Football: Close calls in past Ark. games raise stakes for Fri.

In a game as big as Friday's matchup between No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Arkansas, with the Southeastern Conference Championship on the line, the recent series record against the Razorbacks won't ease the stress of any fan.

LSU is 3-3 against the Razorbacks in the Les Miles era. LSU has scored 184 points and Arkansas has 185 in those six games, with an average margin of victory of 3.5 points. Two of the losses constitute half of Miles' losses to unranked teams.

"It's just a very competitive and very talented matchup and one that is close by the nature of the teams," Miles said. "I think it'll be a very great, competitive game this Friday."

Senior offensive lineman Will Blackwell has played against Arkansas the past three years and said he remembers the two overtime games in 2007 and 2009 well, but the freshest game in memory is always the last. Blackwell most vividly recounted last season's 31-23 loss, which was the largest point margin of the past six games.

"They were quick," Blackwell said. "We made a lot of mistakes that game. We didn't play our best game. On the road, the day after Thanksgiving was tough for us."

Senior safety Brandon Taylor didn't make the road trip and watched from home because of a foot injury. He was impressed with Arkansas' ball distribution and mentioned the Razorbacks' propensity for big plays.

"That's something you've got to be conscious of when you play against them," Taylor said.

The biggest play came when former quarterback Ryan Mallett hit then-sophomore wide receiver Cobi Hamilton on an 80-yard strike as time expired, allowing the Razorbacks to go into the half with a 21-14 lead and the momentum.

The nail in the coffin was a 39-yard Mallett pass to then-junior wide receiver Joe Adams early in the fourth quarter.

Mallett was replaced by junior Tyler Wilson this season, who has maintained Arkansas' powerful passing attack, while Hamilton and Adams still play for the Razorbacks.

Sophomore running back Alfred Blue said the Tigers must stick to their fundamentals to quell the big plays of the past, and sophomore defensive end Barkevious Mingo echoed his sentiments.

"[We need to] just wrap up the tackles, bring them down and hold out the game better," Mingo said.

Friday's designation of "Senior Day" may provide another source of motivation for the Tigers. It's the last game the seniors will play in Tiger Stadium, and Blackwell said his class has a special place for Arkansas in its heart.

"We have a personal vendetta against Arkansas," Blackwell said. "It's the only team that we've played consistently in a series that we won't have a chance to have a winning record against in our career. That stings a little bit, especially against the team that you know you're going to play every year and you're going to fight for the division title."

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Contact Alex Cassara at acassara@lsureveille.com