Arkansas’ game-winning touchdown drive Saturday night had a surprising start when normally sure-handed tight end D. J. Williams dropped a pass that would have gone for a gain of 20 or more yards.

After the drop at the Arkansas 40, Louisiana-Monroe linebacker Cardia Jackson had a message for Williams.

“He slapped me on the butt and told me, ‘Good job,’” Williams said. “You ask any athlete, and when somebody does something like that, it kind of gets you going. Honestly, I was thinking, ‘Wait until next time.’”

When Arkansas ran the same play 10 snaps later, Williams caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Casey Dick on second-and-goal with 1: 22 left that lifted the Razorbacks to a 28-27 victory at War Memorial Stadium.

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Williams’ second touchdown catch of the game tied it at 27, and Shay Haddock made the extra point for the final margin.

“It was the same play where I dropped the ball, where we ran a hook to sell the linebacker to drop down, and he did,” said Williams, who then broke open in the end zone. “It was a hookand-go concept, and Casey put it on the money.”

Williams, a sophomore from Little Rock who played at Central Arkansas Christian, led the Razorbacks with 124 receiving yards on five catches. In 2 games, Williams has 10 receptions for © yards.

“Since spring ball, he’s shown he can be a great player for us and a guy that as a quarterback you rely on to help you in the red zone and help you on third down,” Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said.

“He certainly did that tonight.”

Williams’ first touchdown reception was on third-andgoal from the 8, and he followed that with a catch on a two-point play that pulled the Razorbacks within 24-14 with 2: 13 left in the third quarter

Williams then began Arkansas’ next possession by taking a short pass and running for a 76-yard gain to the Louisiana-Monroe 4.

On the next play, Michael Smith scored on a run with 12: 19 left to cap a touchdown drive that covered 80 yards in 37 seconds and cut the Warhawks’ lead to 27-21.

Petrino called the 76-yard gain by Williams one of the game’s critical plays because of its quick-strike impact.

“It took no time off the clock. It allowed us to get points on the board right away,” Petrino said. “D. J. ran a great route, Casey made an excellent pass, then on the run after the catch [Williams ] showed his speed.”

Williams credited tight end Andrew Davie for setting up the Razorbacks’ biggest gain of the game.

“If you watch it on film, he’s the tight end in front of me who opened up the whole play by running the safeties off,” Williams said. “He opened up the middle for me to get the breakaway.

“ I think it was a big momentum shifter for the team.”

There was no hesitation on Dick’s part to go back to Williams after his drop.

“He’s a guy that when you get a linebacker on him, we feel it’s a big mismatch,” Dick said. “We want to try and get him the ball any way we can.”

Williams said it was nice to have the game-winning touchdown catch, especially in his hometown, but added he played a far from perfect game.

“Those big plays kind of overshadowed some of the big mistakes that I made,” he said. “Overall, I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Jackson, the Louisiana-Monroe linebacker who had the butt slap and “nice job” comment for Williams after his drop, finished with eight tackles.

Williams called him a great player and praised the Warhawks for their effort in taking the Razorbacks to the limit.

“That’s just part of the game, trying to get you out of your mind-set,” Williams said of what Jackson said to him. “But that’s something you can’t pay attention to, because you’ve got to come back and put it right back on them.” Injury report Safety Dallas Washington left the field in the second half with what appeared to be a leg cramp. He returned after receiving treatment on the sideline.

ing back Michael Smith left the game briefly after being tackled.