Arkansas vs. LSU: Early Scare Against Razorbacks Will Help Tigers in Title Hunt

The rumors of LSU’s death turned out to be greatly exaggerated. Even so, the mere fact that the Tigers looked mortal after falling behind 14-0 in what turned out to be another rout (41-17 over Arkansas) will do Les Miles’ team a world of good as it chases the SEC’s sixth consecutive national title.

The Tigers came into yesterday’s game having beaten two ludicrously overmatched opponents (Western Kentucky and Ole Miss) by an aggregate score of 94-12 over the preceding two weeks. Another ho-hum blowout would have threatened to dull LSU’s competitive edge heading into the BCS championship game (especially since No. 13 Georgia is unlikely to provide much more of a challenge in the SEC title game).

Instead, the early lead they surrendered to Arkansas (courtesy of a Tyler Wilson TD pass and a Michael Ford fumble that was returned for a score) forced the Tigers to concentrate on this week’s game for at least a couple of quarters. The less time they spend thinking about what’s ahead—particularly if they have to reprise their ultra-narrow victory over Alabama—the better off they’ll be.

By responding as decisively as they did (with three second-quarter TDs) against the Razorbacks, Alabama also showed a resiliency they’ll need in order to become national champs. Whichever team they face in New Orleans, the Tigers will have to take a few punches to come away with the win, and they proved today that they’ll be able to do that without folding.

It would’ve been nice for Les Miles’ team to have won another close game as they had done against the Tide, but having to come from behind might be the next best thing. At the very least, it gives the Tigers even more reason to believe that they have what it takes to win the national championship.