BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA -- LSU learned from its mistakes and came through in the clutch.
Josh Jasper hit a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds to go to force overtime, then made a 36-yarder in overtime to lift No. 17 LSU to a 33-30 victory over Arkansas on Saturday night.
Alex Tejada missed a 36-yard field goal that could have forced a second OT, and Arkansas (7-5, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) fell short in a remarkable comeback bid, highlighted by Ryan Mallet's fourth-down touchdown pass to Joe Adams with 1:18 left, which gave the Razorbacks a 30-27 lead.
Jordan Jefferson threw for touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell and DeAngelo Peterson, and Trindon Holliday had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown for LSU (9-3, 5-3), which could sneak into a New Year's Day bowl game because of Mississippi's loss earlier Saturday.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity at a 10th victory at a bowl game of our team's liking," LSU coach Les Miles said.
LSU stormed the field after Tejada's field goal sailed wide, celebrating their victory in the battle for "The Golden Boot" with a fist-pumping Miles, who'd been under fire from fans since the Tigers' loss at Ole Miss the previous weekend.
LSU botched the end of that game with poor clock management and play-calling. Against Arkansas, Jefferson and the Tigers looked like old pros in the 2-minute drill.
"I'm proud of this team," Miles said. "In an area where there's a swirling backdrop and agendas, it didn't bother them. They got the distraction behind them and they came out and played as a team. I'm very proud of them. I'm proud of this coaching staff."
A week earlier, LSU recovered an onside kick and advanced to Mississippi's 32, but moved backward on a sack and a screen pass, then completed a long pass to the Rebels' 5, only to run out of time.
This time, LSU marched from its own 36 in about a minute with one timeout to set up Jasper's tying field goal. Jefferson moved his team quickly and efficiently with short passes.
Some could argue the Golden Boot, a cumbersome and heavy trophy in the shape of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana, is a bit unsightly. The games to decide who gets it have been thrilling in recent years.
Last season, Arkansas scored a touchdown with 21 seconds left to win 31-30. In 2007, Arkansas won 50-48 in triple overtime, needing a fourth-and-10 conversion to extend that game past the first OT.
This year, it was LSU's turn to pull it out amid the adversity stemming from the previous weekend's loss.
Jefferson finished 17 of 25 for 179 yards and one interception. LaFell had four catches for 70 yards. Missing its top two running backs in Charles Scott (collarbone) and Keiland Williams (ankle), LSU rushed for 147 yards, led by Holliday's 57. Jasper made two 47-yard field goals in regulation.
Mallett was 17 of 39 for 227 yards and was intercepted once. Greg Childs caught five passes for 124 yards, including a 23-yard gain on third-and-20 to help set up Arkansas' go-ahead TD late in the fourth quarter.
"We certainly did a nice job of making adjustments at halftime, coming out and competing hard," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "We got in position where we had the chance to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done."
Arkansas' final drive was loaded with heavy hits. Several plays before Adams scored the go-ahead TD, his helmet was knocked off on a hard hit by Chad Jones at the goal line. A flag for helmet-to-helmet contact came in several seconds later, drawing boos from the Tiger stadium crowd.
Although LSU's defense could not protect the lead on that drive, it stepped up in overtime, completing a solid performance against an offense that came in averaging 445.2 yards and 38 points.
Arkansas finished with 375 yards, most of it coming in the second half as the Razorbacks gradually erased a 17-6 deficit with scoring runs of 13 yards Ronnie Wingo Jr. and 8 yards Broderick Green, and Tejada's third field goal of the game.
Thursday
November 28th, 2024
5:45AM
