Rewind: LSU 31, Arkansas 27
Associated Press/Bill Haber
Backup quarterback Anthony Jennings combined with Travin Dural for a 49-yard touchdown pass with slightly more than one minute remaining in the game as LSU rallied for a 31-27 victory against Arkansas on Friday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
HOW THEY SCORED
Score: Terrence Magee 29-yard run. Colby Delahoussaye PAT. LSU 7, Arkansas 0
Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards
Time of Possession: 2:14
Time Remaining: 11:15, first quarter
Key Play: On third-and-ten, Zach Mettenberger completed a 16-yard pass to Odell Beckham for a first down at Arkansas' 34.
Score: Kiero Small 3-yard run. Zach Hocker PAT. Arkansas 7, LSU 7
Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards
Time of Possession: 4:34
Time Remaining: 6:26, first quarter
Key Play: On third-and-two, Brandon Allen completed a 7-yard pass to Hunter Henry for a first down at LSU's 6.
Score: Magee 23-yard run. Delahoussaye PAT. LSU 14, Arkansas 7
Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards
Time of Possession: 2:55
Time Remaining: 3:38, first quarter
Score: Henry 9-yard pass from Allen. Hocker PAT. Arkansas 14, LSU 14
Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards
Time of Possession: 4:33
Time Remaining: 6:14, second quarter
Key Play: On third-and-one, Javontee Herndon ran 42 yards for a first down at LSU's 9.
Score: Hocker 20-yard field goal. Arkansas 17, LSU 14
Drive: 9 plays, 25 yards
Time of Possession: 2:03
Time Remaining: :00, second quarter
Key Play: Brandon Lewis recovered a Mettenberger fumble at LSU's 28.
Score: Hocker 28-yard field goal. Arkansas 20, LSU 14
Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards
Time of Possession: 2:36
Time Remaining: 9:27, third quarter
Key Play: Alan Turner intercepted a Mettenberger pass and returned the ball 24 yards to LSU's 39.
Score: Jeremy Hill 52-yard run. Delahoussaye PAT. LSU 21, Arkansas 20
Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards
Time of Possession: 1:52
Time Remaining: 7:35, third quarter
Key Play: On third-and-nine, Mettenberger completed a 12-yard pass to Landry for a first down at LSU's 48.
Score: Henry 2-yard pass from Allen. Hocker PAT. Arkansas 27, LSU 21
Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards
Time of Possession: 6:45
Time Remaining: :50, third quarter
Key Play: On fourth-and-four, Anthony Johnson went offsides after Arkansas shifted from punt formation. The penalty gave the Razorbacks a first down at LSU's 48.
Score: Delahoussaye 37-yard field goal. Arkansas 27, LSU 24
Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards
Time of Possession: 2:18
Time Remaining: 4:56, fourth quarter
Key Play: On first-and-ten, Mettenberger completed a 32-yard pass to Landry for a first down at Arkansas' 21.
Score: Dural 49-yard pass from Jennings. Delahoussaye PAT. LSU 31, Arkansas 27
Drive: 8 plays, 99 yards
Time of Possession: 1:55
Time Remaining: 1:15
Key Play: On first-and-ten, Jennings ran for 21 yards for a first down at Arkansas' 49.
TURNING POINT
Undoubtedly, there was no more important play than Jennings' game-winning touchdown pass to Dural. However, what took place two plays earlier put LSU in position for the game-winning pass. After a couple of completions, the Tigers had the ball at their 30. On first down, Jennings took off from the pocket and ran for 21 yards to move the ball into Arkansas territory. Three plays later, Jennings hooked up with Dural for the touchdown.
LSU KEY OFFENSIVE PERFORMERS
In what may have been his last game in Tiger Stadium, Hill ran for 145 yards and one touchdown - a 52-yard run. Hill averaged more than seven yards per attempt. With Beckham unavailable due to a hip pointer, Landry was the primary receiver with eight catches for 113 yards.
LSU KEY DEFENSIVE PERFORMERS
Jalen Mills, who played the entire second half at safety, made nine tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop an Arkansas threat. Linebacker D.J. Welter also was credited with nine tackles. Safety Craig Loston and defensive tackle Ego Ferguson both had eight tackles. End Jermauria Rasco made seven tackles, forced a fumble and recovered another fumble. End Danielle Hunter had 1½ tackles-for-loss. Dime back Dwayne Thomas had a sack and forced a fumble to clinch the victory.
LSU MISSED SCORING OPPORTUNITIES
The Tigers were pretty efficient when they reached Arkansas territory. LSU scored on five of their six drives - four touchdowns and a field goal - which reached the Razorbacks' side of the field. The one unsuccessful possession ended when the Tigers failed to convert a fourth-and-two from Arkansas' 18. Hill caught a pass from Mettenberger, but was tackled a yard shy of the first down. On its next series, LSU had a first down at the Razorbacks' 21. But, a false start penalty on tackle Jerald Hawkins hurt the Tigers. Three plays netted just six yards. Delahoussaye came on to kick a 37-yard field goal which left LSU behind 27-24 with slightly fewer than five minutes to play in the game.
LSU CRITICAL MISTAKES
Mettenberger was guilty of two turnovers which led to Arkansas points. Late in the first half, Mettenberger was sacked by Braylon Mitchell and fumbled. The ball was recovered by Brandon Lewis at LSU's 28. That turnover led to a Hocker field goal which broke a 14-14 tie. The Tigers' first second-half series ended when Mettenberger had a pass intercepted by Alan Turner, who returned the ball 24 yards to LSU's 39. That turnover led to another Hocker field goal which put Arkansas in front 20-14. Johnson was called for being offsides four times with the most critical coming on a fourth-down situation in which the Razorbacks shifted out of punt formation. With a player under center, Johnson jumped offsides to give Arkansas a first down at LSU's 47. Ten plays later, the Hogs took a 27-21 lead on a 2-yard scoring pass from Allen to Henry. The Tigers defense allowed Herndon, a wide receiver, to take a pitch and run 42 yards to their 9. That play set up another Allen-to-Henry touchdown pass which tied the score at 14-14.
KEY STATISTICS
LSU finished with 470 yards and averaged seven yards per play. However, Arkansas gained 360 yards and averaged almost six yards per snap. The Tigers were penalized seven times, while the Razorbacks committed just two penalties. LSU converted seven of their 12 third-down plays. Arkansas scored on all five red zone possessions - three touchdowns and two field goals. The Tigers limited Razorbacks tailbacks Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins to 86 yards on 24 carries.
NOTES
Four LSU offensive players did not finish the game due to injuries - Beckham, Mettenberger, Hawkins and center Elliott Porter. Beckham suffered a hip-pointer in the first half. He was replaced by Kadron Boone in the lineup. Mettenberger injured his left knee. Coach Les Miles said that nothing definitive will be known until Mettenberger has a MRI. Hawkins and Porter also suffered knee injuries. It appears that Hawkins has the most serious knee injury. Evan Washington took over for Hawkins at right tackle, while Ethan Pocic replaced Porter at center. . .Ricky Jefferson made his first start at safety since Corey Thompson was unavailable due to an injury. When Jefferson missed a tackle on Herndon's long run, Mills moved from cornerback to safety. Rashard Robinson took over for Mills at cornerback in the base defense. . .Tight end Travis Dickson made his first start of the season. . .The 99-yard touchdown drive was the longest in school history. . .The fourth-quarter comeback victory was the 21st for the Tigers since Miles became coach in 2005. . .Mettenberger, who threw for 156 yards, became just the third LSU quarterback to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in a career. The other two quarterbacks are Rohan Davey (3,347 yards in 2001) and JaMarcus Russell (3,129 yards in 2006). . .Hill has 1,185 rushing yards for the year - the fifth best single-season total in school history. Hill has six 100-yard rushing games in 2013 and ten in his career. He now has 14 rushing touchdowns this year and 26 in his career. . .Beckham caught one pass before being injured to extend his streak to 26 straight games with a reception. . .Landry has 1,172 receiving yards for the year - the third highest single season total for a Tigers receiver. . .Mills matched his career-high in tackles with nine. His interception was the third of the season and the fifth of his career. . .LSU finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers have won at least nine games each of the past five years. . .Arkansas finished with a 3-9 record, 0-8 in the SEC. The Razorbacks lost nine games in a season for the first time in school history. Arkansas also went winless in conference play for the first time since 1942 when it went 0-6 in the Southwest Conference. . .The paid crowd was 89,656. The actual crowd was slightly less than 70,000.
WHAT THE HEAD COACH HAD TO SAY
Les Miles: "It may not have been exactly the style of game we like to play. We could have played better in the first half. Certainly, our defense could have played better. Our offense could have been more productive. We get in a position where we were going to have to score and score a seven-pointer. We lose our quarterback and the ball rests on the 1-yard line with 99 yards for victory. We had a freshman quarterback, a freshman center and a second-team tackle. That team led by Anthony Jennings went 99 yards and was just as cool and calm and comfortable as there is. We have to give him great credit. If you had told me that was the scenario, I would have said 'no way.' There is just something about this group. They're competitive. They want to play. They make plays no matter the scenario. I would never count them out. It's pretty special."
NEXT UP
LSU will participate in a bowl game for a 14th consecutive season. The Tigers' bowl destination and opponent will be announced on Sunday, December 8.
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