College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Louisiana State 41, Arkansas 17
When: 2:30 PM ET, Friday, November 25, 2011
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Temperature: 75°
Head Official: Thomas Ritter
Attendance: 93108

Tyrann Mathieu returned a punt for a touchdown and forced two fumbles to key a comeback as No. 1 Louisiana State secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game with a 41-17 home victory over No. 3 Arkansas.

Kenny Hilliard rushed for a career-high 101 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Jefferson threw a touchdown pass for the Tigers (12-0, 8-0 SEC), who likely secured themselves a spot in the BCS Championship Game as well.

LSU looked like it was in for a long day in the second quarter, when Tramain Thomas forced a fumbled for the Razorbacks (10-2, 6-2). Alonzo Highsmith plucked the ball out of the air and rumbled 42 yards for a touchdown, giving Arkansas a 14-0 lead.

That marked the biggest deficit the Tigers had faced all season.

They quickly went about erasing that margin, with Hilliard rushing in from 6 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing possession.

The LSU defense forced a punt and Mathieu began his takeover of the game, returning the kick 92 yards for a touchdown to tie it. Mathieu forced a fumble on the next series, and the Tigers cashed that in for a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead.

LSU turned the game into a rout after halftime, getting rushing touchdowns from Jefferson and Spencer Ware.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Arkansas   Louisiana State
Dennis Johnson Player Kenny Hilliard
10 Attempts 19
31 Yards 102
3.1 Avg Yards 5.4
0 Touchdowns 1
0 Long 0
Receiving
Arkansas   Louisiana State
Cobi Hamilton Player Rueben Randle
2 Receptions 9
75 Yards 134
37.5 Avg Yards 14.9
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Arkansas 254 47 207 1 1 1 2.0 1
Louisiana State 494 286 208 4 2 1 5.0 2