ARKANSAS SPORTS REPORT

Perhaps Arkansas was due for a clunker.

Nowadays, coordinators nearly rival head coaches and quarterbacks for getting too much credit for victories, and too much blame for defeats.

A golden opportunity to seize an elusive road victory literally slipped through Arkansas’ fingers Saturday.

On the eve of a classic Super Bowl, the Arkansas Razorbacks traveled to Baton Rouge to take on an LSU team that is athletic but hadn’t been very disciplined — until Saturday.

Noted college football analyst Phil Steele predicts Arkansas will be rated No. 9 in the first Associated Press poll next August.

RECORDS Arkansas 16-7, 4-4 SEC; LSU 13-9, 3-5 STARS LSU sophomore Ralston Turner (16 points) and junior Justin Hamilton (13 points and 11 rebounds); Arkansas sophomore Mardracus Wade (15 points, 3 of 6 three-point shooting).

Former Arkansas lineman Mitch Petrus joked earlier this season about forgetting he was one play away from jumping into the New York Giants’ offensive huddle.

Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson’s biggest complaint about Saturday’s 71-65 loss at LSU was that his team’s efforts at driving hard to the basket were not rewarded.

Arkansas coaches felt linebacker was a position of need coming off last season, and the Razorbacks managed to sign three in the 2012 class.

Ralston Turner had 16 points to pace four scorers in double figures for LSU in a 71-65 victory against Arkansas on Saturday.