Arkansas Football Opponent Preview: LSU Tigers

The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1, 0-0 SEC) travel to Baton Rouge to open conference play against the No. 12 LSU Tigers (2-1, 1-0). While their overall records are the same, the two rivals are headed in opposite directions entering Saturday.

Arkansas is fresh off of a 38-31 loss to BYU at home, while LSU opened their SEC schedule with an emphatic road win over Mississippi State. On paper, it may seem like these two teams couldn’t be further apart. However, this rivalry game has the reputation of being one where anything can happen.

Sure, it’s not 2007 and Darren McFadden isn’t walking through that door to “bring the wood.” But there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that the records don’t always matter when “The Boot” is on the line.

So, how difficult of a challenge is Arkansas faced with this weekend? To find out, let’s take a closer look at the LSU Tigers in this week’s opponent preview.

LSU Season Stats

Record: 2-1, 1-0 SEC (Wins: Grambling State 72-10, Mississippi State 41-14. Losses: #4 Florida State 45-24)

Total Offense: 537.0 YPG (#6 in FBS)

Scoring Offense: 45.7 PPG (#10 in FBS)

Passing Offense: 344.3 YPG (#10 in FBS)

Rushing Offense: 192.7 (#34 in FBS)

Total Defense: 338.3 YPG (#60 in FBS)

Scoring Defense: 23.0 PPG (#69 in FBS)

Passing Defense: 207.7 YPG (#61 in FBS)

Rushing Defense: 130.7 YPG (#74 in FBS)

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

• QB – Jayden Daniels: Daniels entered the season as a legitimate Heisman contender, but was somewhat written off after the Week 1 loss to Florida State. This past weekend in Starkville, Daniels looked the part. He enters Saturday 70-95 passing for 976 yards, 8 touchdowns and an interception on the season. Daniels is also LSU’s leading rusher, having ran for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns. LSU is much better through the air than on the ground under Brian Kelly, so look for Daniels’ arm to hold the key to their offensive success.
• WR- Malik Nabers: Last week, Nabers put up one of the single greatest individual receiving performances in LSU history. He caught 13 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State, earning SEC “Player of the Week” honors. The two games before that, he had mostly been held in check – posting 11 catches for 154 yards across two games. He’s easily one of the most talented receivers in the country and is deserving of attention from the Arkansas secondary.
• WR – Brian Thomas Jr: With a lot of the attention focused on Malik Nabers, Thomas has been able to do a lot of damage as the No. 2 option. He’s been a very consistent and reliable target for Daniels, posting no less than six receptions through three games. The Arkansas secondary will have their hands full trying to limit both Nabers and Thomas.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

• LB – Harold Perkins Jr: Arkansas fans became very familiar with the name Harold Perkins Jr. last season. As a true freshman, he lived in the Arkansas backfield on his way to recording 3.0 sacks and forcing a pair of fumbles against the Hogs. This season, he’s not being used as an edge rusher like he was last year. Instead, he’s being used as more of a traditional inside linebacker and taken more snaps off the ball. Still, the Hogs need to know where Perkins is at all times and keep him in check to have success offensively.
• CB – Zy Alexander: As a transfer, Alexander quickly emerged as a leader for the LSU cornerback room over the offseason. He’s backed up that leadership role with a really strong start to the 2023 season. Alexander has recorded a team-leading 16 tackles (9 solo) and has two pass breakups on the year. He’ll provide a difficult matchup for the Arkansas receivers on Saturday.
• S – Major Burns: As one-half of a veteran safety duo in the Tigers’ secondary, Burns entered this season as the clear starter for the first time in his career. In 2022, he only logged five starts and saw playing time in nine total games where he recorded 38 tackles. Through three games, he’s well on his way to smash his production from last year as he already has 15 tackles (4 solo), and a sack.

IN THE TRENCHES

The most important matchup on Saturday night is Arkansas’ offensive line vs. LSU’s defensive line. As fans saw last weekend, the Hogs have major issues up front that may not be fixable in just six days. LSU’s D-line had a very dominate performance against Mississippi State last weekend. That could be a preview of what’s to come this Saturday night. Will Rogers had no time to throw against the Tiger pass rush, which recorded 4.0 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Things could get ugly for Arkansas’ if KJ Jefferson doesn’t have enough time.

On the other side of the ball, there should be more confident in how Arkansas’ defensive line matches up with LSU’s offensive line. Much like BYU, LSU hasn’t had much success running the ball – in the traditional sense. Jayden Daniels is currently the Tigers’ leading rusher and could create a lot of issues if the Hogs aren’t disciplined. Last week, Arkansas was able to pressure BYU’s Kedon Slovis quite a bit, but he consistently moved around and extend plays. Arkansas can’t let that happen with Daniels or it will be a long night down in the Bayou.

Final Thoughts

Arkansas is in a really tough spot. Coming into the season, this is a game that many believed the Hogs could be really competitive in. Now? Not so much.

LSU is a really good football team and looks to be hitting their stride after the loss to Florida State. After seeing what they were able to do to Mississippi State last weekend, it’s clear that Arkansas is going to have their hands full. It’s hard to see the issues on the offensive line getting better in less than a week. Couple that with LSU’s extremely talented defensive front, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Arkansas actually matches up well with the Tigers at every other position group. Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter if the offensive line can’t play better. Even if they play better than last week, how much better can it actually be? It probably isn’t enough to go into Baton Rouge and pull off the upset.

Maybe the Hogs have some leftover magic from 2007 laying around somewhere because that’s what it may take.