Baton Rouge brawl
SCOTT CAINARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
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Trailing by 16 points midway through the fourth quarter, 24th-ranked Arkansas clawed back within fairy tale-making range but couldn't finish it this time, falling 41-38 to LSU in a wild finish before 89,560 fans at Tiger Stadium.
An SEC West title run and a winning streak that had reached six games fell with the loss and, most likely, so did Arkansas' hopes of playing in the Cotton Bowl.
The Razorbacks (7-4, 4-4 SEC) must wait until after the Dec. 8 SEC Championship Game to learn their bowl fate. Possible destinations include Shreveport, Nashville, Tenn., and Atlanta.
The West title will go to the winner of LSU (7-3, 4-3) and Auburn (7-3, 5-2), who meet Dec. 1 in Baton Rouge.
So many last-gasp endings punctuated the victories in October and November that the Razorbacks expected to pull out another one like they had against Mississippi State, Central Florida, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
Ultimately, though, they had trouble digesting too much Rohan Davey, too many LSU receivers, too many squandered opportunities and a short week of preparation that left them spent in the last minutes. LSU had a bye last week to rest and prepare.
Not until Davey, LSU's senior quarterback and inspirational leader, converted a 31-yard third-and-13 pass to Josh Reed with barely a minute to play and Arkansas having emptied its timeouts could the Tigers safely hoist the Golden Boot trophy.
All the Razorbacks said they needed was a defensive stop to give the offense one last chance. They got caught thinking run and gave up the pass.
"We would have scored," said Arkansas receiver George Wilson, who had 7 receptions for 115 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. "We scored the last two times. We would have scored again."
Reality hurts.
"I've never been prouder of a football team," Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt said. "I really thought we had a chance to win. I think LSU realizes they're lucky. They deserved to win the game, but they were very fortunate today."
Charitable contributors were many.
The defense collected five LSU turnovers and stopped the Tigers on a fourth down, but Arkansas' offense converted those into only nine points. The Hogs failed on three two-point conversion attempts.
Brennan O'Donohoe missed a 43-yard field goal when the ball hit an upright and bounced back early in the fourth quarter.
For all of the big plays the defense made, it gave up as many or more. LSU spread the field and struck for 13 plays of 15 yards or longer, six of them going for 30 yards or longer, using the run and pass.
LaBrandon Toefield gashed Arkansas for 173 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Davey threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns, one each on Arkansas defensive backs Lawrence Richardson, Ahmad Carroll and Corey Harris. Reed, the nation's leading receiver, caught 7 passes for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"When it came a critical time, we didn't get the job done," defensive coordinator John Thompson said. "They got us in man coverage, they got is in zone, they got us when we pressure [the quarterback], they got us when we didn't pressure. But, my goodness, we kept fighting so hard."
Arkansas' offense took advantage of LSU's pass defense, ranked 108th nationally, by throwing for 266 yards and four touchdowns. But the plays came sporadically and a sustained rhythm never seemed to develop.
Running the option had bailed Arkansas out often during the winning streak and worked early against LSU. But the Tigers made adjustments to shut it down in the second half, lining a defensive tackle straight up on center Kenny Sandlin instead of off center where he could be sealed off. Linebacker Trev Faulk also played a spy role on quarterback Matt Jones.
"Any time, anywhere he went, Faulk was on him," Arkansas guard La'Zerius White said. "They did a great job of coaching. They were ready for everything we had."
Limited to throwing much of the second half, the Hogs made some plays behind Jones and quarterback Zak Clark. But Jones also threw two interceptions after the Hogs had pulled within 27-25 late in the third quarter.
LSU went ahead 41-25 on a 17-yard Toefield touchdown run with 8:21 to play.
The expected rally came with touchdown passes to Wilson and Sparky Hamilton, the last with 2:27 to play. But the defense couldn't get the ball back.
"Arkansas has a great football team, and I understand very well why they won six games in a row," LSU Coach Nick Saban said. "They didn't have a bit of quit in them, and it took everything we had to win. I'm proud of our offense because we were able to take the air out of their comeback by moving the ball at the end."
All those fourth-quarter demands in recent weeks added up and finally appeared to take their toll.
"It's been a really long season -- up and down, but mostly up," nose guard Curt Davis said. "When you go down to the wire every week ... there's only so far your body can go."
It was a nice ride that's only been interrupted, not stopped. One more game awaits, destination unknown.
This article was published on November 24, 2001
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