LSU Footall: Tigers can put an end to three head coach’s jobs

(4-5, 1-4 SEC) Arkansas Razorbacks 

First up, the LSU Tigers host the Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday in Death Valley. This will be the 12th time since 1969 that LSU will kickoff at or before noon in Tiger Stadium, and the Tigers hold an 8-3 record in those early afternoon games.

Bret Bielema’s lovable, wacky personality helped to keep him in good light with Razorbacks fans for four seasons despite entering 2017 with a 10-22 record in SEC play.

Times have changed in Fayetteville though and more importantly, attitudes have changed in Fayetteville.

One of the bright spots for Bielema and his program was the return of senior quarterback Austin Allen who led the SEC in nearly every passing category after throwing for 3,340 yards and 25 touchdowns last year. Allen and Bielema locked arms and embraced the 2017 season with high hopes, but that sense of optimism was quickly squashed when Allen sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the last four weeks.

Bielema and offensive coordinator Dan Enos have had to rely on the arm of their 6’7 backup gunslinger Cole Kelley who, in all fairness, pieced together respectable numbers in Allen’s stead, throwing for 1,102 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Razorbacks average 388.4 yards per game and average 29.9 points per game — both statistics represent middle-of-the-pack type numbers based on the current outlook of the rest of the conference.

Here’s the thing though, the offense hasn’t been the issue for Arkansas this season.

That new look 3-4 defense that first-year defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads installed over the offseason has let him down time and time again. The Razorbacks have given up 30 or more points in six out of their last seven games and the unit ranks 92nd in total defense.

Fans in Fayetteville are fuming after it took a furious fourth quarter comeback to eek out a one point victory last week over the lowly 1-8 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, a program that’s playing its first ever season in the FBS ranks.

And with the Tigers playing the way they are right now, LSU should be picked as a two touchdown favorite over the Razorbacks this weekend, though it’s not hard to imagine the margin of victory ballooning to a much larger number.

Will a blowout loss to LSU provide Arkansas brass with the final, definitive nail that it’s been searching for to finally put an end to the Bielema era in Fayetteville?