.gif)
Golden Boot (LSU-Arkansas)
Encyclopedia
| LSU (35) | Arkansas (20) |
|---|---|
| 1901 1907 1908 1912 1913 1915 1916 1919 1920 1921 1926 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1953 1954 1955 1956 1966* 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2009 2011 |
1909 1910 1911 1914 1917 1922 1923 1924 1925 1927 1928 1929 1992 1993 1998 2000 2002 2007 2008 2010 |
| Ties (2) | |
| 1906 1947* | |
| *Cotton Bowl Classic | |
The Arkansas–LSU football rivalry, also known as The Battle for the Golden Boot, is an American college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
rivalry
College rivalry
Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically...
game played annually by the Arkansas Razorbacks football
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
team of the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
and the LSU Tigers football
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
team of Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. The first game between the Razorbacks and Tigers was played in 1901. With the admission of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) in 1992, the rivalry became an annually scheduled game between fellow members of the SEC's Western Division. The "Golden Boot" trophy was first awarded to the game's winner in 1996. The game is usually played on the Friday after Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
.
The two teams have played 54 times since 1901, and as of the 2010 contest, 19 consecutive times after Arkansas' induction into the SEC. During that time, Arkansas has won 20 games of the series while LSU has won 34. However, Arkansas has won three of the last five. Arkansas and LSU have twice ended the game in a tie, in 1906 and the 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic.
The last six meetings in the series have been decided by a total of 21 points, including a one-point game, two two-point games and a three-point game.
Pre-Golden Boot era
Arkansas and LSU began playing each other in 1901, when LSU claimed a 15-0 victory in Baton Rouge, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Between 1906-1936 (with the exception of 1918) and 1953–1956, the two teams played each other during regular seasons on a yearly basis. In addition, the two teams have played each other at the end of the regular season in the Cotton Bowl Classic twice, on January 1 of 1947 and 1966, the former being the second tie in the series while the latter ended in a 14-7 LSU victory.
In 1992, LSU and Arkansas resumed their annual rivalry when Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
after leaving the Southwest Conference. The teams played each other four times in the conference before the introduction of the Golden Boot trophy in 1996.
Golden Boot era
.jpg)
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, and resembles the outline of the states of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
connected, thus making a boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
shape. From 1996 to 2008, the game was played on the day after Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, and has been played on alternating years in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
at War Memorial Stadium
War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas)
War Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The stadium is primarily used for American football and is the home stadium for the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, Catholic High School Rockets, and the secondary home stadium for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks...
, which is the secondary home stadium for the Razorbacks, and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
at Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
. The series has generally represented an important battle in the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Western Division, with either Arkansas or LSU representing the division in the SEC Football Championship Game in many seasons.
LSU won the inaugural trophy meeting in 1996, 17–7, and for the next six years, the trophy changed hands every meeting, beginning with LSU in 1997. After Arkansas' "Miracle on Markham" victory in 2002, LSU won the rivalry and the Golden Boot four consecutive times from 2003 to 2006.
The trophy returned to Arkansas' possession on November 23, 2007 when the Razorbacks beat then top-ranked, and eventual BCS National Championship game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
winner LSU 50-48 in three overtimes in Baton Rouge; The victory was the first for former Razorback coach Houston Nutt
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...
in five tries in Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
. Arkansas successfully defended the Golden Boot again in 2008 with a spectacular come-from-behind victory in the last minute of gameplay. However, in 2009, LSU recaptured the trophy with a field goal by Josh Jasper in overtime. The 2010 matchup was played on November 27 in Little Rock, and was won 31-23 by Arkansas with head coach Bobby Petrino. Top ranked LSU overcame an early 14-point deficit to reclaim the trophy in 2011, 41-17.
Game results
Arkansas victories are colored ██ red. LSU victories are colored ██ purple. Ties are white.Pre-SEC
|-
| colspan=6 | ^: The teams met in the Cotton Bowl Classic which was held on January 1.
|}
SEC: Pre-Golden Boot
|-| colspan=6 | The game was moved from Fayetteville to Little Rock starting in 1994.
|}
Battle for the Golden Boot
|-| colspan=6 | †: Represented the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
that season.
|}
1901 - First Meeting
LSU 15 - Arkansas 0In the initial meeting between the two teams during the 1901 season, LSU came away with the victory, shutting out Arkansas completely. The game was played in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was one of the first ever played by either school's football team.
