Arkansas – LSU football rivalry The Arkansas – LSU football rivalry , also known as The Battle for the Golden Boot , is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Arkansas Razorbacks football team of the University of Arkansas and LSU Tigers football team of Louisiana State University . The first game between the Razorbacks and Tigers was played in 1901 . With the admission of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) in 1992 , the rivalry became an annually scheduled game between fellow members of the SEC ' s Western Division . The " Golden Boot " trophy was first awarded to the game ' s winner in 1996 . The game is usually played on the Friday after Thanksgiving . The two teams have played 58 times since 1901 , and as of the 2012 contest , 21 consecutive times after Arkansas ' induction into the SEC . During that time , Arkansas has won 20 games of the series while LSU has won 36 . Arkansas and LSU have twice ended the game in a tie , in 1906 and the 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic . History . Pre - Golden Boot era . Arkansas and LSU began playing each other in 1901 , when LSU claimed a 15 - 0 victory in Baton Rouge , Louisiana . Between 1906 – 36 ( with the exception of 1918 ) and 1953 – 56 , the two teams played each other during regular seasons on a yearly basis . In addition , the two teams have played each other at the end of the regular season in the Cotton Bowl Classic twice , on January 1 of 1947 and 1966 , the former being the second tie in the series while the latter ended in a 14 - 7 LSU victory . In 1992 , LSU and Arkansas resumed their annual rivalry when Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference after leaving the Southwest Conference . The teams played each other four times in the conference before the introduction of the Golden Boot trophy in 1996 . Golden Boot era . LSU leads the trophy series 11 - 6 . Beginning in 1996 , the winning team has received the 175 - pound Golden Boot trophy . The trophy itself stands a little over 4 feet tall , is molded out of 24 - karat gold , and resembles the outline of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana connected , thus making a boot shape . From 1996 – 2008 , the game was played on the day after Thanksgiving , and has been played on alternating years in Little Rock , Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium , which is the secondary home stadium for the Razorbacks , and in Baton Rouge , Louisiana at Tiger Stadium . The series has generally represented an important battle in the SEC Western Division , with either Arkansas or LSU representing the division in the SEC Football Championship Game in many seasons . LSU won the inaugural trophy meeting in 1996 , 17 – 7 , and for the next six years , the trophy changed hands every meeting , beginning with LSU in 1997 . After Arkansas ' " Miracle on Markham " victory in 2002 , LSU won the Golden Boot 4 straight times from 2003 – 06 . The trophy returned to Arkansas ' possession on November 23 , 2007 when the Razorbacks beat then top - ranked , and eventual BCS National Championship game winner LSU 50 - 48 in three overtimes in Baton Rouge ; The victory was the first for former Razorback coach Houston Nutt in five tries in Tiger Stadium . Arkansas successfully defended the Golden Boot again in 2008 with a spectacular come - from - behind victory in the last minute of the game . However , in 2009 , LSU recaptured the trophy with a field goal by Josh Jasper in overtime . The 2010 matchup was played on November 27 in Little Rock , and was won 31 - 23 by Arkansas with head coach Bobby Petrino . Top ranked LSU overcame an early 14 - point deficit to reclaim the trophy in 2011 , 41 - 17 . Game results . " Arkansas victories are colored ██ red . LSU victories are colored ██ purple . Ties are white . " Notable games . 1901 - First Meeting . LSU 15 - Arkansas 0 In the initial meeting between the two teams during the 1901 season , LSU came away with the victory , shutting out Arkansas completely . The game was played in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , and was one of the first ever played by either school ' s football team . 1947 - The " Ice Bowl " . LSU 0 - Arkansas 0 The 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic was played as an end to the 1946 college football season for both teams , and was the first matchup between the rivals since 1936 . The game was named the " Ice Bowl " due to the ice , sleet , snow , rain , and sub - 20 degree ( Fahrenheit ) weather which produced horrid playing conditions . The Tigers only accepted the invitation after considering themselves snubbed by the Sugar Bowl , and entered the game with a record of 9 - 1 . During the time period in which the game was played , the bowl game was still considered an accomplishment due to the tickets that were sold out weeks in advance and the attendance of the game , which was around 38 , 000 despite the weather . It is argued that LSU had the upper - hand most of the game in terms of offensive production , holding a 15 - 1 edge over the Razorbacks in first downs and a 271 - 54 advantage in total yardage , led by quarterback Y . A . Tittle . The Arkansas defense kept the Tiger offense out of the end zone from the Arkansas 1 , 6 , 7 , and 8 yard lines , but Arkansas could not capitalize on any of the stops . The final two plays proved the cold did not stop the teams from having a flair for the dramatic , as Razorback Clyde Scott ( a future College Football Hall of Fame r ) tackled LSU receiver Jeff Odom at the Razorback one , preserving the tie . The Tigers then attempted the go - ahead field goal , but a bad snap ended the game on the final play . Due in large part to the weather , the game ended in a 0 - 0 tie , marking the second ( and last ) time the two teams tied . 