Unraveled

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 29, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Everything that has jumbled together to create the rocky and unforgiving landscape of LSU’s 2008 football season was there to see Friday, when the Tigers slammed the door on a regular season that went in directions not many could have predicted:

• An exasperating montage of what-might-have-beens, tantalizing success and a pile of divisive disappointments.

• Another wobbly beginning, another stirring stand to get a game turned around, another punch-below-the-belt finish.

• Another loss — this time 31-30 to an Arkansas team that presumably had nothing better to do than play out the string and start eyeing the future.

Razorbacks quarterback Casey Dick, a senior in his last hurrah, rifled a 24-yard fourth-down touchdown pass to London Crawford with 21.8 seconds to go to tie the score, and Arkansas kicker Alex Tejada drove home the last dagger with the extra point.

Crawford beat LSU cornerback Chris Hawkins on the play, the final insult on a day when the Tigers secondary again proved to be an albatross.

The loss knocked the Tigers down another peg to 7-5 and added another layer of uncertainty to their bowl destination. LSU finishes with a losing record in the Southeastern Conference (3-5) for the first time since 1999 and lost back-to-back games for the first time in coach Les Miles’ four-year tenure.

“It’s hard to think about any bowl game,” receiver Brandon LaFell said. “We’ll just be satisfied with any bowl game we get, playing the way we played this season.”

Arkansas finished 5-7, meaning the Tigers lost to a team with a losing record this late in the season for the first time since a 24-16 decision against Kentucky on Oct. 19, 1995.

As LSU’s offense made a last-gasp effort in the closing seconds to position itself for a Colt David field-goal try — the Tigers could only get close enough for a 63-yard attempt — senior defensive end Tyson Jackson sat by himself on a bench, staring straight ahead.

Jackson said later he was “stunned all around by what’s being going on.”

“It’s very devastating,” Riley said. “It broke our back. It really hurts your spirit.”

And with a handful of plays here or there by players on either side of the ball, it might not have been at all.

Freshman Jordan Jefferson made his starting debut at quarterback and was effective with 50 yards rushing and 143 passing with a pair of touchdown tosses.

Sparked by the 18-year-old quarterback, LSU shrugged off another dismal start by its defense to methodically churn out 27 consecutive points in the second quarter and through the first series of the third period — reminiscent of the Tigers’ back-from-the-dead rally to beat Troy.