After shutting down a strong Alabama running game in LSU’s 17-10 overtime loss last weekend, the Tiger defense is preparing to face another strong rushing attack from Arkansas.
Arkansas (4-5, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) has established itself as a premier power running team in the SEC. With one of the biggest offensive lines in the conference and nation, with two 800+ yard rushers in junior running back Jonathan Williams and sophomore Alex Collins, the Razorbacks pose problems for the LSU defense.
“They’ve got an offensive line that averages around 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, so we really have to beef up this week and get a couple extra meals in,” said sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture. “Playing Arkansas will be just like playing Alabama. We know they’ve got Collins and Williams back there who are great runners, and [junior quarterback] Brandon Allen can throw the ball too.”
Against Alabama, the Tigers held the Crimson Tide to 106 rushing yards on 29 attempts, their second lowest rushing game of the season. Arkansas is 19th in the nation in total running yards with 2,234 and 12th in the nation in yards per carry with 5.74.
In order to stifle Arkansas’ talented running attack, LSU has to start strong.
“We had some things we needed to fix, communication and things like that. We’re all on the same page now. We’re clicking,” LaCouture said.
Early in the season, the communication problems took their toll on the Tigers. In their first three Power 5 conference games against Wisconsin, Mississippi State and Auburn, the Tigers gave up 868 yards.
Since that point, LSU has given up only 437 total rushing yards. Although improved at stopping the run, the Tigers must stay on their toes when they step into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Saturday night.
“From what I’ve seen from them this year, they’re definitely a hungry team,” said junior cornerback Jalen Collins. “They took Alabama down to the wire and have had some pretty close games in the SEC this year, so I wouldn’t expect anything less from this game.”
Collins will take the starting spot of sophomore cornerback Rashard Robinson, who is suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.
Collins was lined up against Alabama junior wide receiver and Heisman candidate Amari Cooper. He was able to hold Cooper to 83 yards on 10 catches, his second fewest receiving yards of the season.
To bounce back from the overtime loss against Alabama, Collins said the Tigers will have to stick to their gameplan and continue to build on what they have already accomplished as a defensive unit this season.
“We just have to do what we’ve been doing, just refocus and put the past in the past. We just have to work to beat Arkansas,” Collins said. “We’ve overcome adversity many times this season. It shouldn’t be hard for us to do it again.”
With the Tigers out of the SEC West title race, LSU will be playing for two things — a bid to an elite bowl game and its pride. To junior linebacker Lamar Louis, the game will be the culmination of his entire season and a time to show off the skills he worked on throughout the offseason.
“I like going up against a run like Arkansas because you get to show off what you’ve been doing all summer,” Louis said. “You get to show your strength, your training, your running and just being physical. It’s old-school football, pretty much the football we’ve been playing since we were young. I love games like this.”
You can reach Michael Haarala on Twitter @haarala_TDR.