Arkansas came out of the halftime locker room with one player seemingly doing it all in its 16-13 overtime win over LSU.
The Razorbacks managed just 101 total yards of offense in the first half, but it was the play of sophomore quarterback KJ Jefferson that brought life to the struggling unit.
After an atrocious first-half offensive performance, Jefferson looked like a veteran by putting the team on his back. He evaded tackles and sacks for most of the night, and in the second half it proved to be vital toward a victory.
“They were too fast and we weren't able to block their linebackers,” head coach Sam Pittman said. “We couldn't hold up protecting. We did a little bit better in the second half. They were a very, very good defense tonight. We struggled, but KJ found a way to make enough plays."
Jefferson threw for just 34 passing yards in the first half, 18 of which came on a pass to tight end Blake Kern on the first play from scrimmage. The LSU defense kept consistent pressure on him, leading to stalled drives throughout the first 30 minutes.
Just two of Arkansas’ eight first half offensive possessions lasted more than four plays, with four of them resulting in three-and-outs. Only one possession spanned more than two minutes long. Pittman pointed out the glaring issues for the Hogs going into the locker room.
“We just have to block them,” Pittman told the Arkansas radio broadcast. “We’ve got to win first down… We’ve got to find a way to run the football and win first down.”
The Razorbacks took the first possession of the second half and on the team’s first third down, Jefferson took a QB keeper to the right end for 15 yards. After another 11-yard scramble, he completed a 19-yard pass to junior wideout Treylon Burks to give the Arkansas offense life.
Though that drive stalled and resulted in a turnover on downs, it was a bright spot for a struggling offense.
On the next Razorback possession, Jefferson evaded multiple defenders and found himself throwing an off-balance pass to a wide-open Dominique Johnson for a 43-yard touchdown. There was no quit on the play from Jefferson, who gave it his all in the second half for the Hogs.
“I knew I had to make one miss because I'm accountable for one,” Jefferson said. “When I made him miss I just, the main thing, a great quarterback keeps his eyes downfield to make plays. The only thing on my mind was making a play. I saw (Johnson) downfield, wide open, and I just tried to give him a good ball and he ended up doing the rest."
Arkansas did not light up the scoreboard in the final two quarters, but Jefferson engineered longer drives that gave the Razorback defense extended rest and limited opportunity for the LSU offense.
“We just had to establish the line of scrimmage up front,” Jefferson said. “They came out and we prepared for what they came out in. We knew they were going to blitz a lot. We had to establish the line of scrimmage up front. Just coming after halftime we just established the line of scrimmage and we just played our ball."
On the final drive of the game, it was Jefferson who the Arkansas coaches trusted to protect the ball. He took three-straight QB keepers down to the LSU 19-yard line to set up freshman kicker Cam Little’s game-winning kick.
“Going out there when the offense rolled out there, the main thing we had to do was protect the ball,” Jefferson said. “We knew (Little) was gonna make the field goal - he had it in his bag. That’s just the main thing, protecting the ball and giving him a chance.”
Jefferson’s final stat line doesn’t jump off the page - 18 of 25 passing for 142 yards and one touchdown, plus a team-high 41 rushing yards despite taking three sacks - but it was his ability to scramble and avoid even more sacks that gave Arkansas a chance in Death Valley.
