Romp in the slop

Arkansas shuts out No. 8 Rebels to become bowl eligible

Arkansas tight end AJ Derby (11) celebrates with wide receiver Keon Hatcher (4) after Hatcher's first quarter touchdown in an NCAA college football game against Mississippi Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Sarah Bentham)

— The nation's No. 8 team awoke from its SEC hibernation and stepped into a buzzsaw Saturday.

Arkansas forced six turnovers and played with a freshman backup quarterback the final three quarters in a 30-0 win over No. 8 Ole Miss at Razorback Stadium. One week after snapping a 17-game conference losing streak, the Razorbacks became bowl eligible for the first time in three years.

A steady downpour and a second straight Arkansas shutout washed away the Rebels' chances of winning their first SEC West title. Ole Miss lost its third straight conference game, playing a SEC team for the first time since Nov. 1.

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Arkansas (6-5, 2-5 SEC) forced six turnovers and two more turnovers on downs. Rohan Gaines' 100-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the third quarter extended the Razorbacks' lead to 27-0 after the Rebels threatened to pull within two scores.

Arkansas took a 17-0 first quarter lead. Brandon Allen's 25-yard touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher on the Razorbacks' third offensive play proved to be all the points the team would need.

Adam McFain added a 22-yard field goal and Alex Collins ran for a 1-yard score on fourth down in the quarter.

Allen left the game in the second quarter with a hip injury. He was replaced by his younger brother, Austin Allen, for the remainder of the game.

Playing his first game against a SEC opponent, Austin Allen completed 3 of 5 passes for 65 yards. He was complemented by a Razorbacks' run game that finished with 159 yards against one of the nation's top defenses.

Brandon Allen finished the game with 87 yards on 5 of 10 passing.

McFain added field goals of 31 and 18 yards in the second half. He missed a 37-yard attempt as time expired in the first half.

One week after holding LSU to 123 yards in a shutout, the Razorbacks' defense came through with another solid performance Saturday. Arkansas had last shut out consecutive teams in 2002 and hadn't done it in conference play since 1965.

Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3) finished the game with 316 yards of total offense but failed to score in five trips to Arkansas territory. Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace threw two interceptions and committed two fumbles.

Wallace left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury but returned to the game before halftime. Wallace finished the game with 235 passing yards and was sacked twice.

The Razorbacks snapped a two-game losing streak in the series against the Rebels. Arkansas also snapped an 11-game losing streak against top 10 teams.

The last time the Razorbacks beat a top 10 opponent as an unranked team was in 2007.

Arkansas will end the regular season with a game at No. 19 Missouri on Friday.