INSIDE SLANT

The Razorbacks are one of the hottest teams in the SEC, winners of four straight heading into their regular-season finale.

But those four games were at home, and against some lesser competition than the LSU team that Arkansas will meet in Baton Rouge this weekend.

The Tigers sit at 8-3 after a narrow loss at Ole Miss and are looking for a bounce-back victory at home before bowl bids are awarded.

That means the Razorbacks have to be playing their best against LSU, which has been ranked in the nation’s top 10 for most of the season.

“I know our players are excited to go down there and play against them,” said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino.

“We feel like we can play with them. They’re a very good football team. They have a tremendous amount of talent. They have speed and we have to execute and play the game of football better than they do. We have to play well and play physical and play fast and execute well.”

The Tigers are very strong defensively, holding opponents to just 14.7 points per game. But LSU ranks eighth in the SEC in passing defense (189.3 ypg), which means the Razorbacks will be looking to go to their strength against a Tigers weakness.

“We have come together the last four weeks,” said receiver Greg Childs. “We have players that can make plays all across the field. We practice harder now. Every week we try to get better. We’re going to go out and try to play our game.”

If they can play their game, the Razorbacks have a good shot at heading into bowl season with a five-game winning streak, a red-hot quarterback leading a high-powered passing offense and victories over some of the nation’s top teams.

The Tigers would be very enticing for a bowl committee.

“Right now, we are bowl eligible,” said quarterback Ryan Mallett, “and we have to go get this win to get a better bowl.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• QB Ryan Mallett was named the Southeastern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks following his 313-yard, five-touchdown passing effort in the win over Mississippi State.

• The Razorbacks are first nationally in red zone offense, having converted on 41 of 42 (98 percent) trips inside the 20 (32 touchdowns, nine field goals).

• Arkansas is plus-12 in turnovers, compared to being a minus-9 last season, which ranked 102nd in the country. The Razorbacks are seventh in the country in turnover margin this year. The turnaround is the second-largest nationally from last season in terms of rankings, behind Ohio.

Series History:   LSU leads Arkansas 33-19-2 (last meeting, 2008, 31-30 Arkansas).

Scouting The Offense:   The passing game has really picked up in recent weeks as Ryan Mallett has become more accurate. Mallett has a number of weapons to choose from, making it easier for him to find an open receiver. He’s also finding TE D.J. Williams on check-down passes more often, showing he’s not forcing the ball into coverage. The running game has been inconsistent over the past five weeks, failing to break 100 yards in three of those five games, although the Razorbacks rushed for 187 and 292 yards in the other two contests.

Scouting The Defense:   The Razorbacks had three consecutive strong games against the run prior to the game against Mississippi State, which rushed for 327 yards and three touchdowns. LSU likes to run the ball—although its tailback rotation has been ravaged by injury—and will be trying to control the clock against the Razorbacks. In any case, getting back to stopping the run is imperative for Arkansas’ chances against the Tigers.

Quote To Note:   “We’re excited to go play on the road this week. We need to play well. We need to go win a tough game on the road and get that experience under our belt. It’s certainly something that is a goal for the entire team.”—Coach Bobby Petrino.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: Arkansas at LSU, Nov. 28—The Razorbacks have had the Tigers’ number in the last two seasons, so LSU will have that on its mind, as well as last week’s last-minute loss to Mississippi. Arkansas wants to extend its four-game winning streak heading into bowl season. The game will feature speed on both sides of the ball, making for an exciting game.

Keys To The Game:   The Tigers have size and speed on their defensive line, so Arkansas’ front line must be solid to keep LSU defenders off QB Ryan Mallett. If Mallett has time to throw, he can be extremely dangerous.

Players To Watch:  

QB Ryan Mallett—Arguably the SEC’s best player over the past few weeks, Mallett makes Arkansas a very dangerous team for any conference team to face. Mallett’s decision-making has been at a high level over the last four games, with his passes being distributed throughout the lineup with very few bad throws.

RB Broderick Green—No one is having an outstanding season at tailback for the Razorbacks (the team’s leading rusher, Michael Smith, has just 396 yards) but Green has been finding the end zone on a regular basis, scoring 10 rushing touchdowns. Green needs to give the offense an extra dimension by running hard and making some big plays on the ground.

LB Wendel Davis—The Razorbacks’ leading tackler, Davis needs to be strong against the run, supporting the front line with quick moves to the hole. The senior has been a leader for the defense all year long and he’d love to end his last regular season with another victory in Baton Rouge.

Roster Report:  

• Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino seems to be on the verge of getting a head coaching job, interviewing for the vacant Western Kentucky gig last weekend before withdrawing his name from consideration. Head coach Bobby Petrino, Paul’s older brother, said recently he knows its just a matter of time before the younger Petrino leaves to take over a team of his own.

• QB Ryan Mallett is certainly garnering attention from pro scouts with his recent hot play, but there’s no indication that the redshirt sophomore has any desire to leave Arkansas for the NFL this offseason.

• RB Michael Smith, the team’s leading rusher, continues to be day-to-day, with the team unsure whether to count on the senior for LSU.