FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There are some things LSU just can’t control, but whatever hopes and dreams the Tigers still have for
this season revolve around getting a victory today against Arkansas.
That’s Job One. Then the Tigers can sit back and let the rest of it sort itself out.
“We don’t control our own destiny,” head coach Les Miles said. “But there are some destinations that this football team would
love to be a part of.”
The Tigers (9-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) could theoretically reach the SEC Championship game if Auburn were to pull off
the upset of the century Saturday against Alabama.
Beyond that fantasy, LSU’s postseason could conceivably end up anywhere from the Sugar Bowl to the Cotton Bowl to several
more notches down the holiday food chain.
“Overall, we need to finish,” Miles
said. “We need to make sure that this season we operate like we have
said we would and
turn out to be the best team that we can be and to be a dominant
team … that’s the goal: to play best, to improve and to see
where this season puts us.
“We just need to go out there and play our game.”
On paper, that looks like a mismatch.
Arkansas (4-7, 2-5 SEC) with interim head coach John L. Smith presumably coaching his last game, comes in ranked 13th in the
SEC in total defense and dead last in pass defense. The Razorbacks will be up against an LSU offense that has perked up in
recent games with the emergence of quarterback Zach Mettenberber, who comes in with three consecutive games of 250 or more
yards passing.
“Athletically, if there’s a better team
in the country, I’d like to see them,” Smith said of the Tigers. “The
difference from
early (in the season) is they struggled a little, particularly
offensively, but when they had to, they ran the football. Now
the addition of the quarterback and the play they’re getting out
of him makes that a double-edged sword. And everybody knows
how athletic they are, can run on the outside.”
The Razorbacks, who started the season ranked in the top 10, have been one of the season’s biggest disappointments — never
really recovering from an early season upset loss to Louisiana-Monroe — and have lost their last three conference games.
“I think they’re a talented team,” Miles said. “When you watch their film, you can see why they were ranked in the top 10
to start the season, and they’re still there. The quality players have played hard.”
The Razorbacks’ first setback came in April when head coach Bobby Petrino was fired after admitting to an improper affair
with a woman he recommended for a job in the athletic department.
Smith was brought in as an interim head coach and, with this year’s struggles, will surely be replaced after today.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Smith said. “It has not worked like I would have liked. So I’m a little regretful that
I wasn’t able to give them more wins.”
“John L. Smith was in a tough position, but I’m sure he’ll have them ready,” Miles said.
“It is very difficult for me, having
not been involved on their campus and their team,” Miles said when asked
what went wrong
with the Razorbacks’ high expectations. “The only thing I can tell
you is that they seem to play better, with enthusiasm and
with emotion. I see talent there when I watch the film. We have to
play well and understand that we will be challenged.”
Arkansas can throw it around some, which could be a problem for an LSU defense that has been leaking passing yards, having
surrendered more than 300 in each of the last two games.
Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson is the SEC’s leading passer and he has the league’s leading receiver in Cobi Hamilton.