Bobby Petrino probably won't be sending Les Miles a Christmas card this year, not after the way LSU abused — and kept abusing — Arkansas in this week's edition of the "Game of the Century."
After Arkansas jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and appeared poised to give No. 1 LSU legitimate competition for a spot in the national title game, the Tigers woke up and outscored the Razorbacks 41-3 through the rest of the way, including a late fourth quarter field goal that extended the final score to 41-17. The gratuitous boot irked Petrino so much that he pointed at Miles from the opposite sideline and said some pretty unsavory things for those of you who read lips.
But the last field goal, which came with about 5 minutes remaining in the game, was significant because it gave LSU the same margin of victory over Arkansas as Alabama, which beat the Razorbacks 38-14 earlier in the year. And if you think coaches don't think about that kind of stuff as they jockey for position in the BCS standings — especially coaches in the SEC — you're crazy.
I wonder, if roles had been reversed, would Petrino have hesitated to run up the score and make a statement against the nation's No. 1 team? So what's wrong with showing how dominant you are against the nation's No. 3 team?
After the game, Petrino gave Miles a halfhearted handshake as he walked to the locker room. Petrino's bitter biscuits probably won't keep Miles up at night, though. Miles is a game away from another national title appearance with just Georgia standing in his way.
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Curtsy (female version of the hat tip) to @thesportsgeeks
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham