No. 4 LSU 41, No. 11 Notre Dame 14

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ JaMarcus Russell has a big decision to make. The way he played in the Sugar Bowl, it shouldn't be all that tough. <br/><br/>This guy sure looks ready to play in the NFL. <br/><br/>Russell

Thursday, January 4th 2007, 6:07 am

By: News On 6

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ JaMarcus Russell has a big decision to make. The way he played in the Sugar Bowl, it shouldn't be all that tough.

This guy sure looks ready to play in the NFL.

Russell was the star of a Cajun-style party that marked the Sugar Bowl's return to the Big Easy, leading No. 4 LSU to a 41-14 victory Wednesday night and leaving Notre Dame to wallow in another postseason meltdown.

The 11th-ranked Fighting Irish, with their undersized defense, simply couldn't find a way to stop this behemoth of a quarterback.

The 6-foot-6, 257-pound Russell threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He powered over for his first rushing touchdown of the season, pounding his chest after he landed in the end zone. He was unanimous choice as the game's most outstanding player.

``I really do think I'm one of the best in college football,'' Russell said. ``You can't take that opinion away from me.''

And what about the NFL? Russell now much decide whether to enter the draft or return to the Tigers (11-2) for his senior season, which would seem like a slam dunk.

``I'm not really thinking about leaving early right now,'' he insisted. ``I've got a lot of time to sit down with my family and coaches and talk about that. I'm just happy we got the victory.''

Notre Dame (10-3) never seems to win at this time of year, a hideous burden for the nation's most storied program. The Irish lost their ninth straight bowl game, more than other school in NCAA history; they had been tied with South Carolina and West Virginia for the longest drought.

``We've got to turn the corner,'' coach Charlie Weis said. ``Right now, we're just a nice, solid team. That won't cut it. We want to be an upper-echelon team.''

Russell thoroughly outplayed Notre Dame's more heralded quarterback. Brady Quinn, who finished third in the Heisman balloting and hopes to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, struggled to cope with the speed and size of LSU's defense. The senior completed just 15-of-35 for 148 yards, his two TD passes offset by two interceptions.

``I'm proud of my guys,'' Quinn said. ``We laid the groundwork for these guys to do some great things in the future.''

Russell sure seems destined for greatness, whether it's in the NFL or another year with the Tigers.

``He's got to make a very difficult decision,'' coach Les Miles said. ``If he returns, he'll certainly be a Heisman Trophy candidate.''

Then he looked around the room, trying to find the school's sports information director.

``Better get the mock-ups ready,'' Miles quipped.

Russell and LSU's feared defense took control after halftime, turning a tenuous 21-14 game into a laugher. The Tigers outgained Notre Dame by a staggering 333 yards to 30 over the final two quarters.

``Those guys were telling me, 'All you guys are big and fast,' and I told them, 'Welcome to the SEC,' and we started laughing,'' LSU receiver Dwayne Bowe said. ``They're a great group of guys, but we're just bigger and stronger and faster.''

After a pair of field goals by Colt David pushed LSU to a 27-14 lead, Russell blew it open with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell in the final minute of the third quarter.

``I knew they weren't fast enough to cover us,'' Bowe said.

Notre Dame did bounce back from an early 14-0 deficit, tying the score late in the first half. But Russell took matters in his own hands _ and legs _ to put the Tigers ahead to stay before the teams went to the locker room.

First, Russell went deep to Early Doucet for a 58-yard completion. Then, Russell scored himself on a 5-yard keeper up the middle.

Notre Dame hasn't won a postseason game since its 24-21 victory over Texas A&M in the 1994 Cotton Bowl. ``O-ver-ra-ted!'' the Tiger-dominated crowd roared after freshman Keiland Williams ripped off his second touchdown of the game, a 20-yard run with just under 7 1/2 minutes remaining.

But the biggest cheers came on LSU's next possession. Russell made one handoff, then left the game to standing ovation.

Notre Dame was determined to get off to a strong start, but it sure didn't work out that way. Weis called a fake punt that backfired on the first possession, and the Irish looked just as tight and sloppy as they did at the beginning of blowout losses to Michigan and Southern Cal.

At least they didn't fold until the second half. The offenses had their way in the beginning, with three 80-yard scoring drives and another covering 82. The only exception came after the fake punt, called with the Irish facing fourth-and-3 at their own 34. Up-back Travis Thomas took a direct snap, only to get stuffed for no gain.

Two plays later, LSU had the lead. Russell hooked up with Doucet on a 31-yard pass and Williams powered over from the 3.

The Tigers made it 14-0 on their next possession. Russell broke off a 21-yard run on a draw to get deep into Notre Dame territory, and finished off the drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to Bowe.

Notre Dame's next possession started ominously _ Quinn was sacked for a 10-yard loss. But Darius Walker ran for 11 yards and turned a short pass into a 21-yard gain. Quinn finished it off with 24-yard TD pass to David Grimes.

Walker rushed for all but 3 of his 128 yards in the first half, the Irish shutting down the running game as they fell further and further behind.

Notre Dame pulled even when Quinn went to his favorite receiver, Jeff Samardzija, on a 10-yard TD pass with 2:25 left in the half. That was it for the Irish.

The game marked another step in New Orleans' rebuilding effort from Hurricane Katrina. The Sugar Bowl was played last year in Atlanta because of massive damage to the Superdome, but a $185 million renovation got the stadium up and running in late September.

Thousands of Notre Dame and LSU fans descended on the Big Easy, which still has areas that look like a war zone from the flooding caused by Katrina more than 16 months ago.

But Bourbon Street sure was rockin' with purple and gold.