1966 - Cotton Bowl Classic with National Championship implications . LSU 14 - Arkansas 7 The two teams played each other on January 1 , 1966 in the Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1965 college football season . Arkansas had won the national championship the previous year , for the 1964 season , and came into the game with a 10 - 0 record ( and an overall 22 - game winning streak on the line ) after winning the Southwest Conference title for 1965 , looking to again win the national championship . Arkansas had the number one scoring offense coming into the game , averaging 32 . 4 points per contest . Arkansas took the ball to the end zone on the opening drive , capped by a 19 yard toss from Jon Brittenum to All - America n end Bobby Crockett . Running back Joe LaBruzzo then ran in from three yards out for the Bengal Tigers to tie the game at 7 . Razorback QB Brittenum then left the game after suffering a shoulder injury and the Hogs fumble d the ball three plays later . LaBruzzo again scored , this time from one yard away , giving the Tigers a 14 - 7 halftime lead . Neither team scored in the second half , and Arkansas ended the game on the LSU 24 yard line . Razorback Bobby Crockett set a bowl record with 10 catches for 129 yards , but it was not enough as the Tigers edged out the win by one touchdown , 14 - 7 , to move to a record of 8 - 3 , while the Razorbacks dropped to 10 - 1 for the season . 1992 - Arkansas joins the SEC . 1992 was the first year that Arkansas played a football season as a part of the Southeastern Conference . ( after previously playing in the now defunct Southwest Conference ) Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991 , along with the South Carolina Gamecocks , to bring the league up to 12 teams , and began a system in which there was an SEC Championship Game on a yearly basis between the winner of the Western division and the Eastern division . The Razorbacks won the initial SEC contest between the teams 30 - 6 , the only time the game was in Fayetteville , Arkansas while Arkansas was in the SEC . This was the first of the now annual meetings between the two teams . The Golden Boot trophy was not awarded in the initial four SEC meetings between the two teams . 1996 - First Golden Boot awarded . LSU 17 - Arkansas 7 In 1996 , which was the first year the Golden Boot Trophy was awarded , the LSU Tigers were able to take home the trophy . The 19th - ranked Tigers won the game by a score of 17 to 7 . For the Tigers , running back Kevin Faulk rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Herb Tyler threw for 191 yards . LSU coach Gerry DiNardo was quoted after the game as saying , " Obviously it was a great win . I feel we had a terrific first half . In the second half the defense didn ' t play as well as it should and the offense didn ' t score . " Initial reaction to the awarding of the trophy was mixed , but in the intervening years it has come to represent a ratcheting up of the rivalry . 2002 – " Miracle on Markham " . Arkansas 21 - LSU 20 The 2002 contest between the two teams is now referred to as the " Miracle on Markham " by most Arkansas fans and those in the media . ( Markham Street is the main street that runs by War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock where the game was played . ) Trailing 20 – 14 with 34 seconds left , the Razorbacks ( 8 - 3 , 4 - 3 SEC ) got the ball at their own 19 yard line . Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones completed a 50 - yard pass to Richard Smith on the first play . After the game Jones was quoted as saying " I couldn ' t believe Richard Smith got behind that guy . Our play wasn ' t designed to go to Richard , but they let him get behind them . If I could have thrown the ball about 10 yards further we would have scored on that play . " After one pass incompletion , Jones threw a 31 - yard touchdown pass to DeCori Birmingham , who leaped over LSU defensive back Randall Gay , with nine seconds left on the game clock . Arkansas was penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration , moving the go - ahead extra point to the 18 yard line . Arkansas kicker David Carlton barely made the long extra point ( which was long enough , but curved left ) to give Arkansas a 21 – 20 win over LSU and the opportunity to go to the 2002 Southeastern Conference Championship Game . After the game , Houston Nutt said that when he was sharing with Jones the plays to run Jones simply said , despite completing only two passes up to that point , " I ' ve got it . " LSU would have clinched the SEC Western division title ( thereby advancing to the 2002 SEC Championship Game ) had it not been for the loss . The finish is considered similar to the Bluegrass Miracle , and is considered one of the all - time greatest finishes to a game in Razorback history . 