No. 6 LSU at No. 12 Arkansas: Tigers to face ‘strong test’ in Little Rock

story by College Sports Matchups Wire Services

Louisiana State never makes it look easy, but it almost always manages to pull out a win.

The No. 6 Tigers will be looking to wrap up a BCS at-large bid when they visit upset-minded Arkansas in the battle for the Golden Boot trophy in Little Rock on Saturday.

LSU (10-1, 6-1 SEC) has been living on the edge all season, pulling out close wins in the final minutes on a consistent basis behind coach Les Miles’ trick plays and a whole bunch of luck. That strategy hasn’t been the easiest thing for fans to deal with, but it certainly has worked as the Tigers sit fifth in the BCS standings and have a great chance to grab an at-large bid to a BCS bowl game.

Its hopes of an SEC championship were dashed when Auburn beat Georgia, however, leaving LSU sitting in second place in the SEC West Division behind Auburn — the only team to beat LSU this season.

Auburn has one more game to play this weekend but has assured itself of a spot in the conference championship game by virtue of the tiebreaker over LSU.

No matter, the Tigers will be happy to take the money and exposure that comes from an at-large BCS bowl, though the Razorbacks will be yet another strong test in a season full of tight games.

Miles did not need to break out the trick playbook on Saturday but still had to watch as his team needed a touchdown on its final drive to secure a 43-36 victory over Mississippi.

Stevan Ridley rushed for a 7-yard touchdown with 44 seconds remaining and the Tigers made a two-point conversion to provide the decisive score. The Rebels had time for a few plays at the end, but Patrick Peterson intercepted Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as time ran out to seal it.

Quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who has drawn the ire of LSU fans from time to time for his erratic play, was at his best last week, passing for a career-high 254 yards and a score while adding three rushing touchdowns.

The No. 12 Razorbacks (9-2, 5-2) will not make it easy on the Tigers and could very easily pull out the victory with an offense capable of poking holes in even the stingiest of defenses. Arkansas earned a 38-31 victory at Mississippi State in double overtime on Saturday and is averaging 44.8 points during its current five-game winning streak, gaining over 500 yards per game.

After relying mostly on the arm of Ryan Mallett during the first part of the season, the Razorbacks have rediscovered the running game lately, averaging 179.1 yards on the ground in the last seven games with Knile Davis getting the bulk of the carries.

Arkansas is 12th in the BCS standings and has its own hopes of an at-large BCS bowl berth, though it will need a win Saturday and probably some more help along the way.

The Razorbacks are no strangers to strong competition, with six teams on the schedule currently ranked in the Top 25. They have won two of the last three meetings against LSU. The last five games between the schools have been decided by five points or less.