LSU eager to play Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl

BATON ROUGE, La. - Until Southern California was upset by UCLA on the first Saturday of December, it appeared LSU was going to spend New Years Day playing in the Rose Bowl.<br> <br> But the Trojans&#39; loss to their cross-town rival Bruins shuffled the top of the Bowl Championship Series standings. Instead of facing Michigan in Pasadena, the Tigers will be bowling about 80 miles from their campus in New Orleans.<br> <br> LSU&#39;s consolation prize is a Sugar Bowl date with Notre Dame. The Tigers players may have been disappointed about not going to the Rose Bowl. But they&#39;re enthusiastic about a clash with the Fighting Irish.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s great to play a team with such prestige as Notre Dame,&#39;&#39; LSU senior offensive lineman Brian Johnson said. ``It&#39;s a chance to show what we can do against a team of such prominence.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Irish will take a 10-2 record into the Sugar Bowl, their only defeats by the two Rose Bowl teams USC and Michigan. LSU has not played Notre Dame since 1998, when it dropped a 39-36 decision at South Bend.<br> <br> The Tigers and the Fighting Irish have previously played in a postseason game in Louisiana. In the 1997 Independence Bowl, LSU knocked off Notre Dame 27-9.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m looking forward to playing Notre Dame,&#39;&#39; senior defensive end Chase Pittman. ``Notre Dame is everybody&#39;s favorite.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> In fact, the Fighting Irish is a favorite of one of the Tigers starters, senior offensive tackle Peter Dyakowski.<br> <br> ``My high school football team was the Fighting Irish,&#39;&#39; said Dyakowski, who played at Vancouver College in Canada. ``I have always been a fan of Notre Dame. I always pulled for them.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Two LSU defensive all-Americans safety LaRon Landry and tackle Glenn Dorsey are not that caught up with the Notre Dame name. They want to face the Irish because of their, particularly quarterback Brady Quinn.<br> <br> ``I wanted to play Notre Dame,&#39;&#39; said Landry, the senior free safety. ``I want to go against Brady Quinn and see what he&#39;s all about. He&#39;s a great quarterback. Brady reads defenses very well and sticks the ball in the soft spots of the defense. I guess my wish came true.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Dorsey, a junior who may make himself eligible for the NFL draft following the Sugar Bowl, views going against the Quinn-led offense as a huge challenge.<br> <br> ``You hear nothing except Notre Dame,&#39;&#39; Dorsey said. ``It helps (to get ready) when they have a Heisman Trophy candidate. It will be a test for the defensive line. They are a real physical team. They try to hit you in the mouth. I have a lot of respect for them.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> LSU&#39;s hopes of playing in the national championship game ended in early October when Florida handed the Tigers their second SEC loss of the season. When LSU was eliminated from the conference race in November, its goal became reaching a BCS game.<br> <br> A year ago, the Tigers were beaten in the Southeastern title game by Georgia. After that defeat, LSU fell out of the New Years Day bowl scene. Relegated to the Peach Bowl, the Tigers pounded Miami 40-3.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t look at (Sugar Bowl) as not being important because it&#39;s not the national championship game,&#39;&#39; Dorsey said. ``It&#39;s a bowl game with two great teams playing. Were fortunate to be in a BCS game.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s a real big game for us. A win can set the tempo for next year just like last year&#39;s bowl game set the tempo for this year.&#39;&#39;