Like It Is

Hogs take another step, next one a doozy

Arkansas receiver Keon Hatcher celebrates after catching a 44-yard touchdown pass against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- It was obvious from Day 1 that Korliss Marshall is blessed with speed.

It was the main reason he was moved from safety to running back. The Razorbacks need a guy who can get a lead and keep it.

Marshall's only problem with the transition to running back has been holding on to the football. Certainly not on every carry, but when he fumbled against Texas Tech he was done for the day.

After a week to think about it, Marshall may have washed away the memory of that turnover when he took the opening kickoff Saturday against Northern Illinois at the 3 and bore to the right. Within a couple of seconds, depending on the view from your seat, you knew no one was going to touch him.

It took 14 seconds for Marshall to cover the 97 yards -- including the couple of moves, it was more than 100 yards in full gear -- and even though two Northern Illinois players had an angle on him, there was no closing the gap as the sophomore from Osceola hit full stride before the defenders could get their second breath.

That set the tone, and less than seven minutes later Darius Philon added to it when he scooped up a Northern Illinois fumble and went 14 yards to make it 14-0.

Yes, visions of scooping and scoring have danced around in the heads of Razorbacks Nation since the Hogs' loss to Ohio State in the 2011 BCS Sugar Bowl, but Saturday the proof was in the pudding.

When the Razorbacks offense got on the field for its second possession, it left no doubt that Northern Illinois was going down. They were going down in the trenches and, before the night was over, through the air.

The Hogs drove 69 yards in 12 plays -- only two were passes for a total of 18 yards -- and it was Jonathan Williams who broke two tackles for a 15-yard touchdown run that gave Arkansas a 21-0 lead with 21 seconds to play in the first quarter.

This was not against Texas Tech. It was against Northern Illinois, which had won 17 consecutive road games dating back almost three years.

The Huskies drove 74 yards in eight plays for a touchdown after the Hogs missed a 43-yard field goal, but the Razorbacks showed maturity when they answered with a 71-yard touchdown drive.

Brandon Allen passed for 68 of the yards, including a 10-yard touchdown to Jared Cornelius who eluded a defender after Allen deftly escaped a sack by scrambling to his right.


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By the time the Hogs had made it 35-7 with a 12-play, 68-yard drive with 3:34 to play in the third quarter, it was becoming more obvious why the AutoZone Liberty Bowl had sent Harold Graeter, the bowl's associate executive director, to eyeball the Razorbacks.

The way the Hogs handled Texas Tech was a bit of an eye-opener because of their ground attack, and Saturday they added a passing attack that gave them more balance than the Huskies could handle.

The Razorbacks have a long way to go before they start thinking postseason because the schedule gets much tougher with Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia on the horizon.

What Saturday's game showed was more improvement on both sides of the ball, especially when it came to tackling. That went a little south on the touchdowns, but for most of the game it was wrap them up and take them down.

Alex Collins and Williams didn't put up the big rushing numbers like they did last week, but they didn't have to because special teams scored a touchdown, the defense scored a touchdown and the offense was balanced.

It was a team victory. Marshall and Philon set the tone early, but now the schedule gets as serious as taxes.

The Hogs have two good victories, but they need a quality victory in the SEC.

Sports on 09/21/2014