In a scheduling quirk we haven’t seen since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, LSU and Arkansas will face off this Saturday in late September instead of their usual late November matchup. After decades of cold weather and icy conditions for the Battle of the Boot, we’ll finally get to see these SEC West rivals square off with temperatures near 90 degrees in Baton Rouge. Break out the sunscreen and margarita machines, folks – this is going to feel more like a game in the Bahamas than Tiger Stadium.
LSU enters the contest with a 2-1 record after a convincing 41-14 rout of Mississippi State last week. The Tigers dominated on both sides of the ball, scoring on 7 of their first 8 drives while holding the Bulldogs to just 7 total yards and 1 first down on their first 5 possessions. QB Jayden Daniels continues to perform at an elite level, completing 88% of his passes for 361 yards and 2 TDs. He also added 64 rushing yards and 2 more scores on the ground, proving once again to be one of the top dual-threat QBs in the country.
Daniels’ favorite target last week was WR Malik Nabers, who posted a career-high 239 yards on 13 catches with 2 TDs. Nabers now leads the SEC in receiving yards with 393 through just 3 games. Between Nabers and WR Brian Thomas, LSU has arguably the top wide receiver duo in the conference.
While the offense has been lighting up the scoreboard, the defense has also held its own. Louisiana native BJ Ojulari anchors the Tigers pass rush, while LB Harold Perkins has emerged as a legit superstar. Perkins already has 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack just 3 games into his sophomore season. This kid is everywhere on the field, and his potential is limitless.
For Arkansas, the season has started off rocky with a 2-1 record and a 38-31 upset loss to BYU last week. The Razorbacks relied heavily on the ground game in that defeat, rushing for 163 yards while managing just 107 yards passing. RB Raheim Sanders is the lead back and a player LSU must contain, but QB KJ Jefferson hasn’t got going yet as a passer for this season. The Razorbacks offense ranks just 84th nationally, so they could struggle to keep pace on the scoreboard against the high-flying Tigers.
On defense, Arkansas has a stout front seven The Razorback defense will be key in trying to slow down Daniels and the LSU rushing attack. The Razorback secondary is a major question mark though, having already surrendered 6 passing TDs in 3 games. If Daniels gets time to throw, he should have a field day picking apart this Arkansas defense through the air.
So what can we expect in this unique September showdown? LSU has too much firepower on offense, an emerging star in Perkins on defense, and the game is in the comfortable confines of Death Valley. The Razorbacks will try to control the clock with their ground game, but Daniels will carve up the Arkansas secondary with big plays to Nabers and Thomas. Give me the Tigers winning easily, 42-24. Geaux Tigers!
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