FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas ran for a season-low 16 yards in Saturday's 24-17 loss to No. 7 LSU. The Razorbacks fell into a tie for No. 76 nationally with 160 rushing yards per game after the run-game dud.
Arkansas' previous rushing low was 55 yards in another 24-17 loss, to Texas A&M, on Sept. 29.
The Razorbacks had two run plays of 10-plus yards -- a 10-yarder by Rakeem Boyd and a team-high 11-yard gain by Boyd. The Hogs' other 17 runs went for minus-5 yards.
"It was hard to get them out of place," Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey said. "They have NFL guys all across the board. So did other teams we play, but they were just really disciplined and they made good plays."
Coach Chad Morris said the Razorbacks needed to establish the run, but had to go to the air in the second half. The Razorbacks averaged 2 yards on first-down plays, Morris said.
"In the end, it comes down to us executing on the offensive line on all of those first-down plays," senior guard Hjalte Froholdt said. "If we can't run the ball, we're going to be behind the chains, and we're asking the quarterbacks and receivers to make big-time throws and big-time catches on third and long.
"I thought we had a great plan coming in, but I think they played extremely well on defense."
On O'Grady
Arkansas tight end Cheyenne O'Grady emerged from an early season, self-generated exile to go on a tear during conference play.
O'Grady posted his second two-touchdown game of the season Saturday with scoring grabs covering 11 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter of the 24-17 loss to LSU.
O'Grady's two-touchdown games both came against top-10 opponents -- No. 1 Alabama and No. 7 LSU.
The junior from Fayetteville was targeted 14 times against LSU and had 6 catches for 75 yards.
"I don't want to be an individual," O'Grady said. "I was given the opportunity and I thank God. I feel like anybody -- we have good tight ends and receivers -- can get the ball and make the play, too. I just want to say that I'm grateful for the opportunity."
O'Grady has taken over the team receptions lead from La'Michael Pettway despite not having a catch in the first four games. He served a two-game suspension for off-the-field issues the first two weeks, then did not have a catch vs. North Texas or at Auburn.
O'Grady's night was not all positive against LSU. He drew a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration after his tackle-breaking 32-yard touchdown drew Arkansas within 24-17 with 5:27 remaining.
"At that point, I got a little too excited," he said. "Definitely out of control and that's not going to happen again. It was just a very immature move on my part."
Coach Chad Morris said he warned O'Grady after his reaction on the 11-yard touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter.
"The touchdown before was close to being unsportsmanlike, and I actually addressed it with him on the sidelines," Morris said. "I said you have to play smart. My exact words were: 'You've got to be composed.' And I knew, I knew that if there was anything remotely close that he was going to get called. We weren't composed."
Keep away
Arkansas gave itself a chance by scoring with 5:27 remaining to pull within 24-17 against LSU.
The Tigers then took the air out of the game by converting a third-and-6 slant pass to Derrick Dillon to stay on the field and force the Razorbacks to use their final timeout.
The Tigers eventually ran nine plays, notched three first downs and gained 58 yards to reach the Arkansas 1 at game's end.
The time-consuming drive was not LSU's longest in the game. The Tigers also had a touchdown drive that consumed 7:24 in the second quarter, a 14-play, 77-yard march that started with nine running plays and gave LSU a 14-0 lead.
Trophy atrophy
The Razorbacks have had an empty rivalry game trophy case for the past two seasons and are on the brink of a third consecutive season of not possessing the reward from its rivalry games.
Texas A&M has held the Southwest Classic trophy every year since the Razorbacks pulled off a big comeback from an 18-point deficit for a 42-38 victory in the 2011 game in Arlington, Texas. The Aggies beat the Hogs for the seventh consecutive year, 24-17, on Sept. 29.
LSU will hold the Golden Boot trophy for the third consecutive year after Saturday's 24-17 victory.
Missouri has claimed the 4-year-old Battle Line Trophy the past two years, winning the two games by a combined seven points.
Rakeem racked
Top Arkansas tailback Rakeem Boyd stayed down for a short time after getting slammed to the turf by LSU linebacker Devin White, who blew up a screen pass to Boyd, early in the fourth quarter.
Boyd's lower right leg got caught at a bad angle on the tackle. He walked off the field with a limp under his own power after a few moments and did not return.
Early out?
Tight end Austin Cantrell went through senior day activities Saturday even though he's a junior. The 6-3, 253-pounder from Roland, Okla., already has started a family and is considering stepping away from football.
"With Austin, we've had that discussion," Coach Chad Morris said. "He's leaning strongly toward just moving on. He's married and has a family and just looking maybe at moving on to the next step."
Morris said he'd have a final conversation with Cantrell after the season, but would love to have him back.
Sports on 11/12/2018