FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas guard Sebastian Tretola's pregame ritual of listening to music through his earphones and dancing at midfield ran into some resistance Saturday in Baton Rouge.
Tretola said some LSU players didn't like him dancing on the Tigers' logo at midfield and confronted him about it.
"I did my little walk around the field and went out to the 50," Tretola said on Tuesday. "I was getting in my zone, listening to my music.
"One of them came up and said, 'Hey man, you can't be on our logo like that. I was like, 'Well, you're not going to move me.' Not in those exact words. I said, 'You're not going to move me so get out of my face.'
"I put my headphones back on and kept doing my thing and he left, but then he came back with five or six more of the DBs, I guess it was. They started inching their bodies toward me, trying to move me off the 50. That's when we started touching, and that's when the cop came over."
Tretola said the LSU contingent featured tailback Leonard Fournette. He said the police officer told him he was "causing a scene" and eventually made him leave the 50.
The situation never escalated beyond words, but Tretola made sure his teammates were aware of what happened.
"I went in the locker room and told the guys, 'Hey, they put their hands on me,' " he said. "I didn't give them the whole story, but I just wanted to get them riled up. I felt like it helped fuel the fire a little bit."
New leader
Freshman Dre Greenlaw, who mostly lines up in the weak-side linebacker spot where Arkansas tries to funnel runners, posted 12 tackles last week to slip past junior Brooks Ellis for the team lead. Greenlaw has 84 tackles to 80 for Ellis. No one else on the team has more than the 53 logged by safety Rohan Gaines.
Whup 'em
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said he appreciated D.J. Dean's late interception in the end zone because of how the scoreboard would be interpreted by people who weren't able to watch the whole game.
"I'm kind of glad the score stayed 31-14 on Saturday so somebody who didn't watch the game would know that was a pretty good whup," he said. "It wasn't just a win. We handled ourselves well and played against a good team that was among the nation's best."
Henry on Mackey
Junior tight end Hunter Henry said making the group of eight semifinalists for the Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end, was a big honor.
"It was really cool to see that," Henry said. "I've got to keep working and these last two weeks and hopefully have a couple of big games."
Dog decal
Mississippi State players are wearing a decal with "MJ" on their helmets in honor of freshman defensive lineman Keith Joseph Jr., who was called MJ by his teammates for his given name Marshean Joseph. The player and his father, Keith Joseph Sr,. were killed in a one-car accident on Nov. 6 en route to watch their alma mater Pascagoula High School in a playoff game.
Keith Joseph Sr. played linebacker at Mississippi State from 1989-1992 and ranks 10th in career sacks for the Bulldogs with 14.
Les talk
LSU Coach Les Miles said his team's early offensive mistakes helped set the tone in Saturday's 31-14 loss to Arkansas.
"We continually put ourselves in third down-and-long situations, and when you do that, you tell that defense to come get you and they did," Miles said. "They obliged us. And our offensive line is a good offensive line.
"But I think when you're put in third and 16, third and 19, third and not manageable -- if it's a manageable third down, you have the opportunity then to call a run, and now that defense is not just with their ears pinned back, coming."
Take away 3
LSU Coach Les Miles bemoaned Arkansas' three big-play touchdowns -- a 52-yard catch and run by Dominique Reed, an 80-yard run by Alex Collins and a 69-yard run by Jared Cornelius -- which accounted for 46 percent of the Razorbacks' 440 yards last Saturday.
"It just makes you sad, because on 53 plays we gave up 239 yards, and on three plays we gave up 201 yards," Miles said. "So the point is, for 53 plays that looks like LSU defense. For three plays, it cost you the game."
Miles said a defender fell down on Reed's stiff-arming score around the right edge, the Collins play should have been "a zero play" because a safety lost contain, and Cornelius' touchdown "was a great play, but reality there is we have a safety in great position as well."
Take away 4
Alabama's 31-6 victory over Mississippi State was marked by breakaway scores, just like the Razorbacks' victory in Baton Rouge, La.
The Bulldogs outgained Alabama 393-379 despite the lopsided outcome on the scoreboard.
"We gave up 69, 60, 74 and 65-yard touchdowns," Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen said, referring to, in order, a Cyrus Jones punt return, a Calvin Ridley catch and run, and two Derrick Henry breakaways. "You're not going to win doing that."
Extra points
• Arkansas has a 15-9-1 edge over Mississippi State, though the Bulldogs have won the past three games in the series. The Bulldogs' 24-17 victory in overtime in Little Rock on Nov. 23, 2013, was their first triumph over the Razorbacks in the state of Arkansas. The Razorbacks lead the series 9-1-1 in games played in Arkansas.
• Junior receiver Cody Hollister played one snap in the victory at LSU, his first action since suffering a broken foot on Sept. 15.
• Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen referred to Alabama tailback Derrick Henry as "a great back like Derrick Harvey, [who] basically had 140 yards on two carries."
Sports on 11/18/2015