LSU Begins Preparations for Sugar Bowl

LSU coaches wanted to give Tiger players a few days to relax between now and the Sugar Bowl, but it seems players are having trouble focusing on much else but the big game.

With final exams having ended last week, Tigers players were given several days off to travel and relax while coaches took recruiting trips.

Many players stayed and worked out in Baton Rouge, quarterback Matt Mauck said.

Beginning Thursday, the team will practice for six days in Baton Rouge before breaking for Christmas and resuming in New Orleans on Dec. 28.

Mauck said head coach Nick Saban likely will allow the players to soak in the atmosphere around New Orleans for a few days early in the week before really getting down to business. But the quarterback said he doesn't expect his team to get distracted.

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``We might get to hang out on Bourbon Street and have fun,'' Mauck said. ``But just because of the sheer numbers of LSU fans who are going to be there, it would be hard to walk around.

``We didn't work this hard to get in to the national championship game. We worked this hard to win it.''

Mauck, who plans to attend dental school when his playing days are done, still has not decided if he will return for what in eligibility terms would be his senior season.

That is one of many questions he will be asked countless times over the next month. Mauck said he thinks he'll be prepared for all the attention.

``You probably can't ever realize how many people are going to be there, especially media-wise,'' Mauck said. ``But it's not really going to affect me. It's just one day -- win or lose. . . . Well, win and it might last longer than one day.''

Mauck said he realizes that a victory over Oklahoma for the BCS national championship could land him and his teammates a cherished place in LSU lore. He has seen members of the Tigers' 1958 national championship team return to Tiger Stadium to be recognized several times. And he knows what LSU's success means to its fans.

``I think they deserve it,'' Mauck said. ``We've got great fans here who are passionate about football. They've been a great part of our success.''

University of Oklahoma Athletics

LSU Begins Preparations for Sugar Bowl

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