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No. 24 LSU runs over No. 25 Arkansas

By Rick Harvey, The Sports Xchange
LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI
LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI | License Photo

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- LSU found a cure for the Alabama hangover.

Derrius Guice ran 21 times for a career-high 252 yards, including the longest play from scrimmage in school history, and Leonard Fournette scored three touchdowns as the 24th-ranked Tigers handled No. 25 Arkansas 38-10 on Saturday night at Razorback Stadium.

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The victory made the Tigers (6-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) bowl eligible and gave them back the Golden Boot trophy that goes to the winner of the game between the two border state teams.

More important for LSU, the win came after an emotional loss to Alabama -- a feat that has eluded the Tigers in recent years.

The Razorbacks (6-4, 2-4) beat the Tigers by 17 points the past two seasons after an LSU loss to Alabama -- 17-0 in 2014 and 31-14 last year.

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"We had resolve, we had fight," said LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron, who improved to 4-1 since taking over the team. "It's a new team. We act different.

"Our guys wanted to get The Boot and bring it back to Louisiana."

LSU quickly erased any chance of another poor performance after a loss to Alabama, grabbing the momentum early and dominating most of the game, outgaining the Razorbacks 547-291 in total offense.

Most of that came from the 1-2 punch of Fournette and Guice. Fournette, who had just 9 yards and no touchdowns in his last visit to Fayetteville, ran 17 times for 98 yards before sitting out the fourth quarter as a precaution with an ankle tweak.

Guice did just fine in Fournette's absence, highlighted by a 96-yard score with 6:04 left in the game -- the longest play from scrimmage in school history.

LSU quarterback Danny Etling finished 10 of 16 for 157 yards as the Tigers won their first road game since Les Miles was fired after the Sept. 24 loss at Auburn.

"We out-physicaled them and that was the difference," Orgeron said. "It was a tremendous night. We came ready to play.

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"We all had a chip. We all had something to prove."

The Tigers' defense held Arkansas' potent running game to 81 yards on the ground.

LSU gave up only one touchdown and has now allowed just 10 all season.

Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen was harassed all night. He completed 15 of 31 passes for 210 yards but was sacked three times and intercepted twice.

"We knew it was going to come down to who played clean and played with a certain level of physicality," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "LSU executed very well for four quarters and we did a lot of things that are uncharacteristic and you can't do to be successful. We're really going to have to take a look at what we're doing.

"Austin was really out-of-sync at times. He has to play cleaner."

LSU led 21-7 at the half and used a third-quarter Fournette touchdown to regain the momentum for good after Arkansas pulled within 21-10 on a 24-yard field goal from senior Adam McFain.

A 31-yard field goal from LSU's Colby Delahoussaye made it 31-10 with 7:51 remaining and Guice's 96-yard score pushed the lead to 38-10.

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The Tigers moved the ball at will and its defense kept Arkansas's offense guessing in the first half.

LSU scored on their first drive for the first time this season. LSU went 75 yards in nine plays and scored in 4:31 on a 5-yard run from Fournette with 8:58 left in the first quarter.

The score included a big third-down 38-yard swing pass from Etling to Fournette.

LSU added to its lead on the first play of the second quarter after forcing the game's first turnover. Junior linebacker Donnie Alexander intercepted an Allen pass at the Arkansas 32 and returned it 14 yards to set up the score. LSU needed three plays to go 18 yards and Fournette scored on a 7-yard run with 14:54 left in the half to make it 14-0.

A 48-yard pass from Etling to junior receiver Malachi Dupre set up the Tigers' third rushing touchdown -- this time a 3-yard scoring run from Guice -- to push the lead to 21-0 with 10:19 left in the first half.

Arkansas finally got its offense going on its second drive of the second quarter and pulled within 21-7 on a 44-yard scoring pass from Allen to senior receiver Dominique Reed on a third-and-22 play with 5:52 left in the first half.

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The score capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive which included a 34-yard run from freshman running back Devwah Whaley.

NOTES: Arkansas and LSU play annually for the "Golden Boot," a 24-karat gold trophy molded into the shape of the two states. The trophy weighs 175 pounds and is believed to be the heaviest trophy in a college football rivalry game. ... Ed Orgeron's wife is from Arkansas and he started his coaching career as an assistant strength coach with the Razorbacks from 1986-1987. ... Arkansas recognized its 23 seniors before Saturday's game, the team's final home game of the season. The Razorbacks wrap up the regular season with trips to Mississippi State and Missouri.

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