BATON ROUGE -- There was some confusion in the Tiger Stadium press box regarding which Arkansas player blocked Grant Chadwick's first-quarter punt, resulting in Caleb Wooden's 16-yard scoop-and-score for the first points in LSU's 23-22 win over the Razorbacks.
Immediately after the play, the LSU statistics crew credited Wooden with the block and the return, but they modified the record after watching replay and gave freshman linebacker Wyatt Simmons the block.
Wooden, who conducted a postgame interview with running back Mike Washington Jr., wasn't sure himself.
"I'm not going to lie to you, I have no idea," Wooden said. "I've got to look at the film. But I know that I came off the edge, and I remember hearing a duh-duh (a punt and immediate blocked-ball sound), and then I just saw the ball, and I was like 'Oh, that's me.' I just picked it up."
Replays appeared to show both players with arms outstretched and in position to make the block, which came at the LSU 20-yard line, but the actual blocker looked a little murky.
Wooden's score, at the 10:58 mark of the first quarter, was the first for the Arkansas special teams this season.
The score came due to a protection mistake by LSU shield blocker Bauer Sharp. Instead of blocking out toward Simmons and Wooden, Sharp went the other way to triple team Phillip Lee. Simmons and Wooden easily glided around the shield to make the block.
Arkansas notched its first blocked punt since Quincey McAdoo stuffed one for a safety against Liberty on Nov. 5, 2022. The Razorbacks had their first blocked punt for a touchdown since Seth Armbrust's block and 1-yard return against Eastern Michigan in 2009.
9 1/2-point dogs
Arkansas opened the week as a 9 1/2-point underdog against College Football Playoff No. 10 Texas in odds supplied by BetMgm.com.
The Razorbacks (2-8, 0-6 SEC) and Longhorns (7-3, 4-2 SEC) will meet at 2:30 p.m. Central on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Texas, also ranked No. 10 last week in the Associated Press poll, fell to No. 17 in the outlet's rankings released Sunday after a 35-10 loss to Georgia -- then ranked No. 5 in both rankings, now No. 4 by the AP. The next CFP rankings will be released Tuesday.
Third-down deal
Arkansas, the No. 5 third-down conversion offense in the FBS with a rate of 52.4%, went a season-low 2 of 11 in that category against LSU for 18.2%.
The Razorbacks' previous low had been 3 for 10 (30%) during a 32-31 loss at Memphis on Sept. 20.
Arkansas converted on 23 of 32 (71.9%) third downs through the first three games to lead the nation and has four games with a 50% conversion rate or better.
First drives
Arkansas has taken the kickoff in all 10 games and has had a nice opening script in each one of them, though they have scored on only six.
The Razorbacks have converted at least one first down on every game-opening possession, and every drive has been at least 27 yards.
The average first-drive distance for Arkansas has been 57.7 yards. The Hogs have four touchdowns (Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, Memphis, Tennessee), two field goals (Notre Dame, Texas A&M), a missed field goal (Ole Miss), a punt (Auburn), a turnover on downs (Mississippi State) and a turnover (LSU) to show for their opening drives.
Arkansas drove 49 yards on the opening drive against LSU before running back Mike Washington Jr. fumbled just outside the red zone.
Going Green
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green accounted for one touchdown against LSU, his 11-yard run in the first quarter, to give him 26 combined between passing (19) and rushing (7) on the season.
Green moved into a tie for ninth on the Razorbacks' single season list with Matt Jones, who also had 26 in 2003.
He accounted for one touchdown for the third time this season -- he threw for one in Arkansas 32-31 loss to Memphis on Sept. 20 and tossed another in its 33-24 loss to Auburn on Oct. 25. He finished with none once, Arkansas' 56-13 loss to Notre Dame.
Green tallied a season-high six Aug. 30 in the opening 52-7 victory over Alabama A&M, then five Sept. 6 in a 56-14 over Arkansas State and Oct. 18 in a 45-42 loss to Texas A&M.
Delane's day
LSU senior Mansoor Delane entered Saturday's game as one of the highest-rated cornerbacks in the SEC and he lived up to the hype with an impactful day for the Tigers.
Delane had an interception in the end zone late in the first half to set up a two-minute drive and a Damian Ramos field goal, creating a potential point swing of 10 points.
The Virginia Tech transfer from Silver Spring, Md., also broke up a second-and-1 pass for Raylen Sharpe at the LSU 16 on the Hogs' first possession, precipitating a lost fumble on the next snap. He also broke up a third-down pass for Sharpe on the LSU sideline which would have moved the chains on the Razorbacks' final offensive possession.
Hog firsts
Sophomore wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield notched his first career catch, a falling, two-handed grab on the sideline for 26 yards late in the first quarter.
Senior defensive end Justus Boone logged his first sack as a Razorback with a 5-yard stop of Michael Van Buren Jr. at the 7:44 mark of the second quarter.
Senior linebacker Stephen Dix Jr. recorded his first sack of the season, a 6-yarder early in the second quarter.
Taylen Green's 55-yard run in the third quarter was the first 50-plus-yard run by a Razorback since Mike Washington Jr.'s 57-yarder against Texas A&M on Oct. 18.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEKOFFENSERB Mike Washington Jr.Washington, a senior transfer from Utica, N.Y., rushed 13 times for a game-high 85 yards and had a 9-yard rushing touchdown and a 6-yard reception. Washington averaged 6.5 yards per carry.DEFENSES Caleb WoodenWooden, a senior transfer from Lawrenceville, Ga., returned a tandem blocked punt for a 16-yard touchdown and tied Stephen Dix Jr. for the team lead with 7 tackles.