Behind the Box Score: Pigs Roasted

It wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, but this was as close as LSU has had to the mythical dominant win all season. LSU dominated every phase of the game, and it showed up on the scoreboard. The only real problem is that it took so long.

But let’s start off with the only real failure of the day:

1-3. Connor Culp’s PAT conversion rate. That is, uh… well, it’s not good. Everyone misses a PAT once and a while. That’s no biggee. But he missed two in a row, and that was after missing a 32-yard chip shot field goal as well. Orgeron benched Culp after the second PAT missed. He’s going to have to win his job back, as Culp has looked like our only reliable kicker all year until yesterday.

2. DJ Chark scored 2 touchdowns. Somehow, Chark did not have a receiving touchdown all season, despite being the team’s top target. He finally broke through in style, piling up two scores on 4 catches for 130 yards. His second score broke the game open and essentially ended things on the day.

4. LSU punts inside the 20. If we’re going to take a swipe at the special teams, let’s point out what the team did well. LSU punted the ball just four times on the game, and all four times put the ball inside the 20. Josh Growden is still the coffin corner punter, and he had one punt on the game, but Zach von Rosenberg had a terrific night punting the football. LSU won the battle of field position by a wide margin, as Arkansas averaged a starting position of their own 17. In only one quarter, the third, did they manage a starting field position beyond their own 20.

147. Derrius Guice’s rushing yards. Yup, still awesome.

1-8. Arkansas’ third down conversion rate in the first three quarters of the game. LSU loosened up in the fourth, when Arkansas went 4-7, but while the game was still in doubt, the Tigers defense prevented the Hogs from extending drives. Arkansas did not have a single third down conversion in the first half.

2.0. Donte Jackson’s TFL total. He had himself a game. 7 tackles, 6 of them solo. 2 TFL including 1 sack. He also had 3 pass break ups. Donte Jackson filled up the stat sheet and was the team’s best defensive player. He made big play after big play.

14. Devin White made 14 tackles and had, by his own estimation, a poor game. The dude is ridiculous.

1. Number of three and out drives by LSU all game long. Only once did LSU fail to at least convert on first down on a possession. The Tigers had consistent pressure all game long, and while it took them longer than we would have liked, the dam eventually burst in the third quarter.