1947 - The "Ice Bowl"
LSU 0 - Arkansas 0The 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic was played as an end to the 1946 college football season
1946 college football season
The 1946 college football season finished with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame crowned as the national champion in the AP Poll, with the United States Military Academy the runner up...
for both teams, and was the first matchup between the rivals since 1936. The game was named the "Ice Bowl" due to the ice, sleet, snow, rain, and sub-20 degree (Fahrenheit) weather which produced horrid playing conditions. The Tigers only accepted the invitation after considering themselves snubbed by the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, and entered the game with a record of 9-1.
During the time period in which the game was played, the bowl game was still considered an accomplishment due to the tickets that were sold out weeks in advance and the attendance of the game, which was around 38,000 despite the weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
. It is argued that LSU had the upper-hand most of the game in terms of offensive production, holding a 15-1 edge over the Razorbacks in first downs and a 271-54 advantage in total yardage, led by quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Y.A. Tittle. The Arkansas defense kept the Tiger offense out of the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
from the Arkansas 1, 6, 7, and 8 yard lines, but Arkansas could not capitalize on any of the stops. The final two plays proved the cold did not stop the teams from having a flair for the dramatic, as Razorback Clyde Scott
Clyde Scott
Clyde Scott is a retired American athlete who competed professionally in the National Football League and earned an Olympic medal in the 110 meter hurdles....
(a future College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
r) tackled LSU receiver Jeff Odom at the Razorback one, preserving the tie. The Tigers then attempted the go-ahead field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
, but a bad snap ended the game on the final play. Due in large part to the weather, the game ended in a 0-0 tie, marking the second (and last) time the two teams tied.
1966 - Cotton Bowl Classic with National Championship implications
LSU 14 - Arkansas 7The two teams played each other on January 1, 1966 in the Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1965 college football season
1965 college football season
During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press was the most popular,...
. Arkansas had won the national championship the previous year, for the 1964 season, and came into the game with a 10-0 record (and an overall 22-game winning streak on the line) after winning the Southwest Conference title for 1965, looking to again win the national championship. Arkansas had the number one scoring offense coming into the game, averaging 32.4 points per contest.
Arkansas took the ball to the end zone on the opening drive, capped by a 19 yard toss from Jon Brittenum to All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n end Bobby Crockett. Running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Joe LaBruzzo then ran in from three yards out for the Bengal Tigers to tie the game at 7. Razorback QB
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Brittenum then left the game after suffering a shoulder injury and the Hogs fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
d the ball three plays later. LaBruzzo again scored, this time from one yard away, giving the Tigers a 14-7 halftime lead.
Neither team scored in the second half, and Arkansas ended the game on the LSU 24 yard line. Razorback Bobby Crockett set a bowl record with 10 catches for 129 yards, but it was not enough as the Tigers edged out the win by one touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
, 14-7, to move to a record of 8-3, while the Razorbacks dropped to 10-1 for the season.
1992 - Arkansas joins the SEC
1992 was the first year that Arkansas played a football season as a part of the Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
. (after previously playing in the now defunct Southwest Conference) Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991, along with the South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
to bring the league up to the 12 current teams, and begin a system in which there was an SEC Championship Game
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
on a yearly basis between the winner of the Western division and the Eastern division. The Razorbacks won the initial SEC contest between the teams 30-6, the only time the game was in Fayetteville, Arkansas while Arkansas was in the SEC. This was the first of the now annual meetings between the two teams. The Golden Boot trophy was not awarded in the initial four SEC meeting between the two teams.
1996 - First Golden Boot awarded
LSU 17 - Arkansas 7In 1996, which was the first year the Golden Boot Trophy was awarded, the LSU Tigers were able to take home the trophy. The 19th-ranked Tigers won the game by a score of 17 to 7. For the Tigers, running back Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Herb Tyler
Herb Tyler
Herb Tyler, from New Orleans, Louisiana, was a quarterback for the LSU Tigers from 1995 to 1998.-College:In 1995, Tyler went to Louisiana State University Late in his freshman season, Tyler replaced injured senior Jamie Howard to become LSU's starting quarterback...
threw for 191 yards. LSU coach Gerry DiNardo
Gerry DiNardo
Gerard DiNardo is a former American football player and coach. He played college football as a guard for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where he was selected as an All-American in 1974...
was quoted after the game as saying, "Obviously it was a great win. I feel we had a terrific first half. In the second half the defense didn't play as well as it should and the offense didn't score."
Initial reaction to the awarding of the trophy was mixed, but in the intervening years it has come to represent a ratcheting up of the rivalry.
2002 – "Miracle on Markham"
Arkansas 21 - LSU 20The 2002 contest between the two teams is now referred to as the "Miracle on Markham" by most Arkansas fans and those in the media. (Markham Street is the main street that runs by War Memorial Stadium
War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas)
War Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The stadium is primarily used for American football and is the home stadium for the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, Catholic High School Rockets, and the secondary home stadium for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks...
in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
where the game was played.)
