For the fourth time in four years, The Battle for the Golden Boot was decided by three points.
When kicker Damian Ramos booted through a 20-yard field goal to take the 34-31 lead, punctuated by a game-sealing interception by Zy Alexander as time expired a play later, yet another wildly entertaining and unexpectedly close rivalry matchup came to an end.
Despite LSU being favored in betting lines of -17.5, this game was a fight to the finish. The No. 12 Tigers had to claw their way to victory over an unranked Arkansas squad. The win was not pretty; it was a matter of survival, especially with LSU likely needing to run the table to maintain its hopes of making the College Football Playoff.
Last year’s matchup saw Arkansas dictate the nature of the game. The defensive battle that ended in a 13-10 win for LSU played into the Razorbacks’ strengths as a tough defensive team with offensive limitations.
This year, the game initially unfolded in much the same way. Arkansas’ pass-rush, which entered the game ranked No. 7 in the nation in sacks, made life difficult for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. He was sacked twice and pressured once in the first half.
Even accounting for the effect of the Razorbacks’ pressure, Daniels was off; he wasn’t playing like himself. Coming into the game as one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country, he was making uncharacteristic mistakes.
He missed on a handful of deep shots early on, slightly underthrowing them. He had throws that were behind his receivers or too low.
“He was out of rhythm,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “His drop was a little bit off, and he was rushing into throws.”
With 48 seconds left in the first half and after five drives of offense, LSU had mustered only three points to Arkansas’ 13.
Then, the duo of Daniels and junior wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. worked together to orchestrate a two-minute drill that gave the Tigers life. Thomas first caught a 25-yard pass and followed it up with a 49-yard bomb a play later that went for six.
Thomas Jr. got single coverage and blew past his defender, with Daniels placing it on the money despite his previous struggles.
“I feel like it brought the energy back to the whole team,” said Daniels.
Three plays into the second half, Thomas came up big again to give LSU the lead. On a free play with Arkansas offsides, Daniels took a deep shot to Thomas in double coverage. The pass was severely underthrown, but Thomas having to come back to the ball shook off his defender. He bobbled the pass but walked into the end zone after making the last man miss.
“We pride ourselves on, like, when he gives us a shot to go make a play, we do our best to go make the play. That makes him more confident with us,” Thomas said.
The play was indicative of the day. Daniels was nowhere near his best, but Thomas, who finished with 133 yards and the two touchdowns, and LSU’s other weapons stepped up to claim a win from the jaws of defeat. According to Kelly, Thomas received the game ball for his efforts.
Through four games, Thomas had 413 yards as LSU’s second-leading receiver, already more than he’s had in any of his previous two years at LSU. He’s emerging as a legitimate threat, not just a second option, thanks to improvement in his game to become a more well-rounded receiver.
Also coming up big to give LSU’s offense a boost was star wide receiver Malik Nabers. During the first-half drought, Nabers was one of the bright spots for the struggling offense. Despite seeming to reaggravate a right shoulder injury, he came down with big third down catch after big third down catch to keep drives alive.
In the second half, he came up with two touchdowns and was always there when needed, finishing with 130 yards. On LSU’s final drive, he took the Tigers into Arkansas territory with a 36-yard catch and converted a crucial third down that allowed LSU to milk the clock and not give Arkansas a chance to answer.
Nabers’ production opened things up for Thomas, as well, with him drawing bracket coverage and multiple defenders consistently.
“When they double Malik, it opens up more one-on-ones for me, Kyren [Lacy] and Aaron [Anderson]. I feel like we just got to go out there and win our one-on-ones,” Thomas said.
LSU needed every bit of the contributions from its two most dangerous weapons. After a quiet first half from the Arkansas offense, the Razorbacks caught fire, pushing LSU to keep its foot on the gas.
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson continuously evaded pressure and was almost impossible to bring down. Like he always does, he played mistake-free football and made the easy plays, guiding Arkansas to 18 second-half points and 157 yards in the fourth quarter.
The Tiger offense answered the challenge. They scored touchdowns on each of their first three second half possessions and capped it off with the putaway drive.
Though he bounced back in the second half and regained his rhythm, it wasn’t Daniels’ best day. It didn’t have to be. With receivers like Nabers and Thomas, LSU has a margin for error on offense, knowing that its best skill players can single-handedly pull the team out of funks.
LSU’s win was the type that a team with championship aspirations needs to see. The Tigers now know they can pull out victories and dominate on offense even when everything doesn’t go right.
