By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY: LSU is better than Arkansas. LSU played better than Arkansas. LSU beat Arkansas.
The spot favored the Hogs all week. LSU had to move past the huge win over Ole Miss and focus on the next opponent. Arkansas was coming off a bye and riding high from the win over Tennessee. The fourth largest crowd in Razorback Stadium history turned out, but LSU controlled things from start to finish.
LSU avoided the disastrous start that put them behind 17-0 in South Carolina. The Tigers led 10-0 after a quarter and kept Arkansas off the scoreboard until 8:25 was left in the second quarter.
(Assuming the results in Austin hold*) The Tigers now sit atop the SEC along with next week’s opponent, Texas A&M. The two rivals are the only unbeatens left in league play.
When the polls come out Sunday, LSU will be likely be ranked No. 7 and firmly in the discussion for the College Football Playoff.
THE PLAYS: LSU cruised into the redzone on its opening possession, but an offense pass interference and false start made it second and goal from the 22. That was no problem for Caden Durham. The freshman running back bolted down the left sideline and into the end zone for the game’s first score.
Arkansas couldn’t answer LSU’s opening score. Reserve field goal kicker Matthew Shipley misfired from 43 yards.
After the Tigers went up 10-0, Arkansas immediately turned the ball over. Running back Rashod Dubinion had the ball knocked free by Greg Penn. Major Burns fell on the it at the Arkansas 36 yard line with less than a minute to play in the first quarter.
After LSU had to settle for a Damian Ramos field goal to go up 13-0, Arkansas answered with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Taylen Green hit Andrew Armstrong, who was wide open inside the five yard line, for a 25-yard score.
LSU faced third and one with five and a half minutes to play in the second quarter. After a false start backed it up to third and six, Nussmeier found a leaping Mason Taylor to convert. Arkansas added an illegal hands to the face to tack 15 yards on and put LSU in the red zone. Ramos drilled a field goal four plays later to add to LSU’s lead.
Shipley atoned for his early miss by eeking a 51-yarder over the crossbar on Arkansas’s first drive of the second half. The kick drew Arkansas within six, 16-10. A miss would have given LSU a short field and a chance to really seize control of the game.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Arkansas took over at their own 14. Whit Weeks came flying off the edge and batted Green’s pass up in the air. He hauled it in and stumbled down to the three yard line. Durham scored on the next play to give the Tigers some breathing room, 24-10 after a successful two point conversion. This turned out to be the play that swung the game for good.
LSU decided to run the football on third and five from the Arkansas 33 yard line. Durham was stopped short, but Ramos stepped up and gave the Tigers a three-score lead with 11:57 to play, 27-10.
On third and two with 9:25 to play, LSU came out of the timeout, and Nussmeier hit Taylor in the right flat for a conversion to move the chains. That was essentially the knockout.
THE STATS: Time of possession was a landslide. LSU held the ball for 10:52 in the first quarter, over 19 minutes in the first half and 37 minutes for the game.
The Tiger pass rush was quiet in the first half. After halftime, it started to cook. LSU notched three sacks and forced the interception with more pressure in Green’s face.
LSU ran the ball effectively all night. LSU finished with 158 yards on 37 carries. Durham topped the 100 yard mark, finishing with 101 yards on 21 carries. He added three touchdowns.
On the flip side, Arkansas couldn’t run it at all. The Hogs finished the game with 38 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Ramos connected on all four of his kicks—33, 48, 33 and 47 yards.
Nussmeier protected the football. He did not throw an interception in the game, his first without a pick since the win over UCLA.
LSU committed seven pre-snap penalties in the first half, six false starts and a snap infraction. In total the Tigers were penalized 11 times for 80 yards.
LSU got points on 7-of-8 possessions where that was the goal. LSU ran the clock out at the end of the first half and made no effort to score on the last drive.
For the second straight game, LSU’s SEC opponent didn’t score a second half touchdown.
