LSU Tops Arkansas 27-24
Playing in their first game since Halloween, the LSU Tigers entered Saturday's game at Arkansas as a 1 point betting favorite.
They left Fayetteville with a 27-24 victory, their third win of the season, and first in nearly a month. And what a month it has been for the program.
Following an embarrassing 48-11 loss to Auburn on October 31st, LSU has dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak that postponed the matchup at Alabama, a student-athlete who was allegedly violated by Baton Rouge police officers, the official loss of their starting quarterback for the season, and a troubling investigative report by USA Today that headlined numerous occasions of the Tigers football program mishandling sexual and domestic abuse allegations.
For the Tigers on Saturday, it was about a football game against a conference opponent, one in which they competed from start to finish.
"I thought our time of possession was the biggest (key)," noted LSU head coach Ed Orgeron.
The Tigers wanted to establish the run and control the clock. Mission accomplished.
LSU held the ball for 41:43, compared to Arkansas with 18:17.
The Tigers rushed for 148 yards, led by Tyrion Davis-Price who finished with 104 yards on 24 carries.
"It was time for us to get that feeling out of us," said Davis-Price. "We hadn't won a game in a minute. So we're happy. Excited."
The run game helped LSU get in third down and manageable, as they went 10-21 on the day on 3rd down, and 2-2 on 4th.
Conversely, the Razorbacks were 0-10 on third down and 1-1 on 4th.
"We probably had less mental errors than we have all year, and that was probably the biggest factor," added Orgeron.
In a game with 4 lead changes, the Tigers recaptured the lead on 13-yard touchdown pass from TJ Finley to Jaray Jenkins.
Finley finished 27-42 for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns.
With the victory, LSU improves to 3-3 on the season, while Arkansas falls to 3-5.
It also means the Golden Boot trophy will remain in Baton Rouge for another season.