2003 - 2006 . The LSU Tigers won the Golden Boot Trophy four consecutive times between the 2003 and 2006 contests , while also staying at or near the top of the SEC West ; Winning the 2003 SEC Championship Game ( while going on to win the national championship after winning the 2004 Sugar Bowl ) , and also going to the 2005 SEC Championship Game , while Arkansas went to the 2006 SEC Championship Game even after losing to LSU in the Golden Boot game . Previous to this four - year run by LSU , the trophy had changed hands on almost a yearly basis since its inception . 2007 - Houston Nutt ' s final game . Arkansas 50 - LSU 48 ( 3OT ) Coming into the November 23 , 2007 game which was played in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , LSU was ranked number one in the country in the BCS , and most major polls . The Razorbacks outlasted the Tigers in a grueling three overtime game to win the game in which star running back ( and 2007 Heisman Trophy runner up ) Darren McFadden rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns , and threw for one touchdown to lift Arkansas to a 50 - 48 victory in front of 92 , 606 people ( the official attendance ) at Tiger Stadium . The " Wild Hog " formation ( Arkansas ' name for the Wildcat offense ) was run prominently in the game , led by McFadden , in which he was a triple threat to run , hand off , or throw . The game was played after Tigers coach Les Miles famously mispronounced Arkansas as ar - Kansas , as in the pronunciation of the state of Kansas , in the week preceding the game . This was thought to act as a motivator for Arkansas in the game , because after the game McFadden was quoted as saying , " They weren ' t saying it right so we wanted to let them know how to say it . " LSU went on to represent the West in the 2007 SEC Championship Game against the Tennessee Volunteers , and after winning the contest went on to win the 2008 BCS National Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes , becoming the first ever team to win the BCS National Championship with 2 losses . This game ended up being the last that Houston Nutt coached at Arkansas , resigning a few days later and announcing himself as new head coach of Ole Miss . ( see Arkansas – Ole Miss rivalry # Houston Nutt controversy and Houston Nutt # Resignation ) 2008 - Miracle on Markham II . Arkansas 31 - LSU 30 In 2008 , Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick threw a 24 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver London Crawford on a fourth - down ( with one yard to go ) situation with only 22 seconds remaining on the game clock to give the Razorbacks a 31 - 30 victory over the Tigers at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock . Coincidentally Crawford caught it in the same corner in the same endzone Decori Birmigham had scored the game winner six years earlier against LSU . The Razorbacks had trailed by a score of 30 - 14 early in the third quarter when Casey replaced his younger brother , Nathan at quarterback ; LSU incurred several penalties which aided Arkansas in the comeback ending in the winning drive which included converting twice on fourth down . Prior to the game , both teams had been unranked and out of the running for the SEC West title . LSU finished the 2008 season ranked 3rd in the Western division of the SEC ( behind Alabama and Ole Miss ) and bowl bound . Arkansas finished the year ranked 4th in the division and out of contention for a bowl . Because of the similarities between this outcome and the Miracle on Markham , some , such as Fayetteville - based The Morning News , have taken to calling this game the " Miracle on Markham II " . Other columnists and news sources , citing less of the impact or flair of the Miracle on Markham , have suggested other titles , such as " Madness on Markham " . Quarterback for the Razorbacks at the time , Casey Dick , reluctantly stated , “ That ’ s fine with me , ” when asked about the " Miracle on Markham II " title for the game . 2009 . LSU 33 - Arkansas 30 - OT 2010 , Matchup with Sugar Bowl implications . In a top - fifteen matchup in War Memorial Stadium , Arkansas retrieved the Golden Boot from the Tigers with a 31 - 23 season - defining victory . The Razorbacks ’ offense recorded 464 total yards of offense against the Tigers , who had the top - ranked defense in the SEC entering the contest . Arkansas ’ s sophomore running back Knile Davis rushed for 152 yards , including nine straight rushes on the final Arkansas drive , and Ryan Mallett broke the school record of 60 career touchdown passes in the contest . Cobi Hamilton of Arkansas had three catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns of 80 or more yards , including a long score with six seconds remaining before halftime . Stevan Ridley had two rushing scores for LSU . Arkansas and LSU both closed the regular season with a record of 10 - 2 , with Arkansas finishing second in the SEC Western Division behind Auburn , allowing the Razorbacks to earn a berth in the 2011 Sugar Bowl .