For much of the season, Joe Burrow and the LSU passing attack has captivated the nation and tested the capabilities of scoreboards across the Southeastern Conference.
But for the last few weeks, the Tiger’s offense has won games not only through the air, but on the ground. This was just as evident Saturday night when junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire cut through the Arkansas defense like a hot knife through butter.
Edwards-Helaire finished with six carries for 188 yards, three rushing touchdowns also seven receptions for 65 yards in No. 1 LSU’s (11-0, 7-0 SEC) 56-20 win over Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC).
The junior’s longest rush of the night was an 89-yard touchdown run with 2:46 left in the third quarter to put LSU up 49-6. His two other rushing touchdowns were a 27-yard run and a 26-yard run, respectively.
When asked about his 89-yard touchdown run, Edwards-Helaire said “the defense parted like the Red Sea.” The junior did the rest, out racing three Razorback defenders.
“I hope that was fast enough for everybody,” Edwards-Helaire joked.
Although the performance was impressive, it was overshadowed by a bigger milestone set during the game. Edwards-Helaire surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season.
He is the 21st 1,000-yard rusher in LSU football program history.
He was not the only LSU player to make history on Saturday. Senior quarterback Joe Burrow also broke the 4,000-yard passing mark for the season.
LSU is the first team in SEC history to have a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers in a single season.
Edwards-Helaire has been on quite the tear over the past three games. He rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns at Alabama, including the score that ultimately sealed the victory for the Tigers. He added 172 yards and one touchdown against Ole Miss last week in addition to his stats Saturday night versus Arkansas.
He has also been a threat in the receiving game, racking up 20 receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown over the past three games, including Saturday.
“He’s on fire”, said LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who added coming into the year, he did not think Edwards-Helaire would reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
Burrow also spoke highly of Edwards-Helaire.
“I knew from the moment I got here Clyde was a special player and was going to have a lot of success,” Burrow said. “I knew that this offensive unit was perfect from him.”
The team is not the only people taking notice of the running back’s notable performances though. Earlier, this week, Edwards-Helaire was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker award. This award is given annually to the nation’s best college football running back.
The junior running back looks to continue his on-field dominance when LSU takes on Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC) next Saturday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Stadium.