LEXINGTON, Ky. — Not all of Arkansas’ players were sure of the defensive calls on Kentucky’s game-winning touchdown drive.

Two coaches signal from the sideline — one with the actual call and another with decoys so the opposition can’t steal the signs — but some of the Razorbacks became confused.

“Some of us were having a hard time seeing what the play was coming from the sideline,” Arkansas freshman free safety Elton Ford said after Kentucky rallied for a 21-20 victory at Commonwealth Stadium. “That played a big key.”

After an Arkansas punt, the Wildcats needed just two plays to go 35 yards and scored a touchdown on Mike Hartline’s 21-yard pass to Randall Cobb with 2: 21 left.

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Lones Seiber kicked the extra point to complete the comeback.

“We were told to look at one coach giving the call,” Arkansas junior defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said. “It was our mistake, not the coaches ’ mistake. We got caught up in the excitement.”

A lot of Kentucky fans had left the stadium, but the ones who stayed made a lot of noise as the Wildcats continued to keep the pressure on the Razorbacks.

“The crowd, playing at an away stadium, the noise,” Ford said of what contributed to the players’ confusion. “Everything is a factor.”

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson took responsibility for Kentucky scoring two touchdowns in the final minutes to erase a 20-7 lead.

Hartline’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Cobb made it 20-14 with 4: 15 left and came two plays after the Wildcats recovered a fumble by tailback De’Anthony Curtis at the Arkansas 41.

“It’s obvious that we didn’t execute,” Robinson said. “That’s the bottom line. Put it on me.”

Robinson spoke with the media before the players. He didn’t mention that some Razorbacks didn’t get the defensive calls on the final drive but said there were problems late in the game.

“That’s probably more of an in-house deal that we’ll take care of, but that’s on me,” Robinson said. “I called a very bad game at the very critical part of it.”

Robinson said he called a bad game “by not being a very good teacher.”

Arkansas’ defense had held Kentucky to one touchdown — on Hartline’s swing pass to Alfonso Smith that turned into a 71-yard play after some missed tackles — and 296 yards in total offense before the Wildcats’ cashed in for their two late scores.

Sheppard said the Wildcats seemed to figure out the defense and executed better.

“They just got a hold of our scheme, you could say,” Sheppard said. “And credit the quarterback, he got more poised. He stayed in the pocket and delivered great throws, and the receivers got open.”

Kentucky matched the best fourth-quarter comeback in its history. The Wildcats also rallied from down 13 points in the final quarter to beat Vanderbilt 14-13 in 2004.

“I don’t think they caught us off guard,” Robinson said. “I think they probably wanted it. They were driven like we were last week. They were behind, and they weren’t going to quit.

“ We just didn’t do our job.”

Last week the Razorbacks won 25-22 at Auburn to break a three-game losing streak. They stopped the Tigers on their final two possessions, including a stand after Auburn had a firstand-goal at the Razorbacks’ 5.

“We couldn’t finish,” Robinson said. “Early in the week one of questions asked was how well would we handle success. Well, we got our answer. We didn’t finish the game.”

Arkansas appeared to have the game put away when sophomore cornerback Ramon Broadway intercepted a pass with 4: 54 left and the Razorbacks ahead by 13 points.

“Honestly, it’s never over until the final whistle blows, but I felt pretty good,” said Ford, who had an interception and a team-high 10 tackles. “We thought we’d get two more first downs and that was going to be it.”

But the Razorbacks never got another first down and the defense couldn’t hold off the Wildcats.

“Me, personally, I never felt the game was over,” Sheppard said. “I was always scared that something like what happened could happen.”