Walker back in big way

FAYETTEVILLE -- Running back Kody Walker came back in the nick of overtime for Arkansas.

Walker, who had missed the previous four games after breaking a bone in his right hand against Toledo on Sept. 12, had a 4-yard touchdown run in the third overtime and a catch for a two-point conversion in the decisive fourth overtime to help the Razorbacks beat Auburn 54-46 on Saturday.

"It felt good to be out there with my teammates, man," said Walker, a fifth-year junior who received an additional season of eligibility from the NCAA because he's sustained so many injuries. "The last couple of weeks have been tough for me not being able to get out there."

Walker, who had 8 carries for 32 yards and 2 touchdowns, played with a smaller cast on his right hand than what he'd been wearing in practice previously. Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said the smaller cast gave him the confidence to play Walker in a game -- knowing he'd be better able to handle the ball -- after he had practiced well.

"He was getting great reps ... but he had a big ol' club on his hand," Bielema said. "In practice we're not tackling to the ground, you're not hitting them as hard and everything. I just really felt we couldn't put him in those last three weeks.

"Then they finally tapered it down during the bye week to a manageable cast size."

Walker said he had to knock off some rust but had fresh legs after playing for the first time in six weeks.

"Kody was a monster today," Arkansas free safety Josh Liddell said. "He had some good runs and a big catch. He really came through for us."

Moving extremities

Arkansas freshman tailback Rawleigh Williams was conscious and moving his extremities at a local hospital, the UA announced, after he was strapped to a stretcher and carted off the field with 3:42 left in the third quarter.

Williams suffered a neck injury when he was tackled by Jonathan Ford, who was penalized for grabbing Williams' face mask.

Williams had four carries for 18 yards.

"Rawleigh was tough all game," Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to him. I think he's doing a lot better now. "

An update on Williams' health status is expected today.

Bye-bye Jojo?

Arkansas redshirt freshman receiver Jojo Robinson was indefinitely suspended Saturday when he missed his second game, and it sounds doubtful he'll play again for the Razorbacks.

"Right now I don't see him being a part of our program," Coach Bret Bielema said.

Bielema said Robinson's problems involved not attending class.

"We have a class attendance policy that's very much written down and enforced by our university that we've got to turn in to the SEC," Bielema said.

Bielema said he's grown tired of wondering whