LSU hammers Notre Dame 41-14 to capture Sugar Bowl

NEW ORLEANS -- JaMarcus Russell thoroughly outplayed Brady Quinn and made a compelling case that the mammoth quarterback's next pass should come in the NFL.

As for Notre Dame, it was a familiar meltdown at bowl time.

The Sugar Bowl returned to New Orleans with a Cajun-style party put on by No. 4 LSU, which dominated college football's most storied program in a 41-14 rout Wednesday night at the Superdome.

Notre Dame, which was ranked 11th, now has nine straight bowl losses, breaking a tie with South Carolina and West Virginia for the most in NCAA history.

Russell, a 6-foot-6, 257-pound junior, threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He also had his first rushing score of the season and set up LSU's other TD with a 31-yard pass.

Quinn completed just 15 of 35 passes for 148 yards, his two touchdowns offset by two interceptions.