Arkansas vs. LSU: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The LSU Tigers were officially eliminated from SEC championship contention following a 31-14 loss to the red-hot Arkansas Razorbacks in Death Valley on Saturday.

It’s been a far fall from grace for the Tigers after ranking second in the initial College Football Playoff poll just two weeks ago. After this loss and suffering their first defeat a week ago against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Tigers are still eyeing a prominent postseason game, perhaps the Sugar Bowl if they win their final two contests.

Arkansas is now riding a four-game winning streak, with back-to-back victories against two of the top teams in the SEC West, having downed the Ole Miss Rebels in overtime a week ago. 

The Razorbacks are building momentum for a strong finish after starting the season 2-4. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press quipped that with a better start, their exciting run may have had weightier implications:

"

When the playoff expands to 64, Arkansas is going to be the 7th seed nobody wants to play.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 15, 2015"

Arkansas jumped to a 21-0 lead and didn’t look back. Dominique Reed hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Allen in the first quarter, and Alex Collins opened the second quarter with an 80-yard touchdown run.

Collins’ score matched the heroics of an Arkansas icon from the last year the team won the SEC West, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Collins finished with 141 yards on 16 carries with two scores—the sixth time he's exceeded 120 yards with a touchdown this season. The junior drew early NFL comparisons from Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports:

"

Feel like Arkansas' Alex Collins is a taller Kevin Faulk. Going to be valuable all around player in NFL.

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 15, 2015"

At one point in the second quarter, the Razorbacks had outgained the Tigers 246-29, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN. Even when LSU narrowed the margin to 24-14, Arkansas shut the door with a 69-yard end-around to wide receiver Jared Cornelius in the fourth quarter.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette’s Heisman Trophy hopes took another blow after he finished with 91 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown. Last week, Alabama held him to just 31 yards on 19 carries, while fellow Heisman candidate Derrick Henry churned out 210 yards and three touchdowns. 

Fournette’s chances for the trophy are in doubt after back-to-back underachieving performances and with his team falling out of contention late in the season, as ESPN’s Danny Kanell and Lost Letterman noted:

It took the Razorbacks 11 weeks, but they are officially bowl-eligible. They’ll be playing in the postseason for the second straight year under head coach Bret Bielema after a two-year hiatus from 2012 to 2013.

The Tigers again appear to be victims of a rugged schedule late in the season. Arkansas was supposed to be their easiest opponent in November, as they still have to play Ole Miss and Texas A&M in the final two weeks. 

The world of college football can be cruel: In the span of just eight days, one of the distinct playoff favorites saw its hopes evaporate.

With LSU eliminated, Alabama can reach the SEC Championship Game with a win over 5-5 Auburn on Nov. 28. However, should the Crimson Tide lose, Ole Miss would need to beat LSU and Mississippi State to reach the title game, having already defeated Alabama in Week 3. If both lose, Alabama and LSU would finish 6-2 in the SEC, and the Crimson Tide hold the tiebreaker.

Postgame Reaction

LSU head coach Les Miles insists Saturday’s loss wasn’t a carryover from the week prior vs. Alabama, their fifth straight defeat to the Crimson Tide.

Miles analyzed each loss separately and took blame for the performance Saturday, per James Bewers of the Daily Reveille and Jacques Doucet of WAFB:

Miles fell to 6-5 vs. Arkansas during his tenure in Baton Rouge, and the annual tilt with the Razorbacks seems to come at the most inopportune time, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Arkansas may only be two games over .500, but the Razorbacks are trending upward after another convincing win—again in November and this time in Death Valley—as Bielema noted to Eric Bolin of the Arkansas News Bureau and Chandler Rome of the Advocate:

Saturday’s installment showed this SEC West rivalry is still alive and well—regardless of each team’s stature.