Arkansas’ defensive players and coaches found no consolation Friday in an effort that would have been good enough against most teams.

LSU entered Friday’s game with the SEC’s top offense, including the No. 2 rushing attack and No. 3 passing offense. The Tigers average more than 400 yards and 33 points per game.

The Razorbacks defense held LSU to 328 yards and can’t be faulted for two touchdowns on an LSU kickoff return and a 9-yard drive. The Razorbacks also forced two critical Tigers fumbles.

But what Arkansas’ defensive players said they’ll remember are the two touchdowns they allowed on big plays.

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To them, it was a good effort, but not a perfect one.

“I don’t want to let them on the board, period,” defensive end Jamaal Anderson said. “They had two plays. We have to work on perfection, like we always plan on doing.”

Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring said the most frustrating thing was the fact that both long touchdown plays came after botched or missed assignments. Herring called each play “cheap.”

The first came when Keiland Williams ran untouched around right end for a 29-yard touchdown with 4: 51 left in the first quarter, which put LSU up for good, as it turned out, 7-6.

Then with 10: 55 remaining in the second quarter, Craig Davis turned Arkansas cornerback Matteral Richardson around in circles and scored on a 47-yard catch-and-run.

The pass to Davis came on a third-and-13 play.

“Nothing they did gave us trouble, but we missed assignments,” safety Randy Kelly said. “Good teams are supposed to capitalize when you miss assignments.”

Arkansas allowed 118 rushing yards and did a good job limiting LSU’s rushing offense, which had been averaging 162. 9 yards per game. But quarterback Ja-Marcus Russell threw for two touchdowns and 210 yards, completing 64 percent of his passes.

“We tried to bring some pressure and bring a little heat to keep him off balance,” defensive tackle Keith Jackson Jr. said. “He still was getting it out of there.”

However, when LSU was making plays and moving the ball down the field, Arkansas forced two fumbles that kept the Razorbacks in the game.

The first came at the end of the second quarter at the LSU 46 when Russell kept on a quarterback sneak for first-down yardage but was stripped of the ball by Marcus Harrison. The second came after the Tigers had driven 68 yards to the Arkansas 26. Jerrell Norton ripped the ball from Alley Broussard, again after Broussard gained first-down yardage.

“They’re big, especially when they’re running the ball like that and they’re hammering us,” Herring said. “We were fortunate enough to be scrapping in the pile [to get the ball ], and that’s good football. They came at critical times when we needed some help.”

The only problem was the offense wasn’t able to follow the turnovers with any points.

After an Arkansas turnover set up LSU at the Razorbacks ’ 9-yard line, the Tigers were able to score early in the fourth quarter.

It was that drive, along with a 92-yard kickoff return for LSU later in the fourth quarter, that allowed the Tigers to score 31 points, twice what Arkansas had been allowing.

After the game, Herring repeatedly used the word “perspective,” primarily to remind people of the quality of LSU.

“Bottom line, we had them pretty much in check considering the caliber of team we were playing,” Herring said. “I’m never pleased when we lose a game, period. But when you look at it in perspective, we didn’t win the game, but we held our own. The kids didn’t quit. We gave them some things, they earned some things, and on any given day, I think we can beat these guys. This game doesn’t define us.”

But it also wasn’t good enough, not for Herring’s players.

“If we could have had a couple plays taken back, it would have been different outcome,” Anderson said. “We gave it our all.”