FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' back-to-back shutouts of No. 17 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss were a hot topic on Sunday at the Fred Smith Center, but defensive coordinator Robb Smith seemed in next-game mode while diverting much of the credit to the players and the defensive staff as a whole.
"That 1-0 mentality you know, whatever happens the week before you've got to take it, you've got to learn from it, usually in 24 hours, but it's a little shortened down here because of the short week," Smith said. "You're on to the next opponent and you learn from what went well and what didn't go so well the week before."
Players of the week
Offense
WR Keon Hatcher
• He made sure Arkansas’ first drive wound up a touchdown, diving on a post route over the middle to make an all-hands catch a 25-yard score. Hatcher also had a 33-yard catch and run from Austin Allen to set up a field goal in the third quarter. Hatcher, a junior from Owasso, Okla., finished with two catches for 58 yards.
Defense
S Rohan Gaines,
DE Trey Flowers
• Gaines provided the play of the game, a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, and added two tackles, including a big pop on Jaylon Walton up the middle. Flowers totaled 6 tackles, a fumble recovery and 3 quarterback pressures, plus a 14-yard sack on fourth and 3 from the Arkansas 31.
Arkansas became the first unranked college team to post consecutive shutouts of ranked teams, and it is believed to be the first unranked team since North Carolina Pre-Flight in 1942 to shut out two ranked teams in the same season.
Smith said his wife, Amy, was trying to explain to him about the North Carolina Pre-Flight team and he was hung up on the "Pre-Flight" part, trying to associate it with the early 1900s before the Wright brothers in Kitty Hawk, N.C.
"I've heard of them now," Smith said. "I was still trying to figure out the whole Pre-Flight thing. ... That shows the small room I live in."
Smith clearly did not want to be too expressive about the two shutouts, but a reporter asked him how he might view the last two weeks if he looked back in 15 or 20 years.
"I'm just hoping I'm alive in 15 years," Smith said, eliciting laughter. "It's been special. I think our guys have played with great effort and great passion."
Poll data
Arkansas moved up to the first spot outside the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday, its highest slot of the season. The Razorbacks received 40 points, well behind No. 25 Boise State's 96 points, and just ahead of LSU, which has 39 points. Ole Miss dropped from No. 8 to 18.
The Razorbacks received 19 points in the coaches' poll and received the 28th-most points, just behind LSU and Nebraska, in the "also receiving votes" category.
Arkansas moved into the ESPN power rankings, voted on by a 13-member panel, for the first time this season at No. 25. Arkansas is No. 16 in ESPN's football power index.
The rankings of the College Football Playoff selection committee chaired by Arkansas AD Jeff Long, will be released on Tuesday night.
In the 'Zou
Arkansas will finish up at Missouri, which moved up to No. 17 in the Associated Press rankings on Sunday and can clinch its second consecutive SEC East title with a victory on Friday.
The Tigers are tied with Southern Cal in fifth place among the power five conferences with 74 victories since the start of the 2007 season.
"They have good players and they have good coaches and they have a program that's accustomed to winning right now," said Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, a native of Holden, Mo., who described himself as a Missouri fan as a young man.
Stymied
Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze said he thought his team would need to get off to a great start to keep Arkansas from controlling the game on the ground. Instead, the Rebels got off to a poor start, trailing 17-0 after the first quarter, but Ole Miss still had a few shots to put up touchdowns in the second and third quarters to try to reverse the momentum.
"I kept hoping we could make something happen and cut that thing to a score or two and our defense would give us a chance, but we never did," Freeze said. "Congratulations to them. I know what it's like to finally get bowl eligibility at a school that hasn't done that in a while. He [Bret Bielema] has done a good job.
"We did some things that you can't do and be an elite team. We've been a good team this year, but we haven't been elite at times, and that's what we want to get to."
Taking the 4th
Arkansas stopped Ole Miss on both of its fourth-down tries to further strengthen its hold at No. 1 in the FBS rankings for fourth-down defense. The Razorbacks have stopped 14 of 16 fourth-down tries this season, giving opponents a 12.5 percent success rate. Baylor and Louisville are tied at No. 2 at 16.7 percent.
Both of Arkansas' fourth-down stops came in the third quarter Saturday. Trey Flowers hauled down quarterback Bo Wallace for a 14-yard sack on fourth and 3 with the Rebels at the Arkansas 31 and looking poised to get back into a 17-0 game. The next stop came late in the quarter, when Wallace threw incomplete for Vince Sanders down the right sideline, though cornerback Jared Collins might have gotten away with contact before the ball arrived.
Where ya bound?
Arkansas reached bowl eligibility for the first time in three years with its 30-0 victory over No. 8 Ole Miss and the Razorbacks' potential bowl destinations are up for discussion.
CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm projected the Razorbacks will face former Southwest Conference rival Texas in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29.
SBNation also picked Arkansas to play in the Liberty Bowl, against West Virginia.
More projections will come out today.
Spaight update
Linebacker Martrell Spaight took over the SEC lead in tackles with 11 against Ole Miss to bring his total to 108. Spaight is six tackles ahead of Kentucky linebacker Josh Forrest and seven up on Tennessee linebacker A.J. Johnson, who missed the Vols' 29-21 loss to Missouri on Saturday while serving an indefinite suspension.
Took his TD
Keon Hatcher came clean during postgame interviews, openly admitting his touchdown catch on Arkansas' third offensive snap was supposed to be thrown to Demetrius Wilson.
"Man, it's so crazy," Hatcher said. "I was actually supposed to come out. Demetrius was supposed to come in. That was supposed to be his play."
Hatcher said offensive coordinator Jim Chaney Coach put the play in for Wilson during the week because it was senior night.
"We got the wrong signals coming on and off. He ended up coming off and I stayed on, but I mean, shoutout to Demetrius Wilson. ... I got the touchdown that was supposed to be his. Thank you, bro. Love you. That one's for you."
Sports on 11/24/2014