10 Things to Know – LSU

Arkansas hosts No. 7 LSU on Saturday, Nov. 10, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville in the final home game of the 2018 season. The Razorbacks and Tigers are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

1. Saturday is senior night, as the Razorbacks will honor 15 seniors in a pregame ceremony. This year’s class includes student-athletes from eight different states, five from the natural state, one from another country and one from Fayetteville in Dre Greenlaw. Jared Cornelius and Kevin Richardson II have both been Razorbacks since 2013, with Richardson in his sixth year of eligibility in 2018. Since 2014, the senior class has 28 victories and three bowl appearances. Seven of the 15 seniors have already graduated. The 17 seniors are: TE Austin Cantrell, WR Jared Cornelius (graduate), WR Gary Cross, OL Hjalte Froholdt, OL Johnny Gibson Jr., LB Dre Greenlaw, FB Kendrick Jackson, DB Ryder Lucas (graduate), TE Jeremy Patton, DB Santos Ramirez (graduate), DL Randy Ramsey, DB Kevin Richardson II (graduate), DL Michael Taylor II, OL Brian Wallace (graduate) and DL Armon Watts (graduate).

2. For the fourth time in five years, SEC Nation will broadcast live from Fayetteville. The two-hour pregame show airing on SEC Network will delve into the storylines of Southeastern Conference football, the weekend’s biggest matchups and more before the Razorbacks and Tigers face off. This year’s show will originate from Lot 60 at Bud Walton Arena (corner of Razorback Rd. & Leroy Pond Rd.) and will air from 9-11 a.m. Laura Rutledge hosts the traveling pregame show, navigating the Saturday morning conversations with analysts Tim Tebow, Marcus Spears and Paul Finebaum, along with reporter Lauren Sisler. Finebaum’s ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ will be held in the same location on Friday, Nov. 9, from 2-6 p.m. The Razorbacks are 2-1 when SEC Nation rolls into Fayetteville, claiming each of the last two victories with the show the campus of Arkansas. It is the sixth time the Razorbacks have been the featured game for the SEC Nation broadcast.

3. Along with senior night & SEC Nation festivities, the Arkansas/LSU matchup has a piece of hardware attached to the series that the Razorbacks will look to keep in Fayetteville for the next year. The Golden Boot Trophy is a 24-carat memento shaped in the outline of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana. The trophy weighs approximately 175 pounds and stands four feet tall. It was originally created by former Arkansas linebacker David Bazzel (1981-85) and was first awarded in 1996. LSU leads the Golden Boot series, 14-8, with the Razorbacks last claiming the trophy in 2015 on a 31-14 win in Baton Rouge.

4. The Razorbacks trail the all-time series with the Tigers 39-22-2, with the series dating back to 1901. Arkansas has won two of the last four meetings, picking up back-to-back wins in 2014 & 2015. The two teams have only met in Fayetteville four times, including each of the last three even years, while the first came in 1992. Both teams have two wins at DWRRS in the series.

5. Sophomore running back Rakeem Boyd posted his third 100-yard rushing performance in four games after tallying 113 on the ground against Vanderbilt. He is one of seven players in the SEC with three or more 100-yard games this season. Boyd’s three 100-yard performances, combined with Devwah Whaley’s at Colorado State (165) have pushed the school total to 328, with the first coming from Richard Miller in 1928. Boyd is one of seven SEC student-athletes with three or more 100-yard performances this year & is the 38th Razorback with at least three over their Arkansas careers. The Razorbacks have had at least one 100-yard rusher ever year since 1983 – 35 consecutive seasons.

6. Junior kicker Connor Limpert was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award on Nov. 1, which is presented annually to the nation’s top kicker. The Allen, Texas, native is one of 20 semifinalists up for the honor, as he is 16-of-20 in FG attempts this year and owns the longest field goal made among the group & the second-longest in the country this season at 55 yards. Limpert is one of the most accurate kickers in school history, aided by 10-straight made over the previous five weeks of competition. His 16 in 2018 also sits at 10th all-time among Razorback kickers for FGM in a single season.

7. Offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt and defensive lineman Armon Watts were the latest Razorbacks to be recognized by Pro Football Focus’ SEC Teams of the Week for their week nine performances. Froholt graded out at 78.8 after anchoring the offensive line for the 33rd consecutive game, while Watts earned a 75.2 mark after picking up a sack to go with six tackles, three solo, against Vanderbilt on Oct. 27. The duo added to Arkansas’ total of eight ‘Team of the Week’ honorees by PFF this season, including each of the last six weeks, dating back to the fourth week of the year when the outlet began grading players by conference.

8. No other defense in the SEC has a tackling trio as accomplished as Arkansas. Senior De’Jon Harris (93) leads the league in total & solo tackles, while senior defensive back Santos Ramirez (64) and senior linebacker Dre Greenlaw (60) rank sixth & ninth, respectively, in tackles. The Razorback trio has combined for 217 stops this season, while the next closest threesome in the league sits at 213. The combination of Harris and Ramirez is also the top tackling duo in the conference. At least one member of the trio has had 10 or more tackles in each of the last five games & eight of the last nine contests, with all three accomplishing the feat against Texas A&M (9/29) and Alabama (10/6).

9. The Razorbacks are getting a lot of production out of the underclassmen on the roster this season. Fifty-seven of the 198 starting spots this season have gone to freshmen or sophomores, with 22 of those spots going to freshmen. Eight of the team’s 11 rushing touchdowns have come from underclassmen, with QB Cole Kelley leading the team (three). Five of the 15 receiving TDs have been hauled in by freshmen or sophomores, with five different players doing so. A first-year Razorback has scored a touchdown in each of the last three games, with an underclassmen scoring in each of the last five contests. Arkansas has had three first-time starters in back-to-back games.

10. Over the course of SEC play, the Razorbacks have increased their yards per play averages from week-to-week (4.1, 4.9, 5.7, 6.8, 6.9). Arkansas has also improved its average yards per rush marks over the last three SEC games (5.5, 6.3, 7.1). The Razorbacks have rushed for 170+ yards in each of the last four games and recorded over 400 yards of total offense in each of the last three SEC contests. Compared to the first nine games of last season, Arkansas is averaging more yards per rush (4.6 to 4.5), field goals (16-of-20 to 6-of-9), tackles for loss (57 to 34), sacks (23 to 12), forced fumbles (13 to 10), fumble recoveries (8 to 7), PBUs (38 to 36) & QBH (25 to 20) in 2018 than 2017.