LITTLE ROCK — Freshman tailback Alex Collins scored his first touchdown as an Arkansas Razorback. Then he got his first celebration penalty.
It figures to be the first of many touchdowns for Collins, but Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema said it will be his last time he’s flagged for celebrating.
“Alex Collins will not do that again,” Bielema said after the Razorbacks rallied to beat Samford 31-21 at War Memorial Stadium. “If he does, he will not be here playing with us.”
Collins, who rushed 24 times for 172 yards, scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter to extend Arkansas’ lead to 31-21.
Then he high-fived some fans sitting in the North end zone stands.
“I’ve learned my lesson early,” Collins said. “I’m never doing it again.”
Collins said he followed the offensive line and Kiero Small into the end zone, then looked up and saw how close the fans were and decided to celebrate with them.
“I just like to get everybody involved,” Collins said. “I like the fans, I like the support, I like everybody to come out and watch.
“I just made a mistake.”
Running backs coach Joel Thomas gave Collins an earful on the sideline after the 15-yard penalty.
“He got into me,” Collins said. “He yelled at me about it.
“I know not to do it again, but it still also felt great, being my first college touchdown.”
Arkansas’ team captains also talked to Collins about the penalty.
“He got caught up in the moment a little bit,” senior center Travis Swanson said. “I just told him, ‘As soon as you score a touchdown, turn around and come right to us, because we’re the ones that helped you get there.’
“I feel like he understood. You could see it in his eyes.”
Collins said he apologized to his teammates after the game for the penalty. He didn’t have to apologize for his play.
“It’s fun to watch what he’s been doing so far for us,” senior receiver Javontee Herndon said. “He’s so willing to do whatever it takes to win. That’s very impressive.”
Collins rushed 11 times for 104 yards in the fourth quarter, including a 55-yard run that set up a 1-yard run by Jonathan Williams that put Arkansas ahead 24-21.
“He’s going to be a great player one day,” Swanson said. “He’s still young.
“He’s got a lot of learning to do, but he’s a great player. It’s good to see him come in and help.”
Collins, who rushed for 131 yards on 21 carries against Louisiana-Lafayette in last week’s opener, became the first Arkansas player to rush for 100 or more yards in his first two games.
“That’s pretty big-time,” quarterback Brandon Allen said. “That’s something special.
“Alex is going to do a lot of great things for us. He’s got a lot of toughness. He’s able to break tackles and make plays out of nothing sometimes.”
Collins said it was an honor to rush for 100-plus yards in his first two games and credited his teammates. He and Williams, who rushed for 151 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette and 126 Saturday night, also became the first two Razorbacks to rush for 100 or more yards each in the first two games of a season.
“When he’s tired, I can go in and replace him,” Collins said. “We always have fresh legs in there pounding the rock.”
Sports, Pages 30 on 09/08/2013