Humor

Razorbacks overcome slow start in big win

Date: 2010-09-05T05:02:37.230
Author: Danny Meyer
Editor note: Dusting off the rust didn't take long.
Number of Views: 291

The first quarter didn’t treat the Hogs well.

Sophomore running back Knile Davis fumbled but recovered. Junior quarterback Ryan Mallett was picked off. The offense was 0-for-1 on fourth down attempts. Arkansas scored zero points and were down three as the quarter ended. It was a slow start.

“We struggled at times,” head coach Bobby Petrino said. “We can’t be satisfied on offense with not getting points on the board when we had opportunities.”

But when the opportunities kept coming, the Razorbacks started taking advantage. After Tennessee Tech’s field goal, the Hogs scored 44 unanswered points. Mallett ended up 21-for-24 with 301 yards and three touchdowns.

“Ryan made some good decisions,” Petrino said. “It was really good for him to get back out there in game-type situation and intensity.”

The running game took a while to get going, Petrino said, but once it did it was successful. Four backs saw action, three scored touchdowns and no single back had more than nine carries.

“We did throw and catch the ball pretty well,” Petrino said.

Defense plays well

When a defense allows only three points, it’s a good night. But other numbers are more telling. The Hogs held Tennessee Tech to 131 total first half yards. Coming out of halftime, the defense allowed only nine total yards in the third quarter, and the Golden Eagles finished with just 187 total yards for the game.

“Our defense was out there flying around,” Petrino said. “We got a lot of people to the football.”

Yet the great play didn’t feature any takeaways, a staple of the Razorback defense last year.

“We would have like to gotten the ball back,” defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said. Robinson attributed the lack to turnovers to the discipline of the Golden Eagles.

“They’re very structured and very disciplined,” Robinson said. “They’re a tough little football team and they hold on to the ball well.”

Senior converted safety Anthony Leon played well in his third start overall and his first at linebacker. The 6-foot-4, 227-pounder had eight total tackles, including four for loss and the only two Razorback sacks of the night.

“It’s a great stepping stone for him,” Robinson said.

There wasn’t a lot of conversation on the sideline or a big number of adjustments made, Robinson said, and the adjustments that were made were understood quickly, Robinson said.

Adams has big night

Junior wide receiver Joe Adams had a huge night, finishing with six catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

“Whenever I get the ball, I’m not looking for a first down,” Adams said. “I’m not trying to make one guy miss. I’m trying to make the whole team miss and go score.”

Adams second quarter 85-yard touchdown catch was the longest of his career and the fourth longest pass play in school history. Adams broke a tackle and outran three defenders on his way to the end zone.

“I felt like I just had to outrun everybody,” Adams said.

Adams also had punt return duties for most of the night, but only fielded one for seven yards. The Golden Eagles were kicking away from him most of the night, opting to punt the ball out of bounds.

“It was disappointing,” Adams said. “But I probably wouldn’t kick the ball to myself either.”

Notes:

Junior defensive tackle did not dress and was not seen on the sideline. Petrino declined comment on his status.

“Like I said, our policy this year is we talk about the guys that play and the guys that practice.”

Arkansas played 10 true freshman Saturday. Wide receiver Javontee Herndon had one catch for 16 yards, defensive tackle Byran Jones had five tackles, corner Eric Bennett had three tackles, linebacker Jarrett Lake had two, and both defensive tackle Jeremiah Jackson and defensive end Chris Smith had one.

Place kicker Zach Hocker was perfect on six extra points.

Wide receivers Julian Horton and Maudrecus Humphrey and safety Darrell Smith played but accumulated no stats.

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