LSU Vs. Notre Dame -- The Match Up

The LSU Tigers will take on the Irish of Notre Dame on January 3, 2007 in the 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Many were surprised by this match up with the big spread in between the rankings with LSU ranked 4th in the nation and Notre Dame sitting several spots below at #11. Many have said this is not a fair match up and expect the LSU Tigers to maul the Irish.

What do we have to look forward to in this match up? For one thing the statistics and experience of the quarterbacks and team statistics is about as close as you can get. Let's take a look at the Pro's and Con's of each team and how they stack up!

Notre Dame

Pros:

Quarterback Brady Quin--he's a Senior and he will probably be the #1 NFL Draft pick

Receiver Jeff Samardzija-- all time leading receiver for ND with 958 yards for the season and 11 touchdowns

Won the last match up with LSU in 1998.

Cons:

Lost last eight bowl games

Who To Watch:

Brady Quinn
Jeff Samardzija
Darius Walker
Victor Abiamiri--(10 sacks for the year)

LSU Tigers

Pros:

Second best defensive line in the nation

Third in pass defense in the nation

JaMarcus Russell-- 3rd in passing efficiency, he's big and he can scramble.

Speed

Have out scored opponents in first quarter only this season 122-20

Cons:

Lack of a consistent running game

Who To Watch:

JaMarcus Russell
LaRon Landry
Dwayne Bowe
Early Doucet
Jacob Hester
Ally Broussard
Craig Davis

Offensive Team Statistics:

Total Yards Per Game Average

LSU- 415.2
ND - 415.2

Passing Yards Per Game Average

LSU- 256.0
ND - 290.9

Rushing Yards Per Game Average

LSU- 159.2
ND - 124.3

Points Scored Per Game Average

LSU- 33.1
ND - 32.4

When you look at the above statistics, this match up between LSU and Notre Dame looks pretty even and promises to be a very close game despite the national rankings of the two teams. We will see how the Irish hold up to the pressure of playing on the home turf of the LSU Tigers in the Louisiana Superdome on January 3, 2006 at 7 pm Central Time as the Allstate Sugar Bowl gets underway!