No. 7 Louisiana State 20, Arkansas 13: Zach Mettenberger passed for 217 yards and a touchdown as the visiting Tigers forced a pair of turnovers in holding off the Razorbacks.

Jeremy Hill rushed for 77 yards and a score on 18 carries and Odell Beckham caught four passes for 112 yards for Louisiana State (10-2, 6-2 SEC), which kept its hopes for a BCS bowl berth alive by winning the annual “Battle for the Boot.”

Tyler Wilson capped a stellar career by passing for 359 yards and a touchdown for Arkansas (4-8, 2-6).

The Razorbacks were let down by two turnovers in the opening half, the first coming on the initial drive when Dennis Johnson fumbled on the Tigers’ 2-yard line. Wilson had his first pass intercepted on the next drive and LSU turned that into Drew Alleman’s 49-yard field goal.

Mettenberger and Jarvis Landry hooked up for the play of the game in the second quarter, when the sophomore wide receiver reached back as he was diving to his left and made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone. Arkansas tried to make a comeback, closing to within 17-13 on a field goal with 12:17 left, but Alleman connected for a 27-yard field goal with 1:26 remaining and Wilson ran out of time on the final possession.

GAME NOTEBOOK: LSU improved to 51-4 against unranked teams under coach Les Miles. … Wilson broke Ryan Mallet’s school passing record. He needed only 88 yards to pass Mallet (7,493). … The Tigers’ win keeps their slim hopes for an SEC West title alive as well. LSU will need Auburn to beat Alabama and Texas A&M to beat Missouri on Saturday.