Outclassed on homecoming.
That's the only way to put what fans just watched. LSU came into Fayetteville and embarrassed Arkansas in every facet of the game, winning 34-10.
The Tigers came into this weekend averaging 123.3 yards on the ground but put up 158 yards. In contrast, Arkansas came into the game giving up only 106.5. How does a team go from holding Tennessee nearly 100 yards short of its average two weeks ago, to letting another team gain more than their average two weeks later?
LSU threw for 226 — which isn't bad considering how good Garrett Nussmeier is — but allowing the Tigers to find the ground game at the same time was disastrous for Arkansas's defense. Nussmeier surgically picked the Razorbacks apart, throwing between the sticks on 12 of his 22 completions. Arkansas kept giving him the underneath throws, and Nussmeier kept taking it.
With Nussmeier taking the short option, that let the Tigers dominate time of possession. LSU had the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game, 38:51. Arkansas couldn't get them off the field and it could stay on the field either.
Turnovers were the problem again for Arkansas's offense. A fumble early in the game and an interception in the third quarter gave LSU 11 points. The interception was really just a great play by LSU linebacker Whit Weeks, but the fumble was Rashod Dubinion not holding onto the ball. Isaiah Sategna put the ball on the ground again late in the fourth quarter that led to another score, but by that time, the game was all but decided.
Before tonight, you could say Arkansas was, at least, competitive in every game its played. Tonight, that wasn't the case. LSU looks like a very good team, and with how nuts the SEC is right now, it even has a chance to win the conference.
Regardless, the Tigers exposed a ton of problems with the Razorbacks' defense, and if Travis Williams and Co. can figure it out by next Saturday, a hungry Mississippi State team is dying to get its first SEC win.