Hogs win Boot with big plays

BATON ROUGE, La. -- For more than a decade, the Battle for the Golden Boot has been defined by big plays.

Last-second touchdown heaves and special teams plays have headlined this rivalry, making it one of the most entertaining in college football.

Big plays were the key again here in Death Valley this year, but instead of late, they came early in the game and were one-sided. Arkansas hit on touchdowns of 52 and 80 yards in the first half to take control, and 69 yards in the fourth quarter to put away LSU.

The Razorbacks never trailed in their 31-14 win over the No. 9 Tigers, winning their fourth consecutive game and fifth since beginning the season 1-3 with losses to Toledo, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.

It has been a different Arkansas team since those early struggles, both in appearance and in results. The Razorbacks are bowl-eligible because their offense found its stride midway through the season, winning a couple of shootouts in overtime.

While the defense deserves credit for limiting Leonard Fournette to one of his lowest outputs of the year, it was the offense that set the tone Saturday.

Arkansas isn't known as a quick-strike team, but maybe it should be.

In their last three games, the Razorbacks have hit eight touchdowns of 30 yards or more. Since its bye week last month, Arkansas is averaging 50 points per game.

"We're not known for quick-strike touchdowns, but any time we can get points on the board we're going to take them," said Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen, who 9 of 16 passes for 141 yards. "We have people on our offense who are able to make big plays like that. They're starting to pop up here late in the season."

One of the keys for Arkansas has been the emergence of a big-play threat at receiver. Dominique Reed's 52-yard touchdown in the first quarter was his seventh score in six games.

"He's definitely a threat and continued to mature," Allen said. "His knowledge of the playbook continues to grow and that's what is making him better."

Reed has been his best this season away from home, scoring a touchdown in all of the Razorbacks' road games. In addition to his score at LSU, Reed scored touchdowns of 33 yards at Tennessee, 54 yards at Alabama and 17 yards last week at Ole Miss - a score that came with 53 seconds remaining and sent the game to overtime.

Reed also had a kickoff return for 40 yards and finished with three receptions for 83 yards at LSU. On his touchdown, Reed caught the ball at the 50 and outran the LSU defense to the end zone.

He also had a key block to spring the 69-yard touchdown by Jared Cornelius in the fourth quarter.

"This is my first time experiencing stuff like this," Reed said. "It's pretty exciting."

In addition to Reed's emergence, Arkansas has been aided by the return of two offensive weapons who came through with big games against the Tigers. Cornelius, who missed six weeks with a broken arm, had a 69-yard touchdown run in his return to his home state, and also had a key first down reception on a third-and-long.

Kody Walker, who missed four games with a broken thumb, carried the ball 17 times for 88 yards. He was a great complement to Alex Collins, who rushed for 141 yards, thanks in large part to his 80-yard run in the second quarter.

“Coach (Dan) Enos and our coaches have just really focused in on who our playmakers are," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said, "and have done a tremendous job getting the ball in their hands."

Now Arkansas goes back to Fayetteville with expectations of finishing the season strong and without the pressure of making a bowl game. The Razorbacks have Mississippi State and Missouri on-deck, and a good chance to finish the year 8-4.

Like last year, Arkansas' season took a step forward with consecutive wins over Ole Miss and LSU. Unlike those consecutive shutout wins in 2014, the Razorbacks' biggest wins this year will be remembered most for the big plays on the other side of the ball.