By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has rewritten the school’s single-season passing records.
Receivers have taken turns making big plays and scoring touchdowns. Running backs started slow, but have gained steam the past several weeks. And the offensive line, which struggled at times, has meshed into a solid unit.
Together, Arkansas’ offense has been an impressive bunch the past four weeks, piling up yards and points en route to four wins. But now, the group faces a big question as it enters the regular-season finale in LSU’s Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
Can it be just as productive on the road?
Arkansas, which carries the Southeastern Conference’s top offense into Baton Rouge, La., is looking for a strong night at No. 17 LSU after struggling in road games earlier this season. The electricity the Hogs have generated by flinging the ball around in front of friendly faces simply hasn’t matched their performance in hostile environments.
It’s something Arkansas (7-4, 3-4 in SEC) must change Saturday if it has any hope of landing a Cotton Bowl berth.
It’s also something the Razorbacks believe will happen after experiencing an enormous amount of success the last month.
“We weren’t the team then that we are now,” Mallett said, referring to Arkansas’ last road trip to Ole Miss on Oct. 24. “I think this is a whole different story right now.”
But the numbers don’t lie. Arkansas averaged 46.8 points and 498.4 yards in eight home games, which included the neutral site win against Texas A&M. Mallett led the way in those performances, completing 67.7 percent and averaging 319.6 passing yards a game with 25 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Arkansas averaged just 15.7 points and 303.3 yards in three road losses at Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss. Mallett’s performance? He completed 37.5 percent, averaged 212.7 passing yards, and had 3 touchdowns and an interception.
All three opponents are atop the SEC standings and rank among the league’s best scoring and total defenses. But Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino believes the Razorbacks were hindered by their youth in the losses, too.
“I stood up here about four weeks ago and said, we’ve got the next four games at home,’” Petrino said. “Hopefully we can really start playing. We’re young, we play better at home, and we’ve done that. I think we’ve grown up now.”
Like Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida, moving the ball on the Tigers will be another challenge. LSU is ranked third in the SEC in scoring defense (14.7 points) and has surrendered only four rushing touchdowns this season. The Tigers also haven’t allowed a first quarter touchdown in seven games.
But tackle DeMarcus Love said Arkansas is confident.
“We’ve got something to prove,” Love said. “Every week we have something to prove. For these past few weeks we’ve been proving ourselves and getting the job done.”
Another source of confidence: Arkansas scored 31 points against LSU last season. The Tigers’ schemes have changed under new coordinator John Chavis, but Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said most of the defensive personnel is back.
Of course, Arkansas must be sharper than it was against Mississippi State to succeed. It took awhile for the Razorbacks to get on track against the Bulldogs. When they did, they reached the 40-point mark for the seventh time.
“This week we are going to have to play our best football,” Mallett said. “We are playing a good football team.
“We are going to have to go in there and be physical, go in there and be fast and go after them.”
But after experiencing plenty of frustration on the road, Arkansas believes its offense is much better equipped for success when it steps on the field at LSU on Saturday.
“That’s something we talked about,” Paul Petrino said. “In order to get to that next level, the young guys have to go play good on the road. I think we’re going to go do that.”
Road Woes
Arkansas’ offense has been impressive this season, but most of the production has come at home. The Razorbacks have struggled in road losses at Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss, something they intend to change Saturday. Here’s a look at Arkansas’ performance in its eight home games (which includes the neutral site win at Dallas) and three road losses:
Category Home Road
Points 46.8 15.7
Total Yds 498.4 303.3
Passing Yds 343.0 223.0
Rushing Yds 155.4 80.3
