Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/25/2011 at 6:49pm

No. 1 LSU 41, No. 3 Arkansas 17

Why Arkansas Lost
Simply put, the Razorbacks got manhandled over the final two quarters. LSU piled up 210 yards on the ground after halftime and 286 for the game. The Tigers (12-0, 8-0) limited the Arkansas offense to 89 yards in the second half. It didn’t help that the Razorbacks (10-2, 6-2) turned the ball over twice and allowed a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Turning Point
Tied at 14, Arkansas appeared to be moving the ball down the field to answer a pair of quick LSU scores. Dennis Johnson ran for eight yards to the LSU 39 and then coughed the ball up as he fell to the ground. Officials reviewed the play and declared it a fumble, recovered by LSU at its 34, setting up a five-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard pass from Jordan Jefferson to Russell Shepard. LSU went up 21-14 with :59 left in the opening half and was never really threatened from there. Arkansas kicked a field goal in the third quarter to close to within four, 21-17, but the Tigers ran off the next 20 points. 

What Boos?
Jordan Jefferson endured boos from Tiger fans early in Friday’s game against Arkansas. He was pressured into some bad plays early and they made their frustration known.

That all changed right about the time Jefferson avoided a sack to keep a drive alive, sparking the first of LSU’s touchdowns. Arkansas defenders had Jefferson in their grasp, but he used his 6-5, 233-pound frame to his advantage and bought himself just enough time to throw the ball away.

Instead of losing a big chunk of yardage, Jefferson kept the Tigers in a manageable down and distance. Jefferson completed two consecutive passes for first downs and then Kenny Hilliard ran for four and six yards, his final carry resulting in a touchdown.

Jefferson, suspended earlier in the year as police investigated his role in a bar fight, seemed to settle in after that drive. He finished with 53 yards rushing and a touchdown, plus he completed 18 of 29 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. 

Honoring Uekman
Tight end Austin Tate switched his jersey number to No. 88 in memory of Garrett Uekman, who died on Sunday of a heart condition. Arkansas players and coaches also wore patches and helmet stickers (the letters "GU" inside the state of Arkansas) in memory of Uekman.

Losing a teammate made the week difficult for the Razorbacks. They attended a memorial for Uekman on Monday, but remained mostly out of the public eye while preparing for LSU.

Defensive end Jake Bequette said the team responded well in light of the difficult circumstances.

“It has been an emotional week, a tough week, for all of us,” Bequette said “I was proud of my teammates. I was proud of my coaching staff. I was proud of the way we responded in practice. We came out and had a good week.” 

Wright Stuff
Jarius Wright did more than give Arkansas a 7-0 lead with his second-quarter touchdown catch. He further etched his name in the school record books, tying marks for receptions and touchdowns in a season, and moving to No. 1 for yards in a season.

Wright ended the night with two catches for 27 yards and a score, giving him 63 receptions for 1,027 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Earning His Name
National analysts dubbed LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu the “Honey Badger” for his play which closely resembles the actual animal. Described in an online dictionary as having “ferocious defensive abilities,” the honey badger moniker fits.

Mathieu, playing safety on Saturday instead of corner, finished with a team-high eight tackles. He forced two fumbles and returned one 19 yards.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mathieu had a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown. It was his second return this season.

Bad Call?
Inserting Brandon Mitchell at quarterback in the red zone had been a success for the Razorbacks in small doses this season. It even resulted in a touchdown at Vanderbilt and helped spark the Razorbacks’ offense.

Arkansas did not get the desired effect against LSU.

Mitchell came in for one play with the Razorbacks down 21-14 and facing a second-and-goal situation from the LSU 6. A bad snap and fumble resulted in a loss of 6 yards, an incomplete pass followed, and Arkansas had to settle for a 29-yard Zach Hocker field goal.

Petrino didn’t have much to say on the play beyond acknowledging the poor snap.

Speaking Out
“I felt like we had our opportunities and we were right there in the game at one point, but we couldn’t stop them and stop their run in the second half. We were standing on the sideline a long time. Then we had a couple three-and-outs and that really hurt us besides the turnovers.”
—Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino

"This football team down 14 points did not flinch. There was never a question in anyone's mind on that sideline that we were going to respond."
—LSU Coach Les Miles

Up Next
Arkansas (10-2, 6-2) waits for the regular season to play out and the bowl picture to become clearer. Currently, the Cotton Bowl (Jan. 6, Dallas) and Capital One Bowl (Jan. 2, Orlando) seem like the most realistic options.

Tagged: Tyrann Mathieu, Les Miles, Tramain Thomas, Garrett Uekman, Jake Bequette, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks