Long night took a toll on Sooners QB White

By By Richard Dark / EMG staff writer
Jan. 5, 2004
NEW ORLEANS A tight shot by an ABC camera with 12 minutes to go in the third quarter revealed much frustration in the face of Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jason White.
The dazed and glassy-eyed look came from being blitzed, hit, pressured and otherwise harried all game long from every which way.
The staunch LSU defense never let up on the Sooners and White. Tiger defensive coordinator Will Muschamp never stopped calling the blitzes and unfortunately for the Sooners, they never stopped finding their intended target.
Spearing a Sooner
LSU defensive tackle Marcus Spears had potentially a game-turning sequence early in the third quarter. On the Sooners' first play from their own 20, Spears sacked Hill for a three-yard loss and on the very next play, he intercepted White and rumbled 20 yards for a touchdown that put LSU up 21-7. It was the first time a defensive lineman had scored in the Sugar Bowl since Jim Barron of Virginia Tech did so on New Year's Eve in 1995.
Biggest crowd
Sunday night's attendance to the 70th Sugar Bowl was the largest ever to see a sporting event in the building. The count of 79,342 was good for the second largest Sugar Bowl ever. In 1973 in a game that pitted Alabama against Notre Dame the attendance topped 85,000 at the old Tulane Stadium. Officials estimate that there were nearly another 85-90 fans of both teams who made the trek to the Crescent City and partied outside the Superdome in the downtown area. A perusal of the entire perimeter an hour prior to kickoff confirmed those guesses.
Looking back
Before OU's block of a Donnie Jones punt in the third quarter, the last time one had been stuffed was in the Sugar's last title tilt in 2000. In that contest, Florida State's Jeff Chaney blocked a Virginia Tech punt. And just like Kejuan Jones' 1-yard scoring run for the Sooners, the Seminoles' block resulted in a touchdown.
Big play
LSU got on the board first in the game with a nifty 24-yard touchdown run by Skyler Green with 11:38 to go in the first quarter.
No stranger
LSU made its 12th appearance in the Sugar Bowl, tying it with Alabama for the most trips to New Orleans.
Another Christmas
Ever wonder what the Nokia Sugar Bowl folks give out to each player from each team?
This year they doled out a Sugar Bowl baseball cap, watch, letter jacket, an afghan with a replica of the field and a Nokia Engage. The latter is a combination MP3 player, phone, GameBoy and stereo all in one.
Crucial drop
OU All-American wide receiver Mark Clayton dropped a potential game-tying pass in the end zone inside the 3:00 mark of the game.
Dandy dozens
This was the first matchup of 12-win teams in Sugar Bowl history.