South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Tigers handle business on the road
No. 7 LSU’s defense secures needed win vs. Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — LSU coach Brian Kelly told Harold Perkins Jr. he reminded him of Michael Jordan after the Tigers, ranked No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, beat Arkansas 13-10 on Saturday.
The freshman linebacker, whose stripsack of Arkansas quarterback Cade Fortin with 1:17 left clinched the win and kept LSU’s College Football Playoff hopes alive, had the flu before the teams kicked off.
When Kelly told Perkins that his effort against the Razorbacks reminded him of MJ against the Jazz in 1997, Kelly said the teenager responded, “Who’s MJ?”
Perkins finished with two forced fumbles, four sacks and eight tackles. His teammate Mekhi Wingo pounced on the loose ball at the Arkansas 44 to clinch the win for LSU (8-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference).
LSU’s defense allowed 249 yards to Arkansas’ offense, which by game’s end was down to its third-string quarterback. The Razorbacks (5-5, 2-4) attempted to rally in the fourth when Fortin entered in the third quarter to replace Malik Hornsby. Fortin threw a 40-yard TD pass to Matt Landers with 13:12 left to pull Arkansas within three.
But LSU’s offense was little bit better, gaining 284 yards — more than 150 below its season average. Josh Williams ran for 122 of those yards and scored the Tigers’ only touchdown, a 1-yarder, late in the third to provide LSU a 10-point lead. Only one of the Tigers’ 13 series yielded more than 40 yards.
“We are far from a finished product,” Kelly said. “I don’t think anybody in that locker room thinks we have arrived.”
Arkansas sacked LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels seven times, limiting the SEC’s top rusher at the position to 10 yards on 19 carries. Daniels completed 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards and an interception.
“I think the defense played so well that that gave us a chance. They kept us in it,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “I thought when Landers got the long one that we were going to rally around that and it seemed like it was the same story. Just didn’t seem to find a way to be consistent.”
The Razorbacks were without their usual starting quarterback, KJ Jefferson, announcing minutes before kickoff that Jefferson would not play due to a shoulder injury. Fortin finished 8 of 13 for 92 yards with the score and the lost fumble.
LSU can clinch the SEC West and a spot in the SEC title game with a win in the season finale in two weeks against Texas A&M.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do this journey, but we’re still finding ways to win football games,” Kelly said.