Razorbacks Report

Bielema: Run past goal line

Arkansas running back Alex Collins carries the ball in the first quarter of the game against Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said what happened at the end of Alex Collins' 84-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter at Texas Tech provided a teaching moment.

An exhausted-looking Collins slowed down as he approached and crossed the goal line on the longest run of his career when a defender clubbed down on the ball, knocking it free in the end zone.

"He's got to finish through the goal line, and not just for ball security, but a lot of times injuries occur when a player lets down before someone else does," Bielema said. "Case in point there, the Texas Tech kid went to rip the ball out, but if he'd gone on an ankle swipe or a leg swipe, he could've seriously injured Alex, and I thought that was a great learning point for us all to have."

Bielema also found a way to make light of Collins' exhaustion when discussing the run.

"I think Alex left half his lung out there on that 80-yarder," Bielema said.

Three Arkansas players have scored on runs of 80-plus yards in the past two games, with Jonathan Williams running in from 90 yards and Keon Hatcher taking an end around for 82 yards on the Hogs' first snap against Nicholls State.

Collins honored

Arkansas tailback Alex Collins was named the SEC offensive player of the week on Monday after rushing for a career-high 212 yards in the Hogs' 49-28 victory at Texas Tech.

Collins scored two touchdowns, including a career-best 84-yard run to end the scoring.

The 5-11, 215-pound sophomore from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ranks 10th nationally with 137 rushing yards per game.

Collins is the first Arkansas player to win SEC offensive player of the week since Cobi Hamilton's three touchdown, 303-yard receiving game against Rutgers on Sept. 22, 2012.

Collins described how he and running back Jonathan Williams, who ran for 145 yards and four touchdowns, felt during the game.

"Our mindset was, 'Coach just give us the ball,' " Collins said. " 'The offensive line has got a great push going on. We're getting five yards before we're even being touched. Let's just keep running the ball.' "

Club Skipper

Left tackle Dan Skipper's one-armed pancake block against Texas Tech has sprung to life on social media sites in Arkansas.

Skipper, 6-10, 326, made the play when Jonathan Williams gained 9 yards on a second-and-10 draw play. Skipper took a step inside, then shifted his weight to the left and used a one-arm shove to send 268-pound nose guard Jackson Richards stumbling and falling to the turf. Video shows Skipper quickly jumping back into the line to look for someone else to block.

"We call it a club-by," Coach Bret Bielema said. "Skipper probably played his best game. ... Dan Skipper is a very, as we all know, physical player."

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said he enjoys watching all of Skipper's snaps.

"You can't just point out one thing that he does," Chaney said. "There's probably about 50 plays in there that you go, 'Oh man, that's neat.'

"He plays from the beginning to the end of the whistle. That's the way he plays."

Tube talk

The Sept. 27 Arkansas-Texas A&M game from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, has been picked up by CBS for its national telecast.

"I'm excited to play Northern Illinois, but I'm not going to ignore the fact we've made a big deal going into Dallas Cowboys Stadium every year, playing Texas A&M," Coach Bret Bielema said Monday. "We recruit the Tex-Hogs extremely hard. ... I think the kids will be excited. I think it's awesome."

The Razorbacks and Aggies will resume their long-term agreement to play every year in Arlington after taking a two-year hiatus to play games on campus during A&M's first couple of seasons in the SEC.

Players

The Arkansas coaching staff selected running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams and offensive guard Sebastian Tretola as the players of the week on offense, linebacker Martrell Spaight as the defensive player of the week, and deep snapper Alan D'Appollonio as special teams player of the week.

Cornerback Santos Ramirez was defensive scout-team MVP, receiver Eric Hawkins was offensive scout-team MVP and linebacker Josh Harris was scout-team MVP for the second consecutive week.

Bielema said he couldn't decide whether to nominate Collins (27 carries, 212 yards, 2 TDs) or Williams (22-145, 4 TDs) for SEC offensive player of the week, so the school sent in both to let the league office sort it out.

Korliss' carries

Sophomore Korliss Marshall was limited to five carries for 13 yards at Texas Tech, partly due to ball security issues.

Marshall had no official fumbles, but the ball came loose on two plays: a kickoff return on which he was already down and a run play on which Marshall was face-masked, lost the ball and recovered it himself.

"He's got to step up his preparation to get himself on the field more and to give us an idea that he wants to be on the field more," Bielema said. "He has to earn it during the week of practice.

"I didn't go into Saturday and say we're not going to take Korliss from the line of scrimmage X number of plays because he's had bad ball security. That isn't the case, but now you've put it on film and film does not lie."

Sorry, Charlie

Bret Bielema said he planned Monday afternoon to "reach out" to Charlie Stubbs, the Nicholls State coach who resigned on Sunday citing health issues with his team in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. Stubbs, who had a 10-38 record in his four-plus seasons, will be replaced by associate head coach Chuck Hepola on an interim basis. Arkansas beat Nicholls State 73-7 10 days ago in Fayetteville.

Worth noting

• Arkansas' seven rushing touchdowns were the most allowed by Texas Tech since Missouri ran for eight scores in 2003.

• The Hogs' 438 rushing yards were the most allowed by the Red Raiders since giving up 439 yards to Texas in 2011.

Sports on 09/16/2014