BATON ROUGE — Thanks to holding Ole Miss to 195 yards of total offense on Saturday, LSU has regained the No. 1 spot in the nation in total defense this week.
The Tigers slipped to No. 2 in the nation last week for the first time since late September after its 28-14 win over Alabama. However, the Tigers moved back ahead of Virginia Tech. In 11 games, the Tigers are allowing 227.7 yards per game with Virginia Tech ranking No. 2 at 231 yards per contest.
The Tiger defense also ranks among the top 10 in the nation in several other defensive categories, including a No. 3 rankings in scoring defense (11.3 points per game) and pass efficiency defense (95.1 rating), No.5 in sacks (3.4 per game), No. 6 in rushing defense (74.6 yards per game), and No. 8 in pass defense (153.1 yards per game).
The Tigers have also been one of the best when it comes to getting off the field on third-downs as LSU has limited its opponents to just a 28.3 percent conversion rate in those situations. That figure ranks fifth nationally.
The Tiger defense will be tested this week by an Arkansas offense that ranks No. 4 in the nation in rushing yards per game with a 230.6 average. The Hogs, now ranked No. 5 in the nation, are also No. 2 in the SEC in scoring with 30.5 points per game. Arkansas’ top runner is sophomore Darren McFadden, who has rushed for 1,303 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 118.5 yards per game leads the SEC and ranks No. 9 in the nation. LSU goes into the contest having not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.
Offensively, the Tigers continue to rank No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference in both scoring offense (33.3 points per game) and total offense (411.1 yards per game).
LSU, behind the play of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, ranks No. 7 in the nation in pass efficiency with a 163.2 rating. Russell ranks No. 6 in the nation in pass efficiency as he’s completed 197 of 286 passes for 24 TDs and just seven interceptions.