The LSU football team would do well to ignore recent history of its series against the Arkansas Razorbacks as the teams prepare for the Battle for the Golden Boot on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.The last two times the teams met on the gridiron, Arkansas, in dramatic fashion, won the two games by a combined three points.In 2007, a game that many thought the Tigers needed to secure a spot in the national championship game, a heavily favored LSU squad allowed Arkansas to amass 513 yards of offense, 385 of which came on the ground.The game resulted in a triple-overtime, 50-48 shocker that only ended when Arkansas corner back Matterral Richardson intercepted an LSU two-point conversion to seal the game.Last season, the Tigers came into the game trying to end their late-season swoon and stabilize what had become a rocky second half of their season.But the Razorbacks had different plans. Facing a fourth-and-one from the LSU 24-yard line, then-Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick fired a game-winning touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining on the clock.Arkansas averaged nearly 100 more yards of total offense than LSU in those two games and converted five of six fourth down plays.”It gives you some confidence. When you watch the video, you’re watching the same guys you played against last year.” said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino at his Monday news conference. “You look at their defense, and most of those guys are the exact same guys that were there last year with the exception of a great defensive end and really good linebacker.”The 2009 Arkansas squad will enter Death Valley riding a four-game win streak and one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation.Sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett was named Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks after his 313-yard five-touchdown effort against Mississippi State last weekend.Mallett has embraced the pass-happy offense implemented by Petrino for the 2008 season. In his lone season as the Arkansas starting quarterback, Mallett has set or matched 12 different school records.”We’ve got to put pressure on Mallett,” said senior defensive tackle Charles Alexander. “We’ve got to go out there and put pressure on him and get him uncomfortable in the pocket.”Mallett has thrown for 3,195 yards and 28 touchdowns this season and leads the SEC in every category for quarterbacks.”We’ve won four in a row, and we are going into a tough game,” Mallett said Monday at a news conference. “This week, we are going to have to play our best football. We are going to have to go in there and play physical and tough.”With Mallett leading the way, Arkansas is ranked as the No. 1 offense in the SEC, both in total offense and scoring offense.”Coach Petrino has done a great job there,” said LSU coach Les Miles at his weekly Monday news conference. “They have a high-powered offense and a good defense.”The Razorbacks have had their troubles on the defensive side this season, giving up an average of 25.1 points per game. Arkansas is the ninth-ranked scoring defense and is ranked last in total defense in the SEC.Opponents have been able to find a way to move the ball through the air against the Razorbacks’ defense, amassing 2,842 yards this season.The matchup should be an intriguing one for the Tigers, who haven’t been able pass the ball consistently this season.The Tigers have lacked consistency at the quarterback position this season. Sophomores Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee have combined to throw for 1,982 yards this season, which ranks 100th in the NCAA.LSU will have to rely heavily on the passing game after losing their top three running backs to injury throughout the season.With seniors Charles Scott and Keiland Williams and junior Richard Murphy all lost for the game, the LSU ground attack will rely on sophomore Stevan Ridley, freshman Russell Shepard and senior Trindon Holliday to stabilize a rushing attack that has been stagnant for most of the season.- – – -Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]