Trailing 20–14 with 34 seconds left, the Razorbacks (8-3, 4-3 SEC) got the ball at their own 19 yard line. Arkansas quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Matt Jones
Matt Jones (American football)
Matthew Jones is a former American football wide receiver . He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and retired officially in November 2010. He played college football at Arkansas....
completed a 50-yard pass to Richard Smith on the first play. After the game Jones was quoted as saying "I couldn't believe Richard Smith got behind that guy. Our play wasn't designed to go to Richard, but they let him get behind them. If I could have thrown the ball about 10 yards further we would have scored on that play."
After one pass incompletion, Jones threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to DeCori Birmingham, who leaped over LSU defensive back Randall Gay
Randall Gay
Randall "Blue" Jerome Gay, Jr. is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Louisiana State...
, with nine seconds left on the game clock. Arkansas was penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration, moving the go-ahead extra point to the 18 yard line. Arkansas kicker David Carlton barely made the long extra point (which was long enough, but curved left) to give Arkansas a 21–20 win over LSU and the opportunity to go to the 2002 Southeastern Conference Championship Game
2002 SEC Championship Game
The 2002 SEC Championship Game was won by the Georgia Bulldogs 30-3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on December 7, 2002 and was televised to a national audience on CBS....
. After the game, Houston Nutt said that when he was sharing with Jones the plays to run Jones simply said, despite completing only two passes up to that point, "I've got it." LSU would have clinched the SEC Western division title (thereby advancing to the 2002 SEC Championship Game
2002 SEC Championship Game
The 2002 SEC Championship Game was won by the Georgia Bulldogs 30-3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on December 7, 2002 and was televised to a national audience on CBS....
) had it not been for the loss. The finish is considered similar to the Bluegrass Miracle
Bluegrass Miracle
The "Bluegrass Miracle" refers to one of the most improbable finishes in NCAA college football history. It was a 74-yard game-winning touchdown pass by the #14 LSU Tigers with no time left on the clock against the Kentucky Wildcats on November 9, 2002 at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington,...
, and is considered one of the all-time greatest finishes to a game in Razorback history.
2003-2006
The LSU Tigers won the Golden Boot Trophy four consecutive times between the 2003 and 2006 contests, while also staying at or near the top of the SEC West; Winning the 2003 SEC Championship Game2003 SEC Championship Game
The 2003 SEC Championship Game was won by the LSU Tigers 34-13 over the Georgia Bulldogs. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.-External links:****...
(while going on to win the national championship after winning the 2004 Sugar Bowl
2004 Sugar Bowl
The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners...
), and also going to the 2005 SEC Championship Game
2005 SEC Championship Game
The 2005 Dr. Pepper SEC Championship Game was played on December 3, 2005 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game determined the 2005 football champion of the Southeastern Conference. The Georgia Bulldogs, winners of the Eastern division of the SEC, defeated the LSU Tigers, who won the...
, while Arkansas went to the 2006 SEC Championship Game
2006 SEC Championship Game
The 2006 SEC Championship Game was played on December 2, 2006, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game matched SEC Western Division champion Arkansas against SEC Eastern Division champion Florida. The second meeting between the two schools in the championship game, it led to a 38–28...
even after losing to LSU in the Golden Boot game. Previous to this four year run by LSU, the trophy had changed hands on almost a yearly basis since its inception.
2007 - Houston Nutt's final game
Arkansas 50 - LSU 48 (3OT)Coming into the November 23, 2007 game which was played in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, LSU was ranked number one in the country in the BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, and most major polls. The Razorbacks outlasted the Tigers in a grueling three overtime game to win the game in which star running back (and 2007 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
runner up) Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden is an American football running back who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Arkansas from 2005 to 2007...
rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns, and threw for one touchdown to lift Arkansas to a 50-48 victory in front of 92,606 people (the official attendance) at Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
. The "Wild Hog" formation (Arkansas' name for the Wildcat offense
Wildcat offense
|- style="text-align:center;"| || |- style="text-align:center;"| Base Wildcat || Speed Sweep|- style="text-align:center;"| || |- style="text-align:center;"| QB Counter || Split Zone|- style="text-align:center;"...
) was run prominently in the game, led by McFadden, in which he was a triple threat to run, hand off, or throw.
The game was played after Tigers coach Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
famously mispronounced Arkansas as ar-Kansas, as in the pronunciation of the state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, in the week preceding the game. This was thought to act as a motivator for Arkansas in the game, because after the game McFadden was quoted as saying, "They weren't saying it right so we wanted to let them know how to say it."
LSU went on to represent the West in the 2007 SEC Championship Game
2007 SEC Championship Game
The 2007 SEC Championship Game was played on December 1, 2007 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game determined the 2007 football champion of the Southeastern Conference. The LSU Tigers, winners of the Western division of the SEC, defeated the Tennessee Volunteers, who won the Eastern...
against the Tennessee Volunteers
2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the college football season of 2007–2008. They won the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference before falling to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship Game...
, and after winning the contest went on to win the 2008 BCS National Championship Game
2008 BCS National Championship Game
The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007...
against the Ohio State Buckeyes
2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of the Ohio State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio...
, becoming the first ever team to win the BCS National Championship with 2 losses. This game ended up being the last that Houston Nutt
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...
coached at Arkansas, resigning a few days later and announcing himself as new head coach of Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
. (see Arkansas–Ole Miss rivalry#Houston Nutt controversy and Houston Nutt#Resignation)
2008 - Miracle on Markham II
Arkansas 31 - LSU 30In 2008, Arkansas
2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2008 football season. The Razorbacks played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and one home game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas...
quarterback Casey Dick
Casey Dick
Casey Dick is a former college football quarterback for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.- High school career :Dick played for Allen High School in Allen, Texas...
threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver London Crawford on a fourth-down (with one yard to go) situation with only 22 seconds remaining on the game clock to give the Razorbacks a 31-30 victory over the Tigers
2008 LSU Tigers football team
The 2008 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach was Les Miles who entered his fourth year at the helm of LSU Football. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
at War Memorial Stadium
War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas)
War Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The stadium is primarily used for American football and is the home stadium for the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, Catholic High School Rockets, and the secondary home stadium for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks...
in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. Coincidentally Crawford caught it in the same corner in the same endzone Decori Birmigham had scored the game winner six years earlier against LSU. The Razorbacks had trailed by a score of 30-14 early in the third quarter when Casey replaced his younger brother, Nathan at quarterback; LSU incurred several penalties which aided Arkansas in the comeback ending in the winning drive which included converting twice on fourth down.
Prior to the game, both teams had been unranked and out of the running for the SEC West title. LSU finished the 2008 season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
ranked 3rd in the Western division of the SEC (behind Alabama
2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
and Ole Miss
2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2008 college football season. The team's head coach was Houston Nutt, who served his first season in the position and replaced Ed Orgeron, who was fired after accumulating a 10–25 record at Ole Miss from...
) and bowl bound. Arkansas finished the year ranked 4th in the division and out of contention for a bowl.
Because of the similarities between this outcome and the Miracle on Markham, some, such as Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
-based The Morning News
The Morning News
The Morning News may refer to:* ITV Morning News, in the United Kingdom* Morning News , in Canada* The Morning News * The Morning News * The Morning News...
, have taken to calling this game the "Miracle on Markham II". Other columnists and news sources, citing less of the impact or flair of the Miracle on Markham, have suggested other titles, such as "Madness on Markham". Quarterback for the Razorbacks at the time, Casey Dick
Casey Dick
Casey Dick is a former college football quarterback for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.- High school career :Dick played for Allen High School in Allen, Texas...
, reluctantly stated, “That’s fine with me,”
when asked about the "Miracle on Markham II" title for the game.
2009
LSU 33 - Arkansas 30 - OT2010, Matchup with Sugar Bowl implications
In a top-fifteen matchup in War Memorial Stadium, Arkansas retrieved the Golden Boot from the Tigers with a 31-23 season-defining victory. The Razorbacks’ offense recorded 464 total yards of offense against the Tigers, who had the top-ranked defense in the SEC entering the contest. Arkansas’s sophomore running back Knile Davis rushed for 152 yards, including nine straight rushes on the final Arkansas drive, and Ryan Mallett broke the school record of 60 career touchdown passes in the contest. Cobi Hamilton of Arkansas had three catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns of 80 or more yards, including a long score with six seconds remaining before halftime. Stevan Ridley had two rushing scores for LSU. Arkansas and LSU both closed the regular season with a record of 10-2, with Arkansas finishing second in the SEC Western Division behind Auburn2010 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2010 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2010–2011 college football season. The Tigers, led by second year head coach Gene Chizik were members of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at Jordan-Hare Stadium...
, allowing the Razorbacks to earn a berth in the 2011 Sugar Bowl
2011 Sugar Bowl
The 2011 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 77th Sugar Bowl. The contest took place on January 4, 2011, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The...
.