LSU 2024 Opponent Preview: Arkansas

We continue our opponent preview series today with Arkansas in the Battle for the Boot rivalry game that still holds significance to fans on a yearly basis. Arkansas is coming off of a rough 2023 season but Sam Pittman returns and is gearing up for one more push to get the Razorbacks to a bowl game in this new-look SEC. LSU faces Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 19 with the game starting anywhere from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT and it is also the Razorbacks’ Homecoming game.

Here’s an in-depth look at Arkansas and what we know about them going into the year.

Previous opponent previews: USC, South Carolina, UCLA, Ole Miss

Head coach: Sam Pittman (5th season)

Offensive coordinator: Bobby Petrino (1st season)

Defensive coordinator: Travis Williams (2nd season)

Last year

After back-to-back winning seasons at Arkansas for the first time since 2016, the Razorbacks came crashing back down to Earth in 2024 with a 4-8 record overall and a 1-7 record in conference. The four wins last year came against West Carolina, Kent State, FIU, and Florida in overtime. The rest of the year was a mixed bag with blowout losses to Texas A&M, Auburn, and Missouri, but strangely competitive contests with LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama. Arkansas chose to keep Sam Pittman for another season after the year and now looks to right the ship in 2024.

Offense

Despite the veteran leadership and production of KJ Jefferson at quarterback, Arkansas’ offense was inept for most of the year. The Razorbacks finished the year ranked 117 in offensive EPA and were outside of the top 100 in both rushing and passing EPA. There was literally nothing Arkansas did well last year on offense, with no running back totaling over 312 yards and one receiver with over 351 yards in Andrew Armstrong. Bobby Petrino was hired in late November, urgently trying to fix the offensive problems for 2024.

Defense

The defense was a bit better for Arkansas, but still allowed teams to gain 5.7 yards per play and score nearly 28 points per game against them. The defensive personnel was not bad, with Chris Paul Jr., Landon Jackson, Dwight McGlothern, Al Walcott, and Trajan Jeffcoat, but together, there were too many inconsistencies with the lineup and production in winnable games. That three-week stretch from Ole Miss, to Alabama to Mississippi State was a promising stretch, but outside of those three games, it was more problems for Pittman.

Key departures

Drafted: K Cam Little, C Beaux Limmer

Transferred out: LB Jaheim Thomas, QB KJ Jefferson, LB Chris Paul Jr., RB Raheim Sanders, RB Dominique Johnson, RB Isaiah Augustave, OT Andrew Chamblee, IOL Paris Patterson, CB Snaxx Johnson, DL Tank Booker, DL Taurean Carter, RB AJ Green, CB Malik Chavis, OT Devon Manuel, LB Jordan Cook, CB Jaylen Lewis

There are four key losses here in Thomas, Jefferson, Paul and Sanders. The rest are replaceable, but those four are significant pieces that would have helped this year. Ultimately, after a terrible 2023 season, losing this much talent is not a surprise, but a reality for any team that falls below .500 has to face. New coaches means new players and an overhaul big enough to try to save Sam Pittman’s job this year. In total the Razorbacks lost 34 players in the transfer portal, the second most in the SEC to Alabama (35).

Important additions

2024 Class: DL Charleston Collins, CB Selman Bridges, LB Bradley Shaw, RB Braylen Russell, DL Kavion Henderson, QB KJ Jackson.

Transfers in: OT Fernando Carmona, QB Taylen Green, LB Xavian Sorey, RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, IOL Addison Nichols, OT Keysnawn Blackstock, EDGE Anton Juncaj, S Anthony Switzer.

It’s a good haul from the portal and I loved Collins as a prospect – he’s a legit top 75 player in the class. Carmona, Nichols, and Blackstock all project as immediate contributors on the offensive line to help settle in Green. Jackson is a legit running back, but overall the skill position players are lacking on this roster for me. It’s going to take a lot of work from the offensive line to carry this offense into being even average.

Going into 2024

Top returners: DE Landon Jackson, WR Andrew Armstrong, WR Luke Hasz, S Jaylon Braxton, OG Joshua Braun, TE Luke Hasz. 

It’s a solid group of returners, especially on the defensive side of the ball where they return a lot of solid players with Jackson, Braxton, and others. These guys will have to step up and play at a high level for this team to get to a bowl game, because the overall talent as-is is not up to par.

Expectations

Vegas has Arkansas’ win total set at 4.5 right now. The non-conference includes Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Oklahoma State, UAB, and Louisiana Tech – most likely 3-1. Then you have six SEC games where the Razorbacks will be at least a touchdown underdog with Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Missouri, so can Arkansas get two ROAD wins over Mississippi State and Auburn? I don’t love their chances. Expectations should be four wins. That won’t be enough to save Sam Pittman’s job. He’ll need to make a bowl game to be retained, from my outside perspective.

Early thoughts on LSU vs. Arkansas

The Battle for the Boot dates back over 100 years and in the past four seasons it has delivered four games each with a three-point differential. LSU has won three of those four, but Arkansas always seems to give the Tigers fits. This game will be back in Fayetteville, setting the scene for a likely desperate Arkansas team against an LSU squad either coming off of a triumphant win over Ole Miss or an incredibly painful home loss. Either way, this is an easy game to overlook on the schedule and a game a well-coached team finds a way to win. LSU under Brian Kelly has been able to scrap out games against lesser opponents for the most part and this will be another test of that.

On paper, though, Arkansas’ defense will need to force turnovers and try to win off the edges to unsettle Garrett Nussmeier because the Razorbacks’ offense should be inconsistent enough to give LSU plenty of chances. Tigers should roll, but we know things can go sideways in this series.