BATON ROUGE – Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. went 21-for-31 with 221 yards passing and a touchdown to lead LSU over Arkansas, 23-22, on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium, marking the ninth time in the last 10 years that the Tigers have claimed The Golden Boot.
With the win, LSU improves to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the SEC. The Tigers return to action next Saturday at home against Western Kentucky for a 6:45 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
Game Recap
LSU won the coin toss and elected to defer.
With Taylen Green and Arkansas driving quickly inside LSU territory, running back Mike Washington’s rush up the middle was fumbled and recovered by Jack Pyburn at the Tiger 26-yard line. LSU took over, but would go three-and-out.
Chadwick’s punt was blocked by Arkansas’ Wyatt Simmons and returned for a touchdown by Caleb Wooden, giving the Hogs an early 7-0 lead with 10:58 remaining in the first quarter.
The Razorbacks added to their lead with an 11-play drive that covered 52 yards and spanned just under six minutes. On 2nd-and-11 from the 11, Green kept it himself for an 11-yard touchdown rush, extending the Arkansas lead to 14-0 with 4:06 to play in the quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, the Tigers would respond. On 3rd-and-5 from the Arkansas 27, running back Caden Durham broke free for a 27-yard touchdown rush, capping a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive. It became 14-7 Hogs with 14:54 to play in the first half.
LSU continued to find some momentum offensively as Van Buren found Durham and Barion Brown for passes of 22 yards and 20 yards respectively, leading to a 50-yard field goal from Damian Ramos with 7:02 to play in the first half. That cut the deficit to 14-10 Razorbacks.
On 1st-and-10 from the Arkansas 20, Green’s pass, intended for O’Mega Blake, was intercepted by Harold Perkins Jr., giving the Tigers great field possession and the ball at the 20-yard line. The offense, however, went three-and-out to force another Ramos field goal, which was good again from 42 yards out, cutting the deficit even more to 14-13 with 5:08 to play in the half.
On 2nd-and-9 from the LSU 9, Green’s pass, intended for O’Mega, was intercepted by Mansoor Delane, who continues to bolster his resume as the best corner in the country. That sparked a 55-yard drive on just five plays in 30 seconds to set up a 42-yard field goal from Ramos. That made it 16-14, LSU, heading into halftime.
LSU opened the second half with a beautiful 34-yard connection from MVB to Brown, bringing the ball down to the Arkansas 41. However, a sack and a few incompletions moved the ball out of field goal range and forced a Chadwick punt.
After Green brought Arkansas down into LSU territory with a 55-yard run, seniors Jacobian Guillory and West Weeks led a goal-line stop for the LSU defense on 4th-and-1 for a turnover on downs. It gave the Tigers the ball back with 8:57 to play in the third quarter.
Arkansas would respond, though, on the next drive as Washington rushed for a 9-yard touchdown on 1st-and-9. The Hogs would also convert a two-point conversion with a 2-yard rush from Green, making it 22-16 Razorbacks with 4:02 to play in the third quarter. The Hogs converted a 3rd-and-19 and a 4th-and-6 to score on the drive.
On 3rd-and-6 from the Arkansas 12, Van Buren found Bauer Sharp in the back right side of the north end zone for a 12-yard touchdown, capping off a 92-yard drive that went for 12 plays. LSU retook the lead, 23-22, with 7:53 to play.
