Five takeaways from LSU’s last-second win over Arkansas
It came down to the final minute, but LSU got the win over Arkansas to move to 3-1 on the year.
LSU entered the game as a three-possession favorite, but the Tigers got Arkansas’ best shot on Saturday night.
The LSU receivers were the headlines with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. both catching two touchdowns.
Jayden Daniels had another strong night, averaging 11 yards per attempt and completing 20 of 29 passes.
LSU now turns its attention to Ole Miss. The Rebels dropped one to Alabama on Saturday, so LSU will again be facing a team coming off a loss.
Here are five takeaways from the night.
Big passing plays the difference again
Daniels was 4 of 4 on passes of 20 yards or more last week. The explosive passing game was the difference again on Saturday night.
Daniels found Thomas for a 49-yard touchdown right before the half. Coming out of the half, Daniels went back to Thomas again, for 49-yards.
LSU wasn’t as efficient in this department as it was last week. Both Thomas and Nabers failed to bring in a deep contested catch early in the game, but it was the long balls to Thomas that got the offense rolling.
After the initial touchdown to Thomas, LSU scored on every remaining drive.
Hard to find a better WR duo in the SEC
Nabers and Thomas both caught two touchdowns on the night. Both are also now averaging over 100 yards per game. We knew Nabers was among the best receivers in the country, but the emergence of Thomas has taken this unit to the next level.
Thomas has 413 yards on the year now, which is already a single-season career high for the junior. His five touchdowns have tied his total from last year.
Nabers is going to get plenty of attention from opposing defenses. That should continue to open things up for Thomas.
Defensive concerns arise again
LSU got the win, but it wasn’t pretty on defense.
Arkansas had several sustained drives on the night. The Razorbacks didn’t have many explosive plays, but the success rate for the Arkansas offense was in the 97th percentile.
There were some positives. The pass rush was good and true freshmen Dashawn Womack and Whit Weeks impressed.
But an inexperienced Arkansas receiver room found more success than they should have on Saturday night.
There were some big runs too with the LSU defense struggling to tackle at times.
LSU cool and collected on final drive
LSU’s final drive was a masterclass in the four-minute offense.
The offense got the ball back with five minutes left and efficiently marched down the field. Daniels and the offense never looked panicked.
When they got in goal to go, the Tigers protected the football to set up a game-winning chip shot for kicker Damian Ramos.
The 2022 LSU football team made some mistakes in similar situations. We saw LSU’s experience on offense pay off on Saturday night.
Running backs impress
The LSU running backs built off last week with another strong performance.
Logan Diggs carried it 14 times for 97 yards, which puts him a 6.9 yards per pop. Josh Williams only carried it once, but it was an explosive play that went for 41 yards.
The LSU rushing attack outside of Daniels was a concern leaving Orlando in week one, but the Tigers have begun to answer those questions the last few weeks.
This is a big deal for an offense that, last year, was built on staying ahead of the chains. Efficiency up front should help LSU continue to develop explosiveness in the passing game.
