Arkansas 21 #17 LSU 20

November 29, 2002Trailing by six points with less than a minute to play, it appeared Arkansas’ chance at a Southeastern Conference Western Division title and a berth in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Ga., was about to slip away. Senior tailback Fred Talley broke loose on a 56-yard touchdown run with 6:33 remaining to put the Hogs within striking distance. LSU responded with a 13-play 53-yard drive that melted 5:53 off the clock a field goal upped the Tiger lead to six points. Following the kickoff, Arkansas stood at its own 19-yard line with 40 ticks on the clock and no timeouts remaining. Matt Jones hit Richard Smith streaking down the sideline on a 50-yard completion to get the Hogs to the Tigers’ 31-yard line. With nine seconds left to go, Jones scrambled to his right and lofted a pass high and deep into the back part of the end zone. Sophomore DeCori Birmingham leaned back and jumped for the ball in the middle of three LSU defenders. The ball found its way into Birmingham’s hands for a 31-yard touchdown. With the score tied, sophomore David Carlton calmly nailed the PAT to give Arkansas a 21-20 win that punched their ticket for Atlanta and the 2003 SEC Championship Game.