Arkansas halts LSU’s SEC West title dreams with 31-14 win

For the second consecutive week, Arkansas has played spoiler to a potential SEC West Division champion.

LSU, coming off a loss to Alabama, still had hopes of winning the division if it won the rest of the conference games on its schedule, but those dreams were quickly dashed by an upstart Arkansas team that used its power running game to defeat the Tigers 31-14.

A week ago, Arkansas knocked off Ole Miss with a gutty two-point conversion in overtime. The Rebels could have won the West Division if it had made it through its remaining conference games unscathed.

Much of Arkansas’ success against LSU on Saturday stemmed from its running game, which compiled 299 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers. Alex Collins had 16 carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

Defensively, Arkansas tamed LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who had 91 yards and a touchdown, but the bulk of those yards came on one drive in the third quarter. LSU’s offensive hopes were squarely on the shoulders of quarterback Brandon Harris, who threw for 271 yards, but also had a fumble that Arkansas ultimately turned into a touchdown and an interception late that sealed the Razorbacks’ win.

Arkansas, while a longshot in the West, has won four consecutive games and five of its last six. It’s the first time the Razorbacks have won four consecutive games in coach Bret Bielema’s tenure. Saturday’s triumph against the Tigers also secured bowl eligibility for the Razorbacks, their first back-to-back bowl seasons since 2010-11.

For more Arkansas news, HawgSports.com.

For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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