Arkansas is once again trying to right its season after a disastrous loss, but a visit from LSU means things won’t be easy.
Series & Program History
LSU leads the all-time series, 42-23-2. This rivalry has a long history, having first been played in 1910. The Tigers won seven straight between 1930 and 1936 and also dominated the 1990s. Since 1998, the series has been closer, although Arkansas wins tend to be close (2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2021 were all one-possession games). In 2001 and 2002, both matchups were the de facto SEC West title game, with LSU winning the first and Arkansas winning the second. In 2006 and 2007, the loser of each game (Arkansas first, LSU second) was the West champ.
LSU’s football history has been marked by high potential but total inconsistency. The Tigers are top-15 all-time in wins and have four national titles (1958, 2003, 2007, and 2019), but major success for them has generally come in short spurts of just a few years at a time.
After Ed Orgeron delivered the Tigers the 2019 national title, he went just 11-11 over the 2020 and 2021 season, ending his career. The Tigers managed to land Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, who went 113-40 in 12 seasons with the Irish.
2022 Season
The jump from Notre Dame to LSU made many fans and commentators question the culture fit, and while Kelly himself did little to quash those criticisms (see his attempt to fake a Southern accent), his team’s performance on the field has rendered all questions about fit moot.
The Tigers looked disorganized and undisciplined in a season-opening loss to Florida State, but they’ve shown rapid improvement every week since. After ending Ole Miss’s unbeaten season, their follow-up was a thrilling 32-31 win over Alabama in Baton Rouge last week. Not only are the Tigers back in the top 10, but they also control the SEC West.
LSU’s offense starts with QB Jayden Daniels, a transfer from Arizona State. Daniels is only a bit above average as a passer, but he’s a prolific scrambler who is very difficult to gameplan for. I picked LSU to upend Alabama (and wrote why last week), largely because LSU’s chaotic offense was a terrible matchup for Nick Saban’s set-piece defense.
Defensively, the Tigers are very strong, particularly in the secondary, where former Hogs Joe Foucha and Greg Brooks are thriving. Throwing downfield is not going to be easy against these guys.
Names to Know
A coach you’ve heard of: Paul Dietzel. LSU’s first truly great coach, Dietzel won the 1958 national title and delivered three top-5 finishes. He then made one of the weirdest career moves you’ll ever see, leaving the 1961 SEC champion Tigers for Army. He went just 21-18 at Army and his career quickly went downhill from there.
A player you’ve heard of: Billy Cannon. Cannon finished third in the Heisman race during the Tigers’ 1958 title run, but he won the 1959 Heisman by one of the widest margins ever. His 89-yard punt return touchdown late in the fourth quarter to beat Ole Miss 7-3 is considered one of the best plays in LSU history. He played halfback on offense and defensive back on defense.
A game you’ve heard of: Arkansas 0, LSU 0 (1947). Arkansas’ second-ever bowl game ended in a scoreless tie in Dallas, in a game known as the “Ice Bowl” for its icy conditions and temperature under 20 degrees. LSU outgained the Hogs by more than 200 yards but had four drives end inside the Hog red zone, with the final drive ending on the 1-yard line after a tackle by future Hall of Famer Clyde Scott.
Random Facts
LSU was founded as a military academy in the city of Pineville, Louisiana in 1860, with William Tecumseh Sherman as president. Sherman left the job when the Civil War broke out in 1861, eventually becoming one of the nation’s most famous generals. The school shut down during the Civil War and eventually reopened in Baton Rouge under its current name in 1870.
The school may not be considered an elite academic institution, but LSU’s strongest degree programs include landscape architecture and veterinary medicine, while its law school is also highly regarded.
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