Arkansas–LSU football rivalry

The Arkansas–LSU football rivalry, also known as The Battle for the Golden Boot, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Arkansas Razorbacks football team of the University of Arkansas and LSU Tigers football team of Louisiana State University. The first game between the Razorbacks and Tigers was played in 1901. With the admission of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference (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.

The two teams have played 58 times since 1901, and as of the 2012 contest, 21 consecutive times after Arkansas' induction into the SEC. During that time, Arkansas has won 20 games of the series while LSU has won 36. Arkansas and LSU have twice ended the game in a tie, in 1906 and the 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic.

Pre-Golden Boot era
Arkansas and LSU began playing each other in 1901, when LSU claimed a 15-0 victory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Between 1906–36 (with the exception of 1918) and 1953–56, 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 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


LSU leads the trophy series 11-6. Beginning in 1996, the winning team has received the 175-pound Golden Boot trophy. The trophy itself stands a little over 4 feet tall, is molded out of 24-karat gold, and resembles the outline of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana connected, thus making a boot shape. From 1996–2008, the game was played on the day after Thanksgiving, and has been played on alternating years in Little Rock, Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium, which is the secondary home stadium for the Razorbacks, and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at Tiger Stadium. The series has generally represented an important battle in the SEC 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 Golden Boot 4 straight times from 2003–06.

The trophy returned to Arkansas' possession on November 23, 2007 when the Razorbacks beat then top-ranked, and eventual BCS National Championship game winner LSU 50-48 in three overtimes in Baton Rouge; The victory was the first for former Razorback coach Houston Nutt in five tries in Tiger Stadium. Arkansas successfully defended the Golden Boot again in 2008 with a spectacular come-from-behind victory in the last minute of the game. 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.
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SEC: Pre-Golden Boot

 * colspan=6 | The game was moved from Fayetteville to Little Rock starting in 1994.
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Battle for the Golden Boot

 * colspan=6 | †: Represented the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game that season.
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1901 - First Meeting
LSU 15 - Arkansas 0

In 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 0

The 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic was played as an end to the 1946 college football season 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, 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. 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 Y.A. Tittle. The Arkansas defense kept the Tiger offense out of the end zone 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 (a future College Football Hall of Famer) tackled LSU receiver Jeff Odom at the Razorback one, preserving the tie. The Tigers then attempted the go-ahead field goal, 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 7

The two teams played each other on January 1, 1966 in the Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1965 college football season. 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-American end Bobby Crockett. Running back Joe LaBruzzo then ran in from three yards out for the Bengal Tigers to tie the game at 7. Razorback QB Brittenum then left the game after suffering a shoulder injury and the Hogs fumbled 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, 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 Conference. (after previously playing in the now defunct Southwest Conference) Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991, along with the South Carolina Gamecocks, to bring the league up to 12 teams, and began a system in which there was an SEC Championship Game 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 meetings between the two teams.

1996 - First Golden Boot awarded
LSU 17 - Arkansas 7

In 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 rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Herb Tyler threw for 191 yards. LSU coach Gerry DiNardo 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 20

The 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 in Little Rock 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 Matt Jones 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, 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. 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) had it not been for the loss. The finish is considered similar to the Bluegrass Miracle, 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 Game (while going on to win the national championship after winning the 2004 Sugar Bowl ), and also going to the 2005 SEC Championship Game, while Arkansas went to the 2006 SEC Championship Game 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, 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 runner up) Darren McFadden 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. The "Wild Hog" formation (Arkansas' name for the Wildcat offense) 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 famously mispronounced Arkansas as ar-Kansas, as in the pronunciation of the state of Kansas, 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 against the Tennessee Volunteers, and after winning the contest went on to win the 2008 BCS National Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, becoming the first ever team to win the BCS National Championship with 2 losses. This game ended up being the last that Houston Nutt coached at Arkansas, resigning a few days later and announcing himself as new head coach of Ole Miss. (see Arkansas–Ole Miss rivalry and Houston Nutt)

2008 - Miracle on Markham II
Arkansas 31 - LSU 30

In 2008, Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick 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 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. 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 ranked 3rd in the Western division of the SEC (behind Alabama and Ole Miss) 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-based 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, reluctantly stated, “That’s fine with me,” when asked about the "Miracle on Markham II" title for the game.

2009
LSU 33 - Arkansas 30 - OT

2010, 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 Auburn, allowing the Razorbacks to earn a berth in the 2011 Sugar Bowl.