Joe Burrow Lights Up Arkansas for 3 TDs as No. 1 LSU Rolls to 56-20 Win

The LSU Tigers moved one step closer to the College Football Playoff thanks to Saturday's 56-20 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

LSU has locked up a spot in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2011. The nation's No. 1 team will take on Georgia for the conference title in two weeks, but there is still work for it to do before going to Atlanta.

The Tigers got off to a slow start, holding a 7-6 lead into the second quarter. Joe Burrow and the offense erupted with three straight touchdown drives to take a 22-point lead into halftime. The defense also stepped up after allowing 614 yards last week to Mississippi. Arkansas managed 304 total yards in the loss.

Head coach Ed Orgeron has his team two wins away from playing in the College Football Playoff for the first time since its inception in 2014.

Notable Game Stats

• Joe Burrow, QB (LSU): 23-of-28, 327 yards, 3 TDs; 4 carries, 24 yards
• Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB (LSU): 6 carries, 188 yards, 3 TDs; 7 receptions, 65 yards
• Ja'Marr Chase, WR (LSU): 6 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TDs
• Thaddeus Moss, TE (LSU): 4 receptions, 68 yards
• K.J. Jefferson, QB (Arkansas): 7-of-14, 105 yards
• Rakeem Boyd, RB (Arkansas): 13 carries, 33 yards; 2 receptions, 27 yards

Burrow, Edwards-Helaire Carry LSU in Blowout Win

It's become a cliche to sing the praises of Burrow each week, but the senior star has maintained a level of week-to-week consistency that makes him such a special talent.

Just two years ago, LSU's offense had nearly as many pass attempts from starting quarterback Danny Etling (275) as rushing attempts from lead running back Derrius Guice (237).

At one point in the third quarter, Burrow had nearly three times as many pass attempts (28) as the Tigers had rushing attempts (10). He was removed from the game late in the third quarter with the result firmly in hand, but not before carving out another spot in the SEC record books:

Burrow can pass Tim Couch for most passing yards in a season in SEC history if he throws for 262 yards next week against Texas A&M. For perspective, the Heisman front-runner hasn't thrown for less than 278 yards in a game this season.

What makes this LSU team so different and unique even among the top teams in the country this season is the diversity it possesses on offense. Burrow is accurate and efficient in ways that make it easy to become intoxicated by his performance.

Once Orgeron took out his star quarterback, Clyde Edwards-Helaire took his moment in the spotlight and ran with it. The junior running back had an 89-yard touchdown run, his third of the day, on the Tigers' first offensive play with Myles Brennan under center.

This game was set up to be a showcase for LSU. Oddsmakers had the Tigers as the biggest favorite in SEC history (-42.5), per The Action Network's Collin Wilson. They scored 49 unanswered points after Arkansas cut the score to 7-6.

As long as LSU continues to play with the same level of focus it showed starting in the second quarter, there's nothing that will stop this team from being one of the final four teams vying for a national championship.

What's Next?

Arkansas will wrap up its 2019 season on Nov. 29 at home against Missouri. LSU will finish the regular season at home against Texas A&M on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. ET.