Game Notes: LSU hosts Arkansas in annual Battle for The Boot

LSU (2-1, 1-0 SEC) hosts Arkansas (2-1, 0-0 SEC) for a rare early-season matchup with the Razorbacks. It’s the earliest the teams have ever played and the first time since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 the teams are playing in late November.

Saturday’s contest will kickoff at 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN with Chris Fowler (pxp), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline) on the call. LSU is coming off a 41-14 win over Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville, while Arkansas dropped a 38-31 decision to BYU in Fayetteville. LSU beat the Razorbacks, 13-10, last year in Fayetteville.

The Tigers enter the game ranked No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the Coaches poll. Arkansas is unranked. LSU has won 6 of its last 7 games with the Arkansas with the 2021 contest in Tiger Stadium being its only defeat (Lost 16-13 in OT). The game also serves as the annual Battle for the Boot, a 24-karat, 200-pound trophy shaped to resemble the states of Louisiana and Arkansas. The Battle for the Boot dates back to 1996 and LSU has won the trophy 18 times during that span.

LSU enters the contest leading the SEC in total offense (537.0 yards per game) and ranked No.2 in the league in scoring (45.7). The Tigers are averaging 344.3 passing yards (No. 3 in SEC) and 192.7 rushing yards (No. 3 in SEC). QB Jayden Daniels has completed 70-of-95 passes for 976 yards, 8 TDs and 1 interception. He’s No. 1 in the SEC in total offense (377.0) and passing yards per game (325.3) and No. 2 in total TDs (12). Junior WR Malik Nabers is coming off a career-game vs. Mississippi State with 13 receptions for 239 yards and 2 TDs. He leads the league in receiving yards (393) and ranks No. 2 in receptions (24). RB Logan Diggs leads all LSU running backs in rushing yards (156), followed by Josh Williams (104).

Defensively, LSU is coming off its best outing of the year, holding Mississippi State to 201 yards (94 rushing, 107 passing) and 10 first downs. The Tigers are allowing 23.0 point and 338.3 total yards per game (130.7 rushing, 207.7 passing). CB Zy Alexander (16 tackles) and S Major Burns (15) lead LSU in tackles. LB Harold Perkins leads in tackles for loss (2.0), while 5 players have recorded 1 sack (Burns, Wingo, Perkins, Jefferson, and S. Jones).

LSU Coach Brian Kelly: Winningest Active Coach In College Football
Brian Kelly is in his second with the Tigers and has guided LSU to a 12-5 overall mark through 17 games. After inheriting a roster with only 39 scholarship players, Kelly quickly turned LSU into a 10-win team in his first season in 2022 as the Tigers went 10-4 overall, beat Top 10 teams in Ole Miss and Alabama and won the SEC Western Division.

Kelly became the most accomplished hire in LSU football history when he was named to the position in December of 2021. He joined the Tigers after 12 years and 113 wins at Notre Dame. He’s 296-102-2 overall (32 years) and is the winningest active coach (all divisions) in college football. His coaching resume includes 11 10-win seasons at the FBS level (7 at Notre Dame, 3 at Cincinnati, 1 at LSU), along with 14 bowl/CFP playoff appearances and 3 National Coach of the Year honors (2009 at Cincinnati, 2012 and 2018 at Notre Dame). Kelly’s record includes a 113-40 mark at Notre Dame, where he’s the winningest coach in school history; 34-6 at Cincinnati (4 years), 19-16 at Central Michigan (3 years) and 118-35-2 at Grand Valley State (13 years). He won two Division II National Championships at Grand Valley State. Kelly is 1-0 against Mississippi State.

Quick Notes
• LSU had another productive offensive outing last week, scoring 41 points and racking up 530 yards of offense (163 rushing, 367 passing) in the win over Mississippi State. LSU scored on 7 of its first 8 possessions (5 TDs, 2 FG) in building a 41-7 lead. LSU has outscored its last 2 opponents 113-24.

• Defensively, the Tigers limited Mississippi State to 7 total yards and 1 first down on its first 5 possessions as LSU built a 24-0 lead. For the game, Mississippi State had 10 first downs, 201 total yards (94 rushing, 107 passing) and punted on 7 of its 10 possessions.

• Saturday’s game vs. Arkansas will be the earliest meeting between the Tigers and Razorbacks in the 67-game series between the teams. It’s the first time since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 that the teams aren’t playing in November. The teams have played 11 times during the month of October, all in the 1920s and 30s, and in Shreveport.

• LSU QB Jayden Daniels has topped the 400-yard mark for total offense twice this year (425 vs. Mississippi State, 411 vs. Florida State). He now has gone over the 400-yard mark in total offense 3 times in his LSU career, which ranks No. 2 in school history behind Joe Burrow (6).

• With Jayden Daniels at QB, LSU has scored 12 TDs, kicked 2 FGs and punted only 1 time in its last 15 possessions – final possession vs. Florida State, 6 vs. Grambling (all in first half), and 8 vs. Mississippi State (first 3 quarters).

• QB Jayden Daniels accounted for 4 TDs (2 pass, 2 rush) vs. Mississippi State marking the fifth time in his LSU career he’s been responsible for at least 4 TDs in a game. LSU is 7-0 when Daniels passes and rushes for a TD.

• WR Malik Nabers became the 13th player in LSU history to top the 200-yard mark for receiving yards vs. Mississippi State with 13 receptions for 239 yards and 2 TDs. The 239 yards rank as the fourth-highest total in school history.

• With 46 career starts, senior QB Jayden Daniels ranks No. 3 among active FBS quarterbacks in games started. He trails only Bo Nix (Oregon) with 50 and Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) with 47. Daniels has started 17 straight games at LSU (12-5) after starting 29 at Arizona State from 2019-21.

• All 5 starters on LSU’s offensive line have at least 13 career starts to their credit with C Charles Turner leading the way with 17. He’s followed by LT Will Campbell (16), RG Miles Frazier (16), RT Emery Jones Jr. (15) and LG Garrett Dellinger (13). The group has combined for 77 career starts.

• Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers stand as the top receiving duo in the SEC as they have combined for 44 catches for 673 yards and 6 TDs. The duo is combining to average 14.7 receptions for 224.3 yards and 2 TDs per game.

• Junior WR Malik Nabers ran his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 21 vs. Mississippi State. In 28 career games, Nabers has caught 5 passes or more 13 times. He led the SEC in receptions in 2022 with 72.
• LSU has won 13 straight games when rushing for 200 yards. The Tigers are 1-0 in 2023 when rushing for 200 yards after posting a 6-0 mark in 2022 when eclipsing the mark. The last time LSU rushed for 200 yards on lost came at Texas A&M in the 7OT game in 2018 (215 yards).