Running buddies

Collins carries load, gets help from Williams

Arkansas running back Alex Collins runs during the first quarter of a game against Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Senior Jonathan Williams may be out for the rest of the regular season, but Arkansas has a potent tailback tandem again.

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Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams runs during the second quarter of a game against Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

Junior Alex Collins rushed 27 times for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns and freshman Rawleigh Williams rushed 14 times for 100 yards to help the Razorbacks run by Tennessee 24-20 Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.

Collins and Jonathan Williams both rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, but Collins has taken on a larger role since Williams went down with a foot injury during an August scrimmage. In the past 3 games, Collins has rushed 81 times for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns.

"I think the biggest thing with Alex is with J-Will being done, he really took it upon himself to step up his game even more," Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen said. "The offensive line is playing great and opening holes for him, and he's hitting them hard. He's breaking tackles.

"He's just showing what kind of ability he has, and he has all kinds of ability. I'd say he's really matured knowing he's our guy."

Collins had runs of 54 and 29 yards Saturday night, but his biggest carry may have been for a 19-yard gain on a third-and-3 play from the Tennessee 35 with less than two minutes left.

Collins took a toss from Allen and looked like he was going to run inside, then cut outside and got around the edge to pick up a first down that enabled Arkansas to run out the clock.

"That was huge," Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema said. "I actually called that one. I'm going to give myself a little credit on that one."

The Vols were looking for Collins to run inside, where he'd been gaining yards all game.

"It used to be one of the toughest plays for me to defend as a defensive coordinator," Bielema said. "Alex did great job with it. He's really good [in] the open field with that."

In the previous 2 games, Collins rushed 28 times for 170 yards in a 35-24 loss to Texas Tech, then rushed 26 times 151 yards in last week's 28-21 overtime loss to Texas A&M.

Collins said he couldn't enjoy those performances because they didn't happen in games Arkansas won. He was able to enjoy his game Saturday night.

"We always believed in each other, and we worked hard," Collins said. "To finally see the chips fall our way on the road for a big SEC win, that feels good, seeing everybody happy and celebrating."

Bielema said Collins, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the previous two seasons, is playing the best football of his career.

"He's doing good, man," Bielema said. "The thing about Alex is, he's tough. The Toledo game, he delivered some bone-crunching hits on blitzes and protecting B.A.

"I think he gained a lot of respect in the offensive room from the players and coaches just with the physicality he's playing with. It's fun to watch."

Collins is the third player in Arkansas history with three consecutive games with 150 or more yards, joining Darren McFadden (2007 against Troy, Alabama, Kentucky) and Knile Davis (2010 against Texas-El Paso, Mississippi State, LSU).

"The kid's been through a lot," Bielema said. "I've known him for a long time, and to see him reap the rewards of what he's done is pretty cool."

Rawleigh Williams, who isn't related to Jonathan Williams, offered a nice complement to Collins' running and gave him some time to catch his breath.

"Rawleigh ran tough all game," Allen said. "He's a little bowling ball back there. He can bounce off people and get 5 or 6 extra yards when a lot of backs would go down. He's really tough to stop.

"That tandem back there is really special."

Sports on 10/04/2015