By Ted Lewis
[This story originally appeared in the Official Game Program for the 2025 Allstate Sugar Bowl.]
Not only was LSU’s 2002 win over Illinois the first Sugar Bowl victory for Nick Saban, it was LSU’s first Sugar Bowl victory since 1968.
As Nick Saban sees it, when teams of equal strength meet in bowl games, mindset and motivation are usually the difference makers.
That was especially true in the seven Sugar Bowls, eight counting the 2011 BCS championship game played in the Superdome, Saban-coached teams (two at LSU, the rest at Alabama) participated in.
“Teams can prepare well and your talent level can be about even,” said Saban, who retired with a record seven national titles, two of which were won in the Superdome, the only venue in which he had more than one. “But the most important thing comes down to the way your team approaches the game.”
Saban was 5-3 in the Sugar Bowl, including Alabama’s BCS title game victory against his old school LSU in 2011. But he was also on the losing end of the biggest upset in Sugar Bowl history. And it seems that win or lose, no matter what was on the line, mindset and motivation could be considered the deciding factor.
To Saban, here’s why:
Jan. 1, 2002 – LSU 47, Illinois 34
The M&M Factor: To say the least, in Saban’s second season at LSU, the Tigers were a surprise SEC champion. Despite losing three conference games, they won a 9/11 delayed showdown with Auburn for the West Division title and then overcame a 17-0 deficit to upset No. 2 Tennessee in the conference title game. It was LSU’s first SEC title since 1986 and first Sugar Bowl since then as well. Meanwhile, No. 7 Illinois had won the Big Ten championship, but the Illini and its fans were somewhat bummed out because the Rose Bowl was that year’s BCS championship game and they wound up in New Orleans instead of Pasadena.
Saban says: “This was a big deal for LSU because we hadn’t been in a major bowl for so long. Nobody gave us a chance to beat Tennessee and somehow we did it.”
What happened: LSU had a sensational offensive night behind quarterback Rohan Davey and wide receiver Josh Reed, scoring touchdowns on five of its first six possessions and leading 34-7 at halftime. Illinois made it somewhat respectable in the second half, but the outcome was never in doubt. Davey was 33-for-53 for a then-Sugar Bowl record 444 yards and three TDs. Reed had 14 catches for 239 yards and two scores and Domanick Davis rushed for four touchdowns, a bowl record for TDs and total points that still stands.
Saban says: “We had tremendous senior leadership on that team. They had so much confidence that we could overcome any obstacle.”
Jan. 4, 2004 – LSU 21, Oklahoma 14
The M&M Factor: LSU hadn’t won the national championship since 1958, and this one wasn’t without controversy. Oklahoma had led the BCS standings all season but was routed by Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game. Still, the Sooners wound up No. 1 in the final standings with LSU, 12-1 after beating Georgia in the SEC championship game, second and Southern Cal third.
Saban says: “We were only able to control what we could control. Oklahoma was a great football team that deserved to be in the championship game. I didn’t know how we were going to stop them. We were fortunate to be playing them in the Sugar Bowl where our fans created a fantastic atmosphere.”
What happened: Oklahoma had led the country in scoring and was a six-point favorite. But LSU put on one of the greatest defensive performances in bowl history, holding the Sooners to 154 total yards and getting a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown by Marcus Spears for what turned out to be the winning points. LSU earned the BCS national championship with the win, but USC wound up No. 1 in the final Associated Press rankings after a 28-14 win over No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Saban says: “Winning that game was one of the all-time greatest feelings of my life, especially for the pride it created in the state of Louisiana. And the way I look at it, we did everything it took to be national champions, so I really don’t care what anybody else thinks.”
Jan. 2, 2009 – Utah 31, Alabama 17
The M&M Factor: After going undefeated in the regular season, Alabama, in Saban’s second year there, lost to Florida in the SEC championship game. It was the only defeat in 12 conference title game appearances for Saban-coached teams and knocked the Tide out of the national title game. Unbeaten Utah came from the Mountain West, or, as Saban regretfully put it at the time, not a “real” BCS conference. An added factor: All-America tackle Andre Smith was suspended for the game.
Saban says: “We were really deflated after the Florida game. And then I don’t think our players respected Utah. I said I was responsible for the whole kit and kaboodle, and I meant it.”
What happened: Utah, using a spread attack that hadn’t yet been seen in the SEC, rang up touchdowns on its first three possessions to jump out to a 21-0 lead. The Utes defense did its job, sacking John Parker Wilson eight times and holding the Tide to 208 yards.
Alabama managed to close to 21-17 early in the third quarter only to be shut out the rest of the way while the Utes added a TD and field goal.
Saban says: “Their offense really threw us off. We had a great noseguard but he had to stand next to me the whole game because they were using five wideouts. Utah was well-coached and planned well. They deserved to win.”
Saban added a second New Orleans national championship when his Alabama squad took down LSU in 2012.
Jan. 9, 2012 – Alabama 21, LSU 0 (BCS Championship)
The M&M Factor: The intangibles were totally in Alabama’s favor. The Tide and LSU had played “The Game of the Century” in November with the Tigers prevailing 9-6 in an overtime defensive slugfest. But ‘Bama got another chance by finishing second in the BCS standings. That set up the title clash in the Superdome under the double-hosting format in which the Sugar Bowl was in charge of the production.
Saban says: “It’s hard to beat the same team twice in the same season. And our guys were zeroed in. I didn’t have to say anything to them.”
What happened: The game was another defensive masterpiece – at least for the Tide which did not allow the Tigers past midfield until midway through the fourth quarter and gave up just 92 yards. Alabama had missed four field goal attempts in the first meeting but Jeremy Shelly, who had two of the misses, hit five through the first three periods, ironically missing the extra point after the Tide got a late touchdown to make the final 21-0.
Saban says: “We’d decided we weren’t going to try any field goals unless we were inside the 25, which was the way it turned out. And if there’s such a thing as the biggest game of all-time, this was it.”
Jan. 2, 2014 – Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31
The M&M Factor: If ever a team had an excuse not to be motivated, it was Alabama.
The Tide’s bid for a national championship three-peat had been foiled by the most-infamous play in program history – the kick-six game-ending missed field goal attempt return by Auburn. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was unheralded despite a 10-2 record, and because of lack of success in recent bowl games, a 16 ½ point underdog in the final Sugar Bowl of the BCS era.
Saban says: “We just never recovered from the Auburn game. And then we had too many guys worried about where they were going to get drafted and that kind of stuff. Oklahoma came in with something to prove, and they did.”
What happened: Alabama had won seven straight postseason games since the loss to Utah. But Oklahoma dominated, coming up with four turnovers against a team which had only 12 all-season, concluding with a game-ending sack/strip of AJ McCarron for a touchdown.
Saban says: “Oklahoma played so well you don’t want to take anything away from them, But our hearts just weren’t in it.”
Jan. 1, 2015 – Ohio State 42, Alabama 35
The M&M Factor: In the first semifinal of the CFP era, both the top-seeded Tide and the No. 4 Buckeyes seemed equally motivated. But Saban later said he made the mistake of approaching the game like previous bowl trips instead of one with rewards for the winners and consequences for the losers. At least Saban did learn about how to approach the playoffs. After this game, the Tide would win seven straight CFP semifinals before falling to Michigan in overtime in last year’s Rose Bowl.
Saban says: “You had two really good football teams. But they jumped on us early and we never could stop the run.”
What happened: In a back-and-forth game, an 85-yard dash by Ezekiel Elliott with 3:24 left gave the Buckeyes a two-touchdown lead. Alabama cut its deficit to seven, but never got the ball back.
Saban says: “We got two turnovers and two red-zone stops. But I didn’t like the feel of the game. We didn’t control things like we usually do. We just came up short.”
Jan. 1, 2018 – Alabama 24, Clemson 6
The M&M Factor: It was the third game of “The Trilogy,” the Tide and the Tigers meeting again after splitting the last two championship games, only this time in the semifinals. Clemson was the No. 1 seed while Alabama had slipped into the playoffs after being knocked out of the SEC championship game with a 26-14 loss to Auburn but then seeing three conference championships break the right way, getting the Tide the No. 4 spot in the CFP standings.
Saban says: “Somebody wrote that we were two programs passing in the night and that we were declining in intensity. Our guys were really ready to play Clemson again.
What happened: Playing with what Saban called a level of emotional intensity not seen before, especially on defense, ’Bama dominated. Although only leading 10-6 in the third quarter with Clemson at the Alabama 35, momentum changed on the next play when defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne intercepted Kelly Bryant and took the ball to the Clemson 27, the last 15 yards coming thanks to a horse-collar tackle. Seven plays later from the 1, Saban rewarded Payne when, after he’d lined up as a blocker in the backfield, he slipped into the endzone where Jalen Hurts hit him for the only reception of his career. The following week, Alabama defeated Georgia in overtime, 26-23, for Saban’s sixth title.
Saban says: “Our staff did a great job of preparation and our players did a great job of executing. When bad things happen, you want your players to respond. That group did it as well as any I’ve ever been around.”
In the era of bowl game opt-outs, Saban’s stars showed up at their best in the 2022 Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State.
Dec. 31, 2022 – Alabama 45, Kansas State 20
The M&M Factor: Alabama had every reason to be flat. Walk-off losses to Tennessee and LSU had denied the Tide its customary playoff berth while Kansas State was coming off an upset of undefeated TCU in the Big 12 championship game, although TCU still made the playoffs. Opt-outs and transfer portal exits were decimating many teams before their bowl games, but led by the example of 2021 Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young and All-America defensive end Will Anderson, the Tide arrived in New Orleans almost intact. Meanwhile, K-State was energized by its first conference title since 2003 and its first-ever meeting with Alabama and its first-ever Sugar Bowl.
Saban says: “Our players were disappointed about not being in the playoffs, and I wasn’t sure what their response would be. But our guys felt that if they beat Kansas State they would prove they were better than TCU, and by dominating the game they kind of did.”
What happened: K-State jumped out to a 10-0 lead, getting an 88-yard TD run by Deuce Vaughn, the second longest in Sugar Bowl history. But then Young took over, guiding his team on five straight touchdown drives. Young, the first pick in the 2023 draft, wound up 15-of-21 for 321 yards and five TDs. It turned out to be the final bowl victory of Saban’s career.
Saban says: It’s pretty fitting. Our first major bowl win was in the Sugar Bowl, and we played the way you should always play no matter what’s at stake – caring about your teammates and your school. That’s a lesson for every team in a bowl game.
Saban says: “I always loved going to the Sugar Bowl. First of all, New Orleans is always a great place to visit even if it’s not the easiest place to manage a team. I always worried about that as a coach, but we never had an issue there. The hospitality was always fantastic. The Sugar Bowl people were always so committed to trying to entertain you, but at the same time making sure you could train for the game properly. It’s not always an easy balance for bowl people, but I was always especially pleased for that aspect when we played in the Sugar Bowl. And I think the people on the Sugar Bowl Committee always understand football. It’s always football first ahead the other stuff. Maybe it’s my bias but to me the Sugar Bowl was part of the SEC. So it was always special going to the Sugar Bowl.”
