OXFORD, Miss. — Arkansas had the momentum.
After a touchdown, defensive stop, long punt return and first down on the ground, the Razorbacks looked primed to tie or lead in the second half of a Southeastern Conference game for the first time this year. Then things went backward.
On first down, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney called a halfback pass from Jonathan Williams to quarterback Brandon Allen. But Ole Miss sniffed out the play, covered Allen and tackled the running back for a 9-yard loss.
Arkansas wound up punting two plays later and never quite recovered.
Ole Miss took the ensuing drive 94 yards in five plays, capped by a 75-yard touchdown pass from Bo Wallace to Ja-mes Logan. The Rebels extended their lead to 27-17 and went on to hand Arkansas its seventh straight loss.
It wasn't guaranteed the Razorbacks would have scored had they not gone backward on the play, but straying from what was working ensured they never got a chance to see.
Arkansas had begun to impose its will running the ball prior to the halfback pass. The Razorbacks had runs of 30, 17 and 13 on a touchdown drive late in the first half. Arkansas scored from 1-yard out the possession before the botched trick play and ran for 11 yards and a first down one play earlier.
It wasn't the first time we've seen Williams asked to throw the ball this season. He threw a touchdown pass against Rutgers and had two pass attempts last week against Auburn - games in which Arkansas struggled to move the ball.
Wallace's 75-yard touchdown was the first of two long scores for the Rebels. Wallace, who passed for 407 yards, also threw a 52-yard score later in the quarter to double up the Razorbacks.
Down 17, Arkansas was forced to air things out and largely abandon the run game. It resulted in a 20-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, but the Razorbacks couldn't cross the goal line again and missed a long field goal attempt in the final minute.
Much like last week against Auburn, Arkansas showed some improvement in a loss. The offense moved the ball better than any other road game this year and the defense even forced a couple of takeaways. The 10-point loss was the closest in conference play this year.
But the moral wins only go so far. The Razorbacks want real ones.
The halfback pass far from cost Arkansas the game Saturday, but it certainly contributed to the loss. The call swung momentum back to the home team and they never gave it back.