ARKANSAS 17, NO. 17 LSU 0

Booting the streak

Hogs kiss long skid goodbye

Arkansas' Alex Collins, left, carries into the end zone past LSU's Ronald Martin (26) during the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Joy returned to Hogville again on a cold Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The Razorbacks flushed away their 17-game SEC losing streak -- a skid that lasted 763 days -- in dominating fashion with a 17-0 victory over No. 17 LSU before a crowd of 70,165.

Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise, who helped lead a skillful performance by the Arkansas defense, dumped Coach Bret Bielema with ice water after a game-clinching first down with less than a minute remaining.

Arkansas players raced to claim the Golden Boot trophy, which had been stationed on the LSU sideline, and fans charged the field, filling Razorback Stadium from end zone to end zone as the players paraded the trophy to the Arkansas sideline.

"It's the best feeling I've experienced since I've been in college, honestly," said Arkansas tailback Jonathan Williams, who had a 1-yard touchdown dive in the second quarter and a game-high 55 rushing yards. "The fans rushing the field, the goal posts going down, laughing and hugging my teammates and coaches, it's just a great experience."

Arkansas (5-5, 1-5 SEC) took back the Golden Boot for the first time since 2010, and ended a 14-game losing streak to ranked teams.

"We can play with anybody in the country," said Bielema, who lost his first 13 SEC games. "I know it sounds silly to say, but it's the truth."

The Razorbacks played turnover-free on offense and kept the LSU pass rush off balance with bootlegs and mobile pockets that allowed Brandon Allen to complete 16 of 27 passes for 169 yards.

"We do our chants and dances and things when we win," Allen said. "It felt good doing it tonight because we beat a quality opponent, an SEC team, so it felt even better doing it."

Arkansas notched its first shutout since beating Utah State 20-0 on Sept. 9, 2006. The Tigers had not been shut out since Alabama's 21-0 victory over them in the 2011 BCS national championship game.

"I'm just happy to get over the hump," Arkansas safety Alan Turner said. "There's a lot of games in the SEC we were right there and just didn't pull it off. To finally get one, it's a confidence boost."

LSU (7-4, 3-4 SEC) is 25-2 under Les Miles after a loss and Arkansas delivered the loss both times.

"It would be impossible for me to say 'No, that didn't happen,' " Miles said when asked if his team's overtime loss to Alabama last week carried over into this game. "At this point in time, a guy sitting in my seat is looking for answers."

Saturday's game marked the first time since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 that Arkansas and LSU did not play each other in the final regular-season.

"The boot is much more than just a symbol of today's win, it's a victory that we'll be able to carry the entire year," Bielema said. "The part that's amazing to me is I don't know how a coach could be 0-17 and get the support that we did. But I think it's because we're doing things the right way, we're building a foundation the right way."

LSU contributed to its demise with two missed field goals by Colby Delahoussaye, including a 27-yarder, and quarterback Anthony Jennings' fourth-quarter fumble, which was forced by linebacker Martrell Spaight and recovered by Darius Philon at the Arkansas 19.

Arkansas players and coaches said all week they would embrace the cold weather, and they delivered a fiery performance in a game that began with a temperature of 33 degrees, the coldest start for a Razorbacks game since Nov. 11, 1995, against Southwestern Louisiana.

Arkansas' defense put on one of its finest displays in years, holding the Tigers to 36 rushing yards and 123 total yards. The Razorbacks sacked Anthony Jennings four times for 36 yards, one each by Flowers, Spaight and Wise and a combo sack for Wise and Mitchell Loewen.

Arkansas was not an offensive dynamo either, with just 264 total yards, but the Razorbacks pieced together three scoring drives, including a critical 55-yard touchdown march that spanned 7:16 in the third and fourth quarters.

Alex Collins capped the 12-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown on which he started to the left, but redirected with nowhere to go and slashed over the right guard to put Arkansas ahead 17-0 with 11:03 remaining.

LSU looked ready to break the shutout minutes later after driving to the Arkansas 27, but Spaight stripped the ball free at the end of a Jennings' run.

"I think we certainly helped them," said Miles, who is 6-4 against Arkansas.

Jennings was 12 of 22 for 87 yards and the Tigers' longest play was 14 yards.

Sports on 11/16/2014