NCAA Game Summary - LSU at Arkansas
(Friday, November 23rd)
Final Score: (8) LSU 20, Arkansas 13
Fayetteville, AR (Sports Network) - Zach Mettenberger was 16-of-29 passing
for 217 yards and a touchdown to lead eighth-ranked LSU to a 20-13 win over
Arkansas on Friday in the Battle for the Golden Boot.
Jeremy Hill carried the ball 18 times for 77 yards and a score and Odell
Beckham had four catches for 112 yards for the Tigers (10-2, 6-2 SEC), who
clinched their third consecutive 10-win season.
"Sometimes you play games like this and just have to do enough to win. We did
enough tonight," Hill said.
LSU is still alive in the SEC West and can play for the conference title in
Atlanta if Alabama loses to Auburn and Texas A&M defeats Missouri on Saturday.
Tyler Wilson completed 31-of-52 passes for 359 yards, one touchdown and one
interception and Cobi Hamilton had 10 catches for 98 yards for the Razorbacks
(4-8, 2-6), who finished the season with three straight losses.
Arkansas trailed 10-0 early in the third quarter, but John Henson's 25-yard
field goal made it a seven point game. Earlier, Wilson's 24-yard pass put the
Razorbacks on the LSU 13, but the Tigers' defense did not waver and forced the
Henson field goal.
Michael Ford returned the ensuing kickoff down to the Arkansas 14. Three
consecutive Hill rushes, capped with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, pushed the
Tigers lead to 17-3.
The Razorbacks did not back down, however, piecing together a seven-play, 74
yard touchdown march to make it 17-10. Wilson's 18-yard completion to Hamilton
got the ball into LSU territory and, following a Knile Davis 9-yard rush,
Wilson connected with Mekale McKay for a 28-yard touchdown.
Henson's 17-yard field goal made it 17-13 early in the fourth, and Arkansas
had several big stops on defense to stay alive, but couldn't convert
offensively.
On the ensuing drive, Mettenberger found Spencer Ware on 3rd-and-16, but the
running back was tackled short of the first down marker. Arkansas, though,
wasn't able to get the offense moving, but did pin the Tigers at their own 20-
yard line.
Metternberger was sacked on 3rd-and-10 and, following an LSU punt, Arkansas
started at its own 38. But the theme remained the same, and the Razorbacks
were forced to punt it back to LSU.
The Tigers, however, chewed up over four minutes of game time with an 11-play,
78-yard jaunt, capped with a 27-yard field goal, to go up 20-13.
The Razorbacks took over with 1:26 left and a chance to tie the game. A 12-
yard completion to Brandon Mitchell on 4th-and-10 kept the drive alive and two
plays later Wilson dialed up Julian Horton for a 28-yard completion to get
down to the LSU 18 with just seven seconds left.
After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Wilson looked for McKay in the end
zone, but the ball sailed out of reach and the Tigers held on for the win.
Drew Alleman nailed a season-long 49-yard field goal in the first quarter to
give LSU an early 3-0 cushion.
The next score wouldn't come until late in the second quarter, but it was
definitely a catch that will be remembered for years to come. On 3rd-and-8
from the Arkansas 22, Mettenberger delivered a strike to Jarvis Landry who
made an acrobatic one-handed catch in the back of the end zone to go up 10-0.
The pass was thrown behind Landry, who twisted toward his right side then
plucked the ball from the air before coming down just inside the back of the
end zone.
"That was a great athlete making a great play," Arkansas head coach John L.
Smith said. "We couldn't ask our guy to cover much better than that."
Game Notes
LSU owns the all-time series 36-20-2 ... The Tigers were outgained 462-306 by
the Razorbacks ... LSU has won 10-or-more games in a season six times since
2005 ... This was the first series matchup in Fayetteville since 1992 ...
Wilson broke the Arkansas career passing yards recordcareer passing yards
record with a 9-yard completion to Javontee Herndon in the 2nd quarter. With
359 yards today, Wilson ends his career with 7,765, breaking the previous
record held by Ryan Mallett (7,493, 2009-10) and also broke the school record
for 350-yard passing games (seven) ... Hamilton broke the Razorback's record
for career receptions with 175 (Wright 168, 2008-11).
11/23 22:44:57 ET

|