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Second quarter gets Hogs racing Published: Sunday, November 18, 2007 PRINT E-MAIL Arkansas offensive lineman Robert Felton couldn’t come up with words to describe the Razorbacks’ offensive output in the second quarter of their 45-31 victory against Mississippi State. So instead, he listed everything that was going right for the offense in that quarter. It was a lengthy list. “I don’t think satisfying is even the word for it,” Felton said. “It was like, finally, OK, yes, we’re rolling, we’re hitting people, we’re getting blocks, they’re running, they’re catching, he’s throwing. So many good things are happening.” The Arkansas offense played its best quarter of the season Saturday when the Razorbacks outscored the Bulldogs 24-0 as they stepped on the throttle of a fastpaced game and never let up.
Arkansas had 199 yards in the quarter and scored on four of five possessions to take control of the game. Quarterback Casey Dick threw three touchdown passes in the quarter. “We got into a rhythm, and we just started going and going,” Dick said. “We just got a bunch of momentum rolling, and when momentum gets going, everything keeps clicking for us. It was fun. Everyone was relaxed and having fun.” The Razorbacks trailed 7-0 entering the second quarter, but Alex Tejada kicked a 39-yard field goal on the first snap of the second quarter. They got the ball back after the defense forced a threeand-out. That’s when Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee said he discovered the formation that would change the complexion of the game. It’s not the WildHog, but it drove the Bulldogs crazy. In a formation Coach Houston Nutt calls “Racehorse” and Lee calls his “RoJo” package, Darren McFadden lines up at quarterback in the Shotgun with Peyton Hillis and Michael Smith (subbing for an injured Felix Jones ) flanking either side, giving McFadden three options. Hillis gained 11 yards the first time the formation was used, and then 13 on the next play. The third consecutive Racehorse run saw McFadden go for 17 yards before a stunned Mississippi State team called timeout. “What opened the game up was when we put Darren at quarterback and ran the triple option,” Lee said. “To me, the turning point was when we went with our RoJo. That’s when the game opened up. That’s when they got on their heels. We needed to get something catalystic going, and getting Darren at quarterback was it.” Lee calls it “RoJo” because receiver Robert Johnson calls the play in the huddle, but it’s clear who is the focal point of the formation. With defenses keying on McFadden, the whole offense was loosened. Arkansas didn’t use the formation for the rest of the drive, but the damage had been done. While McFadden served as a decoy, Dick completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to backup fullback Farrod Jackson to give Arkansas a 10-7 lead it soon extended. In the fourth quarter, McFadden completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Johnson out of the RoJo package. “It’s all because of McFadden,” Mississippi State Coach Sylvester Croom said. “It’s all because of zeroing in on McFadden. There’s no question about that. They came out there with a little bit of that West Virginia package [the Racehorse ], when [Hillis ] kept popping some runs on us. That hurt us. “ The second quarter was bad, and that was the turning point of the game.” Arkansas got the ball back on the Bulldogs’ 47 after a Kevin Woods interception, and Dick hit Johnson for a 35-yard touchdown on the first play after the turnover. The third touchdown drive of the quarter, which featured another Hillis 11-yard run out of the Racehorse, ended with a 19-yard fade pass by Dick to Marcus Monk in the corner of the end zone. The pass came on third-and-16 and was almost never thrown. “They were in Cover 2, and we were supposed to check out,” Monk said. “But [Dick ] looked over and [Lee ] told him to run it. He had confidence in me, and Casey threw a good ball. We want to score every time we touch it, easier said than done. Tonight, we were just clicking.” More Stories From: CHRIS GIVENS · Fortson provides bright spot for Hogs · Pelphrey: Room to overachieve · Warhawks’ late mistakes costly · UA goes for two at War Memorial Yesterday's Most Popular 1. HOG FUTURES JERRY MITCHELL : Hurricane brings Mitchell to Hogs 2. THE RECRUITING GUY : Purifoy's size fits into UA's plans 3. Iowa prep standout Kelly joins UA track 4. Former Diamond Hog Richards inks contract with Marlins Today's Most E-mailed |
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