NEW ORLEANS (AP) — LSU coach Nick Saban was reluctant to accept praise throughout the season, often shifting discussions to his team's next challenge.

After winning at least a share of the national title with his 21-14 Sugar Bowl victory over Oklahoma, little about Saban's demeanor seemed to have changed.

"You don't really want to know what I'm thinking, because what I'm thinking is, `How are we going to do this again next year?"' Saban said. "This year's accomplishments are next year's expectations."

Saban seems to know he'll be a legend in Louisiana now. He said the passion for LSU football in the state exceeded what he could have imagined. And Louisiana will be cherishing LSU's first title since the 1958 season.

"When you look in someone's eye and you see the pride they have in what you've accomplished, that's the real self-gratification you get for what we have accomplished here," Saban said.

At the same time, he was quick to recall that he had been "on both sides of the passion here."

After LSU lost to Mississippi in the 2001 season, Saban was driving home with his family, and listening to LSU fans blast his club on talk radio.

"My little girl was riding in the back seat ... and she said, `Daddy, are we going to have to move again,"' Saban recalled. "So I've seen it both ways, OK?"

DENTAL SCHOOL OR FOOTBALL?:@ LSU quarterback Matt Mauck, now 25 and already accepted into dental school, could come back next season for the Tigers.

But he said after the Tigers' 21-14 Sugar Bowl victory over Oklahoma that he doesn't know when he'll make up his mind.

"I'm kind of numb right now. It's been a wonderful experience," Mauck said.

Mauck entered college late after pursuing a pro baseball career for three years, and never getting out of the minors. He was LSU's backup quarterback two seasons ago, but led LSU to a victory over Tennessee in the SEC championship game after then-starter Rohan Davey went out with an injury.

Mauck was the starter last season but missed most of it with a foot injury. He never missed a start this season, passing for a school-record 28 touchdowns and 2,825 yards as the Tigers had a school-record 13 victories, including the Bowl Championship Series title game win for LSU's first national title since 1958.

Tigers coach Nick Saban said Mauck, 18-2 as a starter for LSU, would return if the coaches had any say.

"We've asked him to come back ... but we want what's best for our players," Saban said. "We're going to support him in what's best for him."

THE CROWD:@ The announced attendance of 79,342 was the largest for a sporting event in the Louisiana Superdome, which also has hosted six Super Bowls.

But the crowd was not a Sugar Bowl record. In a game played in since-razed Tulane Stadium between Alabama and Notre Dame in 1973, 85,161 fans showed up.

The largest crowd for any event in the Superdome was 87,500 for a Rolling Stones concert in 1981.

On game day, tickets being sold by scalpers or fans with extras were being offered for between $600 and $2,000 apiece.

THE FIELD:@ The Sugar Bowl was played one week after several Dallas Cowboys players complained about the Superdome field after a loss to the Saints. Several Cowboys slipped and fell without being hit during that game.

During the Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma quarterback Jason White slipped once as he backed out of center and was sacked for a loss deep in LSU territory in the second half.

But LSU receiver Skyler Green said he didn't think the Astroplay field, which was installed in November, was a factor because both teams had a week to practice on it.

"It can be slippery at times, but it's all in the way you put your foot in the ground and make that cut," Green said. "When you make that cut, you keep your knee over your toe and you can't fall."

SCORING LATER THAN SOONER:@ Oklahoma had been quick to score all season, putting up points on its first possession in 11 of its previous 13 games. The Sooners failed to do so against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, but scored on their second possession in those games.

Against LSU, which had the nation's top-rated scoring defense, the Sooners couldn't get on the scoreboard in the first quarter for the first time this season.

Oklahoma got its first points following a blocked punt that set up Kejuan Jones' 1-yard run that tied it at 7 with 7:31 to go in the second quarter.

After the game, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said LSU's defense was likely the best his team had faced, even though the Sooners scored few points in their 35-7 loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship.

Stoops noted the Sooners, who scored 14 points against LSU, moved the ball better against Kansas State but stalled on a couple of long drives. The Sooners gained 398 total yards against Kansas State, but only 154 against LSU.

MANNING ON HAND:@ New Orleans native Eli Manning got several free tickets to the Sugar Bowl from his father, Archie, who took off for Indianapolis to watch one of his other sons, Peyton, in the Colts' playoff game against Denver on Sunday.

Eli Manning said he attended the Colts' 41-0 playoff loss to the Jets last season, "and I thought I might be bad luck."

The Colts beat Denver handily Sunday, so Eli Manning doesn't expect to be in Kansas City for the Colts' next game, either.

Manning, who finished his college career at Mississippi with a Cotton Bowl victory Friday, said he had no rooting interest in the Sugar Bowl.

"It's hard for me to root for LSU just because they're a rival," he said. "But at the same time, you want the SEC to win, so I'm just going to watch the game and enjoy it."