{"id":82373,"date":"2025-11-11T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=82373"},"modified":"2025-11-11T08:37:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T13:37:59","slug":"road-trip-down-the-boot-five-games-that-shaped-arkansas-vs-lsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/11\/11\/road-trip-down-the-boot-five-games-that-shaped-arkansas-vs-lsu\/","title":{"rendered":"Road Trip Down the Boot: Five Games That Shaped Arkansas vs LSU"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you follow college football, you may be aware of the \u201cBattle for the Golden Boot\u201d, also known as the Arkansas and LSU matchup in football. Some people may have learned about this game through the EA Sports College Football video game, as it was featured in \u201cTrophy Games\u201d in years past. However, you learned of the rivalry, and the history is deep-rooted, especially since 1992, when both programs joined the SEC. In this historical look back, we will take a road trip down the boot and revisit five games that shaped the rivalry between Arkansas and LSU.<\/div>\n

Road Trip Down the Boot: Five Games That Shaped Arkansas vs LSU<\/h2>\n

Golden Boot<\/h3>\n
The trophy, standing three feet tall and weighing 200 pounds, holds great value. Not only to each fanbase, but the beaming 24-karat gold-plated boot really does hold value, and is also believed to be the heaviest trophy in college football history. The brainchild of the trophy is former Razorback David Bazzel. The Little Rock radio host wanted to create a symbol for this budding intraconference meeting. With this, Bazzell developed a homage to both programs, stating that the trophy is combined into the \u201cBoot\u201d shape.<\/div>\n
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For the Razorbacks, this trophy resembles grit and determination. For LSU, the golden boot resembles a historical and recruiting edge. The trophy is more than metal; it is a badge of blood, sweat, tears, and bragging rights in an intense rivalry. Since joining the SEC, the Fighting Tigers of LSU lead, 23-13, all-time against Arkansas. This was once an SEC West staple, which has now been erased in the conference. There have been 29 games since joining the SEC, and of these, 13 have been decided by one score or less. While this may not rival others in the conference, there is a deep-rooted series that has featured some wild turns.<\/div>\n
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As we begin our road trip down the boot, we revisit five games that were impactful and shaped the series.<\/div>\n

1998: Hogs First Boot<\/h3>\n
Does anyone remember Houston Nutt? On October 3, 1998, the Razorbacks hosted the #15-ranked Tigers in Fayetteville. Before 43,000 fans in attendance, Arkansas shocked the Tigers 41-38 as the Hogs exploded offensively. In the win, Arkansas was led by quarterback\u00a0Clint Stoerner<\/a>, who passed for 248 yards, along with running back Ronny Williams, who rumbled for 147 yards and two scores.<\/div>\n
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This game is still being felt in 2025, as this was the first time Arkansas would hoist the boot. With the win, the Hogs would snap a two-game losing skid in the series while cementing legitimacy within the conference at the time.<\/div>\n

2002: Miracle on Markham<\/h3>\n
Next, we move forward four seasons, to November 23, 2002, inside War Memorial Stadium, in Little Rock. The #18 Tigers led the Hogs 20-14 late as Arkansas was looking for a miracle. This is when Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones launched<\/a> a 31-yard pass to DeCon Birmingham for the score. Arkansas kicker David Carlton would ice the victory with an extra point. In the wild win, Arkansas outgained the Tigers 362-312 and was anchored by former running back Cedric Cobbs, who rushed for 103 in the miraculous win.<\/div>\n
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This game was not just miraculous; it also vaulted Arkansas to a 9-3 record, including an SEC West title and championship game appearance. In that game, Arkansas fell to Georgia 30-3 in the Bulldogs’ first SEC title in 20 seasons. The \u201cMiracle on Markham\u201d lives in Razorback fans’ hearts forever, and the moment is proof of a series and rivalry that is never over until the final zero is on the clock.<\/div>\n

2007: Wild Hog<\/h3>\n
We now head to Baton Rouge, November 23, 2007, as the #1 Tigers hosted the Razorbacks. Entering the game, LSU was riding a 22-game home streak as the Hogs went \u201cWild\u201d with formations under Nutt and then offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. We saw the debut of the \u201cWild Hog\u201d formation that featured Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis in a unique motion scheme that took the football world by storm. At the end of regulation, these two schools were tied at 28. Then, three overtimes of pure drama as the Hogs prevailed 50-48 in a game that will be remembered nationally.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The win halted the streak for the Tigers, but not their season. Ultimately, after the loss, the Tigers went on to defeat Tennessee in the SEC Championship. The memorable season was capped with a meeting with Ohio State in the BCS National Championship and a win. Meanwhile, for Arkansas, the 8-4 season will be painted with red paint because of the \u201cWild\u201d one in Baton Rouge.<\/div>\n
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Photo Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

2010: Power of Petrino<\/h3>\n
As we continue the road trip, we end up back in Little Rock on November 27, 2010. The Razornacks hosted the Tigers, who featured an elite defense. That season, LSU was led by the number one defense in the country, as Arkansas was led by Bobby Petrino and\u00a0Ryan Mallett<\/a> as his signal-caller. In the end, Mallett utilized his weapons as he etched his 60th career touchdown pass amid 298 yards passing and three scores. Anchored on the ground by Knile Davis, who carved the Tigers for 152 yards in the win.<\/div>\n
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While, this would be the third consecutive win in the series at the time for Arkansas. This game showcased the dynamic and cerebral attack under Petrino at the time, complemented by the talents on the roster. In a time when Arkansas felt great in the series, these wins were impactful for the Hogs.<\/div>\n

2021: Pittman Stops Streak<\/h3>\n
Finally, we take you to the most recent Arkansas win in the series, the 2021 season. While most fans may not want to mention this, we must. For Sam Pittman, the win came at a perfect time as the Tigers had controlled the series for the previous five seasons entering the game. The game came down to overtime as Cam Little hit a 37-yarder for the win. Arkansas was anchored by the defense in the win. An interception in the Tigers’ possession of overtime to set up the game-winner from Little for the clutch kick.<\/div>\n
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In the Pittman era, this was his only victory in the series. However, this is the only win in this series for Arkansas in the last nine contests. The win has a great impact, as in this season, Arkansas was able to win all three of its trophy games, defeating Texas A&M and Missouri.<\/div>\n

2025: Interim Job For All<\/h3>\n
As the 2025 contest is looming, could we see more magic in this series? The road curves back to Louisiana as Tiger Stadium will host this edition at 11:45 a.m. CT on the SEC Network. Interestingly, both programs will feature an interim coach on the sidelines. Which coach will prevail? We will soon find out.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In closing, this series has winding roads, overtime thrillers, and devastating defeats. These five games have shaped the Arkansas-LSU rivalry since the 1992 season. \u00a0More than this, Arkansas and LSU have a trophy built with pride to play for this Saturday. We do not know who will hoist the golden-plated boot. We know the game will be memorable, after all, they all are.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Opponent:<\/strong> LSU Tigers
\nHistory:<\/strong> LSU has won three straight and leads the series 45-23<\/div>\n
Last meeting:<\/strong> LSU defeated Arkansas 34-10 in Fayetteville last year.
\nDate and Time:<\/strong> Saturday, Nov. 15th 11:45 a.m. CT
\nLocation:<\/strong> Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
\nTelevision:<\/strong> SEC Network<\/div>\n
Trophy:<\/strong> The Golden Boot<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you follow college football, you may be aware of the \u201cBattle for the Golden Boot\u201d, also known as the Arkansas and LSU matchup in football. Some people may have learned about this game through the EA Sports College Football video game, as it was featured in \u201cTrophy Games\u201d in years past. However, you learned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4207,"featured_media":82379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,35588,35584,17,3],"tags":[437,10282,10283,6943,1938,111,34272],"class_list":["post-82373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-arkansas-razorbacks","category-lsu-tigers","category-news","category-sec","tag-bobby-petrino","tag-darren-mcfadden","tag-felix-jones","tag-guz-malzahn","tag-houston-nutt","tag-sam-pittman","tag-the-golden-boot"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82373"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82388,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82373\/revisions\/82388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}