No. 1 LSU handles Arkansas, 56-20

BATON ROUGE – With two games remaining in the regular season, LSU’s immediate goals are to win out and stay healthy (and maybe show some improvement on defense).

The Tigers are halfway there after a 56-20 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in Death Valley.

Joe Burrow was surgical, going 23-for-28 through the air for 327 yards and three touchdowns. It was his ninth game with at least 300 yards and his ninth with three or more touchdown passes.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 253 yards and three scores of his own. His 188 yards rushing pushed him over 1,000 for the season, making him the 21st back in program history to reach that milestone.

Ja’Marr Chase continued his assault on the record books as well. His 144 yards receiving gave him 1,260 this season, moving him within 480 yards of Josh Reed’s school and SEC-record of 1,740. His seventh game with at least 100 yards puts him alone in second place in Tiger history.

LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC) clinched the SEC West crown and an appearance in the SEC Championship game for the first time since 2011.

They will face Georgia, marking the fourth time the Tigers and Bulldogs will play with the conference title on the line. Only Alabama and Florida have played each other more often.

LSU opened the game in familiar fashion as the Tigers went 75 yards in 2:27. Joe Burrow went 3-for-4 for 61 yards and the score; a 37 yard toss to Ja’Marr Chase down the left side of the field.

It looked like LSU was off and running, but the Tigers’ next two possessions yielded a total of 17 yards and two punts.

Meanwhile, the Razorbacks used their offense to help implement their best strategy for stopping the LSU attack; keeping it off of the field.

Arkansas, led by true freshman quarterback K.J. Jefferson, was able to put together a pair of scoring drives that ended in field goals and pull to within 7-6 of the Tigers with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

With Ohio State breathing down its neck, it wasn’t the kind of start LSU wanted or needed to impress the College Football Playoff committee.

So, like any other predator sitting atop the food chain, the Tigers stopped playing with their meal and began to feast.

Over its next three drives LSU scored three touchdowns to open up a 28-6 lead at the half.

As the margin between the teams got wider, the length of the Tigers’ scoring drives got shorter.

It took 2:05 seconds for Burrow to lead the offense 75 yards for its second touchdown, a one yard run by Tyrion Davis-Price. On their next possession, the Tigers needed only two minutes to find the end zone for the third time.

Edwards-Helaire went off the right side, sprinting down the sideline 27 yards for the score and a 21-6 lead.

After forcing another three-and-out by the Arkansas offense, the Tigers took over on their own 10 yard line and 1:45 on the clock. It proved to be plenty of time for Burrow and company.

The Heisman front-runner accounted for 80 of those yards. His 22 yard scramble on third and six from the Arkansas 32 set LSU up with a first and goal opportunity with :20 to go. Two plays later he hit Justin Jefferson as he cut across the defense for his 12th receiving touchdown of the season.

Joe Burrow with an easy TD to Justin Jefferson. The refs absolutely hate the fun the LSU offensive players are having with their celebrations. pic.twitter.com/aD5fiRUqLk

— Rob Paul (@RobPaulNFL) November 24, 2019

Jefferson and Chase became only the second duo in SEC history with 12 touchdowns in the same season, joining Florida’s “Fun and Gun” duo of Chris Doering and Ike Hilliard.

With that LSU fans could exhale. Mission Accomplished. There was a second half to play, but the Tigers had made their point. The final 30 minutes were merely superlative.

Burrow, Edwards-Helaire, and Chase added the exclamation points.

This year’s @LSUfootball team is first program in @SEC history to have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers in same season. #LSU

— Michael Bonnette (@LSUBonnette) November 24, 2019

The Tigers opened the third quarter with a turnover, but restored order quickly. On their second possession Burrow and Chase connected for their 15th touchdown of the season, a 50 yarder where there may have been a few fans closer to Chase than Arkansas defenders.

Joe Burrow ➡️ Ja'Marr Chase.

🎥: @FTBeard11 #GeauxTigerspic.twitter.com/F4EjHso7NS

— Football (@LaloFootball) November 24, 2019

LSU turned it over to Clyde Edwards-Helaire and let him put the finishing touches on another offensive masterpiece.

An Arkansas fumble was turned into a 26 yard touchdown run for the Baton Rouge native.

Early 4th: LSU leads Arkansas 56-6

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire has 253 yards total and 3 touchdowns. QB Joe Burrow is 23-28 for 327 yards and 3 TDshttps://t.co/CiIupAz75n pic.twitter.com/n7DzrpaJRc

— Seth Lewis (@SethLewisInc) November 24, 2019

On his very next carry, the guy who had been questioned as much as any player on the roster had his signature moment.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire with a casual 89-yard TD run. pic.twitter.com/mxsmXVOOnQ

— Rob Paul (@RobPaulNFL) November 24, 2019

A simple handoff up the middle turned into a cutback, which became a race to the sideline and then to the end zone; an 89 yard sprint that was easily the longest of his career and tied for the fifth-longest in LSU history. LSU was up 49-6 with more than 17 minutes left to play.

Some late touchdowns by Arkansas may have upset some folks who wager on sporting events, but it didn’t tarnish the fact that LSU took care of business on Saturday night. And they looked really good in doing so.

The Tigers close the regular season at home next Saturday against Texas A&M. After the way last season’s game ended, it’s hard to imagine that LSU won’t be ready to go to work once again.