LSU Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Arkansas in Week 13

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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 23: Jacob Phillips #6 of the LSU Tigers sacks KJ Jefferson #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

2. The defense has yet to really play a complete game

The ESPN broadcasters were confused as the fourth quarter began on Saturday night. The Tigers had built a 56-6 lead over Arkansas and the starters on the defensive side of the ball remained in the game.

Why was this? Greg McElroy suspected it had something to do with Ed Orgeron stating that his defense had yet to play a complete game that it was proud of this season, and it showed that the message wasn’t received well on both ends as the Razorbacks scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make a 50-point lead trim down to 36.

That might not seem like a huge deal, but the defense looked to just fall asleep early in the fourth quarter, allowing the Razorbacks to gain some confidence, and that’s a problem.

Maybe it’s because LSU was coasting up by 50 points and it’s tough to maintain the same intensity in a blowout, but either way, this fourth-quarter lapse for a few minutes was disappointing.

There’s a reason people are calling Clemson and Ohio State the most complete teams in the country: because they have elite defenses. LSU has the pieces, but has yet to play a complete game.

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