Arkansas vs. LSU: 5 Keys to a Tigers Victory over the Razorbacks

The "Game of the Century" is behind us, but the LSU Tigers' biggest game of the season has yet to occur. When the Bayou Bengals and Arkansas Razorbacks meet in Baton Rouge for the Battle of the Golden Boot on Friday afternoon, it will be a deciding game in the race for the BCS National Championship bid.

The first time the Hogs and Tigers met was in 1901 and that saw the Tigers walk away with a 15-0 victory. Overall the record between the two schools is 34-20-2 in favor of the Tigers. 

If LSU wants to continue its perfect season, they will need to defeat the nation's No. 3-ranked school in the nation so they can secure the No. 1 spot and fast-track themselves to the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans Jan. 9.

Pressure on Tyler Wilson

One of the biggest factors in Friday's game is Tyler Wilson. The Arkansas offense is highly dependent on how he performs game in and game out, as Wilson is essentially the Hogs' offense. He is 13th in the nation with 3,215 yards and has 21 touchdown passes on the year. 

Arkansas has not done a fantastic job protecting Wilson this year since he has been sacked 20 times. The Razorbacks' offense lines up against the "freaks" on the LSU defensive line who has 27 sacks of their own. The Tigers, led by Barkevious Mingo and Michael Brockers, are excellent at penetrating the offensive line of opponents. Should they get pressure on Wilson, they will give their offense an excellent chance at putting up enough points to get by the nation's 13th-ranked offense and also creating turnovers.

Pass the Ball

There's no doubt the LSU Tigers' running game is effective, but their passing game still has yet to be extremely efficient for four quarters. The Arkansas Razorbacks are giving up nearly 200 yards a game through the air and have successfully broken up just 34 passes this year. 

Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson need to utilize their star receivers in Reuben Randle, Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Shepard to put points on the board Friday. The Razorbacks' corners have been exposed not only against Alabama but even against Troy early on in the season. If the Tigers' receiving corps can get past the secondary of the Hogs, they should find some success through the air.

Regardless of which Tigers QB is behind center, they need to be aware of the rush and the Arkansas linebackers led by Jerry Franklin. If the boys up front can provide some protection for the Tigers' play-callers, the Tigers will walk away with a better opportunity at victory. They will also be able to protect the ball when on offense.

Continuation of Excellence by the Secondary

The most consistent aspect of the Tigers' game this season has been the play of their secondary. Led by the likes of Eric Reid, Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne, the Tigers have allowed just 158 yards a game through the air largely due in part to their secondary combining for 44 pass deflections and 15 interceptions.

Lost in the stats is the incredible speed of all the Tigers' secondary players. Not many receivers have the ability to get past the LSU secondary, and continued excellence by the Bayou Bengals downfield will severely hurt the Hogs' opportunity at putting any points up. 

Jarius Wright could pose problems, but the sheer athleticism of the Tigers' secondary should be able to balance out any issues he causes. The LSU secondary seems to find a way to somehow disrupt the play or limit the amount of yards gained on nearly every ball. Without an effective passing game, the Arkansas offense is not effective.

Neutralize the Hogs' Running Attack

The Razorbacks' offense may be pretty much nonexistent if the Tigers are able to keep Tyler Wilson in check, but if they are not able to completely contain the Hogs' passing game, they will also need to deal with a lackluster rushing attack that lost potential preseason Heisman candidate Knile Davis to injury before the season began.

Although the Arkansas running game is nothing to be proud of, the trio of Broderick Green, Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Dennis Johnson have been making the most out of their opportunities as of late. Though they don't get many touches, they have been able to break out for a few big gains and touchdowns this season. It won't take much for the fourth-ranked rushing defense to completely neutralize the Razorbacks' running game, but they also can't forget about it altogether. 

As long as the Tigers keep the rushing yardage down and keep the Razorbacks' gains to a minimum, it shouldn't be difficult to start on offense with good field position, which has been a key to victory in multiple games this season for LSU.

Make the Most of Third Down Opportunities

Whether it be on offense or defense, the Tigers need to make the most of their third down play on Friday.

Defensively they will have to stop the Razorbacks' attempts to get a new set of yards and march upfield. It may seem simple and basic, but the Arkansas offense has converted 45-of-52 red zone attempts, and their efficiency could be a difference-maker in this game.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to convert third down opportunities just 34 percent of the time, and with Arkansas converting less than 50 percent of the time on third down, the Tigers give themselves another excellent opportunity to limit the advancing of the ball downfield for the Razorbacks' offense.

Offensively, the Tigers are converting 47 percent of third downs while Arkansas is stopping 35 percent of attempts. When the Tigers come to the line on third down it is a rarity. LSU has had just 135 third downs all season, the fewest among ranked teams in the nation. Although when they face the task of converting third downs on Friday they will need to take advantage and convert. As previously mentioned, LSU sometimes struggles in creating good field position for itself, so these conversions are that much more important.

When the Tigers convert and travel downfield to the red zone they are second in the nation with a 96 percent conversion rate. This is a lethal rating, and should the Tigers make it to the red zone multiple times on Friday as a result of key conversions, there is no doubt they will win.