FROM THE REAL ART SPORTS DESK
Russell outduels Brady in LSU's sweet win over Notre Dame

From the AP via ESPN:

Keiland Williams ran for a career-high 107 yards and Justin Vincent added 71, grinding time off the clock in the second half as No. 4 LSU sealed a 41-14 victory over the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night.

Going with a running back-by-committee, the Tigers rushed for 245 yards -- their second-highest total of the season behind the 268 yards they piled up against Kentucky. That kept star quarterback Brady Quinn and the Irish offense off the field.

"We wanted to run the football and that's what we did, and ate the clock," LSU coach Les Miles said. "It was because of the ability to take what the defense gave us."

Click here for the rest.

Well, this was a pretty good game...for the first half. Then the Tigers made potato soup out of the Fighting Irish, which was enjoyable, if only because I go to LSU, but also because I still haven't recovered from Texas losing to Notre Dame in Austin back in 1995. I'll take this as my revenge. Anyway, after this trouncing in the Sugar Bowl, it really does look like if a few plays and calls had gone the other way against Auburn and Florida, it would be LSU taking on the Buckeyes for the national title, and not the Gators--indeed, I saw a few Florida games this past season, and I don't think they're all that great; I expect Ohio State to rout them as badly as LSU beat those South Bend Catholic boys. If Jamarcus Russell decides to come back for his senior year, I expect my Tigers to easily be ranked number one or two at the beginning of the season.

That brings me to the sports radio assholes here in Baton Rouge. As far as I know, many of them continue to hate LSU head coach Les Miles. Perhaps I don't know enough about football, but I'm continuing to give him the benefit of the doubt myself: I mean, 11-2 ain't that shabby. But my older brother, Chris, weighed in on the controversy over Christmas, and he tends to agree with the radio guys. He tells me that the sports radio guys in Austin, which is where he lives, have been making fun of Miles, calling him a hack, or something to that effect, since his days at Oklahoma State. The impression is that former LSU coach Nick Saban, now fomer Miami Dolphins and current Alabama Crimson Tide coach, recruited all the great talent, and Miles is simply riding on their success, kind of like Fred Akers after Darrell Royal at Texas years ago. If that's true, Miles should do okay for the next few years, but, say, five or six years from now, look for 6-5 seasons and the like. I mean, I don't really think so, but I guess we'll see.

Anyway, Geaux Tigers!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$