BATON ROUGE – LSU will make its first trip to the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 when the 23rd-ranked Tigers face Notre Dame in Nashville, Tenn.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN in what will be the first meeting between LSU and Notre Dame since the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The game will be played at LP Field, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

LSU, which ran its streak of consecutive years with at least eight victories to 15 straight with its 23-17 win over Texas A&M in the regular season finale, is 8-4 overall. Notre Dame brings a 7-5 overall mark into the contest.

“We are very excited to bring our football program and the great LSU fan base to Nashville to play Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Notre Dame is a traditional football power and we are looking forward to renewing what has been a tremendous rivalry between the two programs through the years.

Nashville is a great city to play and the opportunity to play in an NFL venue makes this a very attractive bowl destination for us.”

The LSU-Notre Dame matchup will be the 11th meeting between the two teams with the series standing at 5-5. It will also mark the third bowl matchup between the Tigers and Fighting Irish. In addition to the 2007 Sugar Bowl, LSU and Notre Dame met in the 1997 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.

“We are delighted to be heading to Nashville for the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl,” LSU vice chancellor and director of athletics Joe Alleva said. “This is a fantastic bowl destination against the historic Notre Dame football program. We are excited about the opportunity to bring our incredible Tiger fans and football program to the great city of Nashville for what should be one of the most attractive matchups of the bowl season.”

LSU will be making its school-record 15th straight bowl appearance and 46th overall. The Tigers are 23-21-1 overall in bowl games, which includes a 6-3 mark under Miles.

LSU Bowl Announcement

HEAD COACH LES MILES

Opening statement…

“We are thrilled to extend the streak at the university for 15 straight bowl games. We see this as a national matchup and very attractive television game. We recognize that Notre Dame is a tremendously talented pool of players from across the country. They are a team that has played in the national championship. We are going to have to play well. We will be challenged, and we look forward to playing these guys. It is a very talented team that is well coached and well prepared. It is a great challenge and exciting ending for a quality season.”

On his history with Notre Dame…

“We recognize they are prestigious and some of the great coaches that have been there. There was a tremendously competitive time between Michigan and Notre Dame. Again, they are a traditional mid-west power.”

On preparing for the Music City Bowl…

“We need as many practices we can get with a youthful team. We need to grow them up. We look forward to a number of practices and preparation for this bowl. We will practice that second team extensively getting them prepared to play not only in this game, but the near future.”

On what he knows about Notre Dame…

"The only thing I have seen are a few games on television. They are talented, capable and seem to score points a ton in every game. I am sure I will get to know them better. You don't have to look at the film to realize that Notre Dame is tremendously talented.”

On the last time LSU played Notre Dame…

“That was the JaMarcus Russell team. It was a very talented LSU team. We played very hard. They had (Jeff) Samardzija and a quarterback named Brady Quinn. We played extremely well in our own backyard in the Superdome. We played very hard. We distanced our self from the opponent that day, but they were a very talented team nevertheless.”



Player Quotes

RB Terrence Magee

On his initial reaction of Notre Dame being their opponent…

“I'm excited. It's something that's new for the program as well as us. We've never been in this bowl before, so I think it's going to be a great experience for us. The guys are excited about it.”

On the challenge as a senior to get the team motivated to finish strong…

“I don't think it's going to be too big of a challenge. We get an opportunity to go out and play football again. It's what we love to do, so I think everyone is going to be pretty motivated and excited to get out there and get back to practicing and give this thing one last ride. It's the last time this team will be assembled together.”

On the bowl being a chance for the younger players to prove themselves…

“I think it helps. It kind of gives them a boost and a head start to looking at where they're going to be next year. For guys like me, it's the last game. It's one last chance to leave your mark and find a way to be remembered.”

On what the bowl preparations can do for the team…

“It just gives you a little bit more time. You don't have school going on, and you really get to concentrate on football and get in the film room and workout room more. I think it's going to help us tremendously, and some guys can improve their game a little bit being that you have more time to get out there, practice and work on certain things. We're not as constricted with time.”

On where the offense needs to improve the most…

“We're just going to go out and do what we always do. We're going to work the fundamentals and techniques because we've been out of it for a little while. So we're going to get those things down pat, and I'm pretty sure Coach Cam (Cameron) and Coach (Les) Miles are going to have something good cooked up for those guys.”

DT Christian LaCouture

On playing Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl…

“We played Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl in 2006. It was a great matchup between JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn. It's going to be a great game for us and Notre Dame. It goes way back. They are a great football team. They brought Florida State right down to the end. We are going to have our hands full.”



On his recollections of Notre Dame…

“Growing up, I always remember Notre Dame. It was a team you always saw on TV, whether it was ABC or whoever they were playing. They were playing in big time bowls and playing big time opponents. Growing up as a kid, it was always something you got to watch and see what they were about. The tradition has always been excellent there.”

On playing in an NFL stadium (LP Field) in the bowl game…

“We are used to playing in big time places like that, like NRG Stadium, and playing in hostile environments throughout the whole year, whether it was Auburn or teams like that. We are ready for it. They are going to bring all of their fans just like we will. We are going to take it as a neutral site like we played against Wisconsin. We are definitely ready for it.”

On taking the energy from the Texas A&M game to the bowl game…

“It was huge. Texas A&M and Kyle Field's a big time, hostile environment. We took it as a huge challenge going in there against a great offense. For us stopping that offense and what we did to come out with a win and our offense doing their thing and special teams doing a great job was something that we were very excited about. Like I said before that game, with a win like that, it was going to bring huge confidence into a bowl game. We are playing another great opponent. We are playing in an NFL stadium. It's another challenge for us, but we are going to have a great week at practice.”

OG Vadal Alexander

On playing in Nashville for a bowl game…

“I'm excited to play in Nashville. I heard it is a great city. I haven't really talked to anybody about it because I just found out not too long ago. I'm looking forward to being closer to home. Maybe some of my relatives can come to the game. I heard it's a really nice city, a great city for football.”

On playing an historic program like Notre Dame…

“It adds relevance to the game because there are two big name programs with us and Notre Dame. Growing up, you look at Notre Dame and watching them play since you were little. They're always a program that is in the national spotlight, so it is a little easier to wake up and work for it, although we would have done the same for any other program. But you get extra excited to play against a great team like Notre Dame.”

On if the team had a preference on where they wanted to play their bowl game…

“Everyone wants to play closer to home, obviously. People had different wants, but the best option for us is this one because we are playing such a well-known team that is strong and brings a lot of attention. Hopefully our fans travel well to this one.”

CB Jalen Collins

On how he heard about where the team's bowl destination was going to be…

“I was watching the selection show, and I thought they were going to do the top four and talk about that for a little bit and then go into the rest of the games. But they talked about the top four for three hours. I didn't find out until right before I walked into the building when I saw Terrence (Magee) and he told me we were playing Notre Dame. That's how I found out.”

On playing in Nashville…

“For me, being close to there and having family there is exciting for me. A lot of people that haven't seen me play will have that opportunity to come watch me in this bowl game.”

Music City Bowl History

Year - Matchup/Result

2014 - LSU vs. Notre Dame

2013 - Ole Miss 25, Georgia Tech 17

2012 - Vanderbilt 38, North Carolina State 24

2011 - Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17

2010 - North Carolina 30, Tennessee 27 2-OT

2009 - Clemson 21, Kentucky 13

2008 - Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14

2007 - Kentucky 35, Florida State 28

2006 - Kentucky 28, Clemson 20

2005 - Minnesota 31, Virginia 34

2004 - Minnesota 20, Alabama 16

2003 - Auburn 28, Wisconsin 14

2002 - Minnesota 29, Arkansas 14

2001 - Boston College 20, Georgia 16

2000 - West Virginia 49, Ole Miss 38

1999 - Syracuse 20, Kentucky 13

1998 - Virginia Tech 38, Alabama 7