LSU Football: 3 takeaways from clutch win over Arkansas

Arkansas and LSU football met on Saturday afternoon for the annual “Battle of the Boot”. Here are some takeaways from the Tigers’ victory.

The LSU Tigers headed to Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon for a showdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks and the “Battle of the Boot”.

Arkansas had been favored to win and obtain a .500 record on the season, but then COVID-19 hit the team and took several players out of the game. A good chunk of defensive starters for the Razorbacks were out this week and the Tigers kept them on the field as long as possible.

Let’s get to some takeaways from the Tigers’ win.

3. Game plan, time management made the difference

The Tigers went into the game with the plan to keep the offensive line on the field as much as possible, not only tiring the Razorbacks’ battered defense, but also to keep their own troubled defense off the field.

However, when LSU’s defense was on the field, it wasn’t for long.

At the end of the first half, the Tigers offense spent 21:52 on the field compared to the Razorbacks’ 8:08. LSU dominated the half in total yards, and especially in rushing yards. The Tigers put up 276 yards total, with 100 of the rushing yards while the Razorbacks put up 182 total yards with only 32 rushing yards — and LSU posted 52 plays compared to 26 from Arkansas.

Both teams suffered one turnover in the first half, the Tigers a fumbled ball and the Razorback an intercepted pass, while LSU was hit with the most penalties, four for 35 yards, including an ejected player due to targeting.

At the end of the game, LSU had total possession of the ball for 41:43 compared to 18:17 for Arkansas and this absolutely made the difference in the close victory.