleans. It is time to have fun, but it is also time to prepare and be ready for this football game.”
On the senior class and players from New Orleans …
“The opportunity to play well for the seniors is very important. They want these young players to play well. It is big game for them. It is an opportunity to earn their 11th victory for the second year in a row. It’s an opportunity to win a Sugar Bowl championship and close out a great career. If they win this game, they will have set the all-time career marks for victories at LSU. They will be the winningest senior class in the history of the school. There is a lot to play for.”
On the team’s practices prior to arriving in New Orleans …
“We had 10 workouts. The speed has increased by the way the tempo of the practice has gone. Beyond Christmas, the guys have their legs back underneath them and they performed well. Basically, now this is game week. Tomorrow is a Monday. The next day is a Tuesday. We count down to Saturday, which is really Wednesday. We are right where we need to be. Health is good. (Jacob) Hester practiced today.”
On the advantages of playing in New Orleans …
“It is so unusual to get into a bus to go to a bowl game. Our guys know what New Orleans looks like. It is not the first time we have been here. We may enjoy it more. What we enjoyed was the preparation in Baton Rouge — the confines of home and the ability to work out in a great facility. We are look forward to changing gears. It is like any other bowl preparation in that the closer you get to the game, the more important practices are.”
PUNTER CHRIS JACKSON
On playing in New Orleans …
“It’s great. With the Saints doing extremely well and us coming back down here, it is good to get the spotlight on New Orleans and do some good things. It feels good to be here. Being at (John) Curtis (High School), it is familiar to come to the (Super)dome every year and finish out my career in college feels good.”
QUARTERBACK JAMARCUS RUSSELL
On the team’s focus …
“My focus is to try to get my teammates in a position to make plays. We need to go out there and just keep doing what we have been doing the whole year. If that happens, I think we will do great.”