Instant Analysis: Damian Ramos drills late field goal as LSU avoids scare against Arkansas

The Tigers overcame a slow start to survive a tight game against the Razorbacks on Saturday night.

With the game against Arkansas tied at 31 in the final minutes and LSU sitting just at the edge of field goal range at the Razorbacks’ 28-yard line, the Tigers needed a big gain.

Running back [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] answered that call, breaking off a 21-yard run on a shotgun draw that took LSU down to the 6. With Arkansas having exhausted its timeouts, the Tigers could run down the clock as [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] drilled a game-winning chip shot field goal with just five seconds left to lift the Tigers to a 34-31 win.

It was a sluggish start to the game for LSU offensively as Arkansas jumped out to a 13-3 lead, which it held late into the second quarter. The offense woke up, however, scoring touchdowns to end the first half and begin the second as coach Brian Kelly’s team retook the lead.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] overcame an ugly early interception to have another fantastic game, completing 20 of 29 passes for 320 yards and four passing touchdowns. Two of those went to [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who led the team in receiving with 133 yards on five catches.

The other two went to [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who wasn’t far behind him with 130 yards on eight catches. LSU didn’t rely heavily on the run game, especially in the second half, but Diggs finished with 97 yards on 14 carries.

Defensively, it wasn’t exactly a banner night for the Tigers. They allowed 426 yards to the Razorbacks and gave up several costly big plays through the air that kept Arkansas in it right until the end.

LSU did have some timely big plays defensively, however, headlined by a first-half interception for [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] and four total sacks as a team.

It was a tighter game than LSU expected, but the Tigers will certainly be thankful for a win as they prepare to hit the road to take on an Ole Miss team reeling from a disappointing loss to Alabama.

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