Razorbacks stun LSU, snap SEC streak
ARKANSAS 17, (20) LSU 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— Arkansas finally earned its first Southeastern Conference win for secondyear coach Bret Bielema.
Brandon Allen threw for 169 yards and Arkansas snapped a 17-game Southeastern Conference losing streak with a 17- 0 win over LSU on Saturday night.
The conference win is the first for the Razorbacks (5-5, 1-5) since 2012, and it’s Bielema’s first SEC victory after 13 straight losses.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve experienced since I’ve been in college, honestly,” Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams said. “The fans rushing the field, the goal posts going down, laughing and hugging my teammates and coaches, it’s just a great experience.”
Arkansas’ shutout is the school’s first since a 20- 0 win over Utah State in 2006, and its first in an SEC game since 2002 against South Carolina.
“It is so exciting,” Bielema said. “I can’t say as a 5-5 coach that I enjoyed the championship years somewhere else any more than to see the growth out of some of these guys, and to see the genuine expression at the end of the game there and to see these guys grab me.”
Williams and Alex Collins ran for touchdowns for the Razorbacks, who held the Tigers (7-4, 3-4) to 36 yards rushing on 32 attempts. Collins and Williams have each rushed for 11 touchdowns this season.
The loss is the second straight for LSU. It’s only the second time it has lost back-toback games under coach Les Miles.
The Tigers’ last shutout loss had been to Alabama in the national championship game three seasons ago, and they struggled mightily on offense against an Arkansas team that had become accustomed to heartbreak in several losses this season.
Anthony Jennings, a week after completing eight of 26 passes for 76 yards in an overtime loss to Alabama, struggled again on Saturday, finishing 12 of 22 for 87 yards. The Tigers were outgained 264-123.
While LSU fell to 25-2 under Miles in games following a loss, Razorback Stadium erupted in cheers of relief when Collins scored on a 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put Arkansas ahead 17-0.
The relief turned to celebration when the game ended, with fans storming and nearly covering the field. Attendance was announced at 70,165.
‘’We’ve come so close a number of times and couldn’t pull it out in the end,” Allen said. “We were finally able to pull it out tonight and it feels great.”
Led by a defense that harassed Jennings throughout, sacking the LSU quarterback four times, the Razorbacks made sure not to suffer the same disappointment Saturday.
Allen finished 16 of 27, including several key third-down completions.
Arkansas will return to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium next Saturday to take on the Ole Miss Rebels (8-2, 4-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on CBS (WREG Channel 3).