Black Friday: No. 1 LSU Falls to Arkansas in 3OT

By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - LSU's national title hopes were crushed by a Heisman-worthy performance.

Darren McFadden rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another to lift Arkansas to a 50-48, three-overtime victory over the top-ranked Tigers on Friday.

Peyton Hillis also scored three TDs, the last in the third overtime. Felix Jones ran for the critical 2-point conversion to make it 50-42 Razorbacks (8-4, 4-4 SEC).

LSU (10-2, 6-2) responded when Matt Flynn found Brandon LaFell for a 9-yard TD, but Matterral Richardson intercepted the 2-point conversion attempt, and Arkansas' bench emptied onto the field in triumph.

McFadden, last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up, rushed for 206 yards 32 carries and now has 1,725 yards rushing this season. No doubt there are West Virginia and Ohio State fans who'd vote for McFadden for Heisman if they could.

By knocking off LSU, which was in first place in the BCS standings, Arkansas boosted the national championship hopes of West Virginia and Ohio State.

McFadden wasn't the only running back LSU had trouble wrapping up.

Hillis and Jones each ran for 89 yards as Arkansas finished with a 385 yards on the ground against one of the best run defenses in the country.

It's the second time this season the Tigers have fallen while at No. 1 and it's probably too late in the season now for them to get another chance.

The winner of tomorrow night's game between No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Missouri will likely take over the top spot in the rankings and the BCS standings. No. 4 West Virginia, which was third in the BCS standings, has a chance to sneak up to at least No. 2 in each with a win over Connecticut.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are done and waiting it out. They were fifth in the last BCS standings.

Flynn finished 209 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also ran for another score in the first overtime, when LSU could have emerged victorious with a stop on fourth-and-10.

But Casey Dick found Hillis open for a 12-yard game to keep the Razorbacks alive, then later found Hillis again for a 9-yard tying TD.

Jacob Hester rushed for 126 yards and two TDs for LSU, which had to rally from a seven-point deficits three times in the second half, and convert two fourth-down plays on its last drive in regulation, just to force overtime.

But in the end, Arkansas and embattled coach Houston Nutt walked away holding the ``Golden Boot,'' a trophy shaped like the states of Arkansas and Louisiana.

Nutt, who will have his team in a bowl game, may not be back with the Hogs next season after growing unrest in Fayatteville, Ark., and a slow start to the season. Arkansas officials have yet to confirm that, however, and firing Nutt may be a less popular move now.

LSU had already clinched the SEC West Division and will move on to the conference title game in Atlanta on Dec. 1, but will do so feeling a little hollow after letting a chance at a national title slip away. Winning the SEC title will put LSU in New Orleans in January, but for the Sugar Bowl, not the BCS Championship game they wanted to be in a week later.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: University of Arkansas