No. 8 LSU hopes to ride momentum vs. Arkansas

No. 8 LSU spent most of last week’s game against Ole Miss trying to fight from behind and finally succeeded, beating the Rebels 29-26 in overtime on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Nussmeier to Kyren Lacy.The Tigers’ reward for such an exhilarating win against then-No. 9 Ole Miss? A road game against dangerous and rested Arkansas on Saturday night in Fayetteville, Ark.”That was one of a few games that I have had in my career that it always felt like we were one step behind, and we were, and we were always trying to stay in the game,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said.The Tigers (5-1, 2-0 SEC) have won five straight games since a season-opening loss to Southern California in Las Vegas. Nussmeier’s prolific passing is a primary reason. He’s thrown for 1,989 yards and 18 touchdowns this year, completing 64.3 percent of his passes.Tight end Mason Taylor has been his favorite target with 33 catches, while Lacy has been his go-to when a touchdown is needed with six scores among his 30 receptions. Aaron Anderson has 30 catches — 18 more than he had all of last season.All those options and LSU’s ability to protect Nussmeier have Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman concerned. Nussmeier has been sacked just twice, both times in a Sept. 14 win at South Carolina.”They’re really good at tackle,” Pittman said. “They’re good at (Nussmeier) being able to step up because their guards and center, they’re big. But he gets rid of the ball, gets rid of it fast. Knows where he is on his reads.”The good news for Arkansas (4-2, 2-1) is that it’s had an extra week to get ready for this challenge. Its most recent game was Oct. 5, when it became the first team to slow Tennessee’s explosive attack in a 19-14 upset against what then was the nation’s fourth-ranked squad.

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