LSU made sure to get the ball into Caden Durham's hands.
The freshman running back touched it on three of the Tigers' first four plays on Saturday night against Arkansas — first on a 7-yard catch-and-run before taking two handoffs, one for 4 yards and another for 6.
The positive yardage kept LSU in advantageous down and distances and set the tone for what became an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game.
It was a harbinger for what was to come for the LSU rushing attack, as the Tigers finished the game with 158 yards on 37 carries in their 34-10 victory over the Razorbacks on Saturday night in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
"I just think that this has been a constant focus over the last few weeks of really detailing out the things that we believe we do well and sticking with it," coach Brian Kelly said after the win.
LSU finished the first half with as many rushing yards as it had all game last week against Ole Miss, reaching the 84-yard mark on nine fewer carries.
It struggled to run the ball in the third quarter but finished strong with 56 yards rushing on its second-to-last drive of the game that resulted in a touchdown that handed the Tigers a 24-point lead.
"We believe we can throw it as well as anybody," Kelly said. "We need to continue to have this kind of success in the run game."
It was a big step in the right direction for LSU, especially considering its struggles a week ago and how solid Arkansas' run defense had been entering this week.
Arkansas hasn't been as dominant against the run as Ole Miss, but the Razorbacks entered Saturday having surrendered only 106.5 yards per game on the ground, good enough for fifth in the conference and 28th in the country.
LSU's early success on the ground was a product of two things. For one, the Tigers did a good job of getting Arkansas to defend them sideways, preventing them from playing downhill. They also got strong performances from Durham and the rest of their running backs, as LSU's ball carriers capitalized on the holes the offensive line created for them.
It wasn't just Durham who played well. The freshman had 21 carries for 101 yards, but sophomore Kaleb Jackson also picked up 30 yards on five carries. Sixth-year senior Josh Williams chipped in 18 yards on five rushing attempts.
"We just trust (our) O-linemen," Durham said. "If the O-line makes a hole here, we're just going to hit it. And that's that."
In concert with the running backs, the LSU offensive line created a strong push at the line of scrimmage, all while protecting redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier throughout the night.
The unit wasn't perfect. Penalties, including six on the offensive line, stalled too many drives. As a team, the Tigers finished the game with 11 infractions that cost them 80 yards.
But when the offensive line had to step up, needing to milk the clock while nursing a 17-point lead with 10:42 left in the fourth quarter, it did. The line opened up holes in the running game for Durham, Jackson and Williams in what turned into a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that lasted 8:22.
The score handed LSU a commanding 24-point lead with less than three minutes to play, essentially sealing its most authoritative victory of the season thus far.
"We made it essential that we're running the ball. So in practice, we run the ball a lot. And in the game, we run the ball a lot," Durham said.
Heading into last weekend, conventional wisdom suggested the Tigers needed to win at least four of their next five games to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt heading into their final stretch.
Two games later, LSU is 2-0. It hasn't always been perfect. Last week, the Tigers won despite their pedestrian running game.
But against Arkansas, LSU won in part because of its rushing attack. It was the kind of progress its offense needed to show before next weekend's showdown against fellow CFP contender Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
"For us to run the football and close out the game with a drive of eight minutes and 20 seconds, virtually running the ball every down, those are the things that you look for in a football team that is emerging as a contender," Kelly said.
