Arkansas is on a roll and looks to continue its run of recent success. The Hogs all but eliminated Ole Miss from the SEC West title picture last week with a dramatic overtime win and can pretty much do the same to LSU on Saturday. The Tigers are coming off a game where they got bulldozed by Alabama, taking them out of the driver’s seat in the division.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
LSU Tigers -8.5
Arkansas Razorbacks +8.5
Over/Under 58
ODDS
The line fell to LSU -7 and could drop more with all the support the Razorbacks are getting. And the Hogs are 7-1 ATS in their last eight against LSU. Don’t give up on the Tigers just yet, though. They are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games at home. The total took a hit falling to 53.5, making this a good time to jump on the over.
KEY MISMATCH
LSU’s defensive front was manhandled by Alabama last week, surrendering 434 yards of offense, 118 more than the Tigers had given up on average going in. Alabama rolled up 250 rushing yards on 55 carries, imposing its will in a 30-16 victory. After Bama running back Derrick Henry ran wild, life won’t get any easier for the Tigers Saturday. Arkansas’s mammoth offensive line features no player shorter than 6-foot-3 or lighter than 312 pounds. Right tackle Dan Skipper stands at a staggering 6-foot-10. LSU will likely resort to its base 4-3 defense, rather than a nickel package, against the Hogs’ two-tight end downhill rushing attack. But even with an extra body up front, the Tigers will have their hands full. On average, Arkansas’ O-linemen are 6-foot-5 and 328 pounds. Four of the five are returning starters and each has started at the same position in every game this season. LSU has to take advantage of its speed on defense, getting off blocks and flying around the football. Making Arkansas’ offensive linemen move laterally will be a key.
KEY STAT
90.6 – LSU’s red zone scoring efficiency. The Tigers have scored 29 times, including 22 touchdowns, to lead the SEC in red zone scoring percentage. Arkansas is next to last in the conference, allowing teams to score on 86.8 percent of their drives inside the 20.
BETTING ANGLE
In Les Miles’ third season as LSU coach in 2007, his team lost in overtime to Arkansas on the final weekend of the regular season for its second loss of the year. Yet nine day later, after a SEC title game victory, there was LSU being named one of the two teams playing for the BCS championship. One month later the Tigers were national champions. And that’s the reason Miles stressed that this season is far from over. Should the Tigers win their remaining three games and Alabama lose to either Mississippi State or Auburn, LSU would be the West’s representative in the SEC title game and back in the CFP picture. The Tigers have won six of seven regular season games over the past three seasons after losing to Alabama and look to carry that trend into this week. However, the lone loss was a year ago against the Razorbacks.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
After a tough start to the NCAAF season, the Razorbacks are on a roll, carrying a three-game win streak into the matchup. Behind quarterback Brandon Allen, who’s thrown 11 touchdown passes in those games, the Hogs average 472.6 yards per game. Running back Alex Collins has surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark and you can be sure Arkansas will prioritize the run game behind its massive offensive line. LSU’s defense was on the field too long last week and wore down in the later stages. A huge interception from Brandon Harris to start the second half turned a close game into a convincing Bama victory and Leonard Fournette was a non-factor. The Tigers are quicker than Arkansas on defense and will need to run around and not through the protection and blocking schemes. Also, watch Fournette have a bounceback effort while the Tigers feed off the home fans. There’s a reason why it’s called Death Valley.
LSU 40, Arkansas 34
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The contest between the Arkansas Razorbacks and LSU Tigers will take place Saturday, November 14, 2015, at 7:15 p.m. ET at Tiger Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
