Throughout the first couple months of the season, we always said that the true measure of this team would be revealed in November and thus far, I would say that the revelation leaves much to be desired.
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“Offensively, you have to move the football and we just didn’t”, Miles said.
Last weekend the LSU Tigers suffered their first loss of the season against Alabama, and on Saturday night they’re looking to get back on track as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.
An LSU offensive line that appeared to be escorting Leonard Fournette to the Heisman Trophy looked like it couldn’t find its own way for the second straight week.
The Tigers scored on the initial possession of the second half, when Fournette scored on a 2-yard run, his 17th rushing touchdown of the season, capping off an 8-play, 67-yard drive, to cut the deficit to 21-14 at the 11:10 mark of the third quarter.
Boot Bowl XX is in the books, and if the Razorbacks aren’t careful, they’re going to ruin this series’ reputation for producing close games with insane endings.
Arkansas sacked Harris five times – three fewer than the Razorbacks’ total sacks in their first nine games – and Harris tossed a fourth-quarter interception in the end zone to end any chance of a comeback.
“Winning and success is contagious”, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said of his players. “There’s a lot to be said for what they’re feeling right now”.
LSU sophomore RB Leonard Fournette rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in Saturday’s 31-14 loss to Arkansas. The LSU rushing attack has averaged 256.2 rushing yards in the last five games.
LSU managed all of 13 yards on 12 plays in the first quarter and subsequently fell behind by 21-0 in the second quarter before finally waking up against the inspired Razorbacks (6-4, 4-2), who won their fourth straight game.
Miles confirmed after the game that LSU’s plan early was to pass on a Hogs secondary that ranked as one of the worst nationally.
The Tigers sit in a tie with the Tide for the lead in the SEC West. That means they must win out while the Tide must fall once more in order for LSU to punch their ticket to Atlanta. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back often was swarmed behind the line of scrimmage.
Arkansas QB Brandon Allen is greatly improved. They played a better game than us.
I propose that instead of making up intangible excuses about how LSU “wasn’t fired up” or “excited for the game”, we look at what our senses are telling us.
Two plays later, Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Morgan to get Arkansas within 52-51. Fournette averaged 4.8 YPC with a long run of just 13 yards against the Razorbacks. Now it’s out of the playoff picture and on a two-game losing streak. If both lose, Alabama and LSU would finish 6-2 in the SEC, and the Crimson Tide hold the tiebreaker.
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“Sebastian has a routine he locks into”, Bielema said. “We’ve got it sitting down there in that little spot (in the Fred Smith Football Center) and people come off that elevator and they freak out. They want to take a picture with the Boot”.
