No. 14 LSU 43, Arkansas 14

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- This time, the War Memorial Stadium<br/>mojo that had Arkansas believing it could beat anyone in that venue<br/>never materialized.<br/>There would be no last-minute dramatics

Friday, November 26th 2004, 6:48 pm

By: News On 6

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- This time, the War Memorial Stadium
mojo that had Arkansas believing it could beat anyone in that venue
never materialized.
There would be no last-minute dramatics to salvage the game --
and the season -- as No. 14 LSU took charge early and beat the
Razorbacks 43-14 on Friday. The win came in the same stadium where,
two years ago, Arkansas beat another ranked LSU team by one point
on a touchdown scored with nine seconds left.
"This is a difficult place to play," said LSU coach Nick
Saban. "We hadn't won here in a while and they hadn't lost here in
a while. It was nice to win."
The loss was Arkansas' first in 18 games at Little Rock under
coach Houston Nutt and keeps the Razorbacks (5-6, 3-5) from
qualifying for a seventh consecutive bowl game.
LSU (9-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) was led by Marcus
Randall, who ran for two touchdowns and threw two more to Joseph
Addai. Randall was 10-for-14 for 173 yards and had 79 yards
rushing. Alley Broussard added 81 yards rushing for the Tigers, who
ended the game with 26 unanswered points.
"Coach kept reminding us about what happened here two years ago
all week. I told coach that I felt comfortable running the ball,"
Randall said. "Their defense is pretty simple and our scout team
did a great job imitating them all week."
Matt Jones, hobbled by a hamstring injury, could not muster the
flair that has often sparked the Razorback offense. The senior
quarterback and the team's leading rusher was sacked three times
and had minus-10 yards on the ground. Confined to the pocket, he
was intercepted twice on 12-of-29 passing for 152 yards and two TD
passes.
"(My hamstring) was wrapped up pretty good, but it still
bothered me," Jones said.
Added Nutt: "We would have scored more if Matt had been
healthy. It was better than it was last week, but you know when he
doesn't force the option he wasn't healthy."
Peyton Hillis ran for 66 yards had a touchdown reception and
Steven Harris had five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown for
Arkansas.
Each team scored off a botched special teams play early in the
game. Arkansas, trailing 10-7 with 13:31 left in the second
quarter, faked a punt on fourth-and-15 in its own territory. Jeremy
Davis' pass was incomplete, and LSU took over on downs.
On the next play, Randall hit Addai for a 29-yard touchdown.
Arkansas again faced fourth-and-long on the ensuing possession
and punted. Davis' kick was short and hit LSU's Chevis Jackson from
behind, glancing off of his feet and rolling toward the goal line.
Pierre Brown recovered for Arkansas at the 15, and two plays later
Jones threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Harris to make the score
17-14.
The game fell apart for Arkansas after that.
The Tigers moved the ball almost at will throughout the game
and, after the first quarter, managed to shut down Arkansas'
offense.
LSU never trailed and led 27-14 at the half. Randall ran for a
7-yard touchdown in the third quarter to make it 34-14.
Chris Jackson kicked three field goals, including a career-long
53-yarder.
"We dominated in the second half, which was critical," Saban
said. "We controlled the ball and burned a lot of time. The
defense had some good turnovers when the game was still a game. I
am really proud of what our team accomplished."