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The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners. The Tigers won their second National Championship by beating the Sooners by a score of 21-14.
[edit] Set-up
Number 2 ranked LSU came into The National Championship Title Game 12-1, with their one loss to #17 Florida. #1 ranked Oklahoma was 12-1, with the 1 loss coming in the Big 12 Championship Game against Kansas State. There was some media and fan controversy as to which teams should play in the National Title game. USC ranked #3 in the BCS standings but #1 by the AP poll, owned a record of 11-1 (its loss coming against unranked Cal).
2004 Sugar Bowl, Louisiana State vs. Oklahoma; January 4, 2004
LSU defeated Oklahoma to win their second National Championship Title. Following LSU's victory, the coaches voted LSU National Champions as contractually required by the BCS. #3 USC won the Rose Bowl against #4 ranked Michigan, and was voted the National Champion in the AP Opinion Poll. The BCS formula for determining the seeds was changed as a result, with the weight given to the computers being lessened and the opinions of the AP Poll removed.
LSU's claim to the title was not the product of BCS politics. Their #1 ranked defense held the country's most prolific offense, which had averaged 45.2 points and 461 yards per game, to 154 total yards and just one touchdown until the closing minutes of the game. Heisman Trophy winning QB Jason White, who completed only 13 of his 37 passing attempts for a mere 102 yards, was sacked seven times and intercepted twice. LSU was in control of the game from the end of the 1st quarter and Oklahoma was never really able to get any real momentum against a stingy LSU defense.
The win was LSU's second National Championship and their first since 1958.
[edit] Scoring Summary
[edit] Trivia
- The attendance of 79,342 became the largest ever to see a game in the Superdome. That figure has since been surpased by the 2008 BCS National Championship Game (79,651[1]).
- The team that led at half-time had won 10 of 11 Sugar Bowl games.
- LSU improved its record to 5-7 in Sugar Bowl games.
- The SEC improved its record to 34-29-1 in Sugar Bowl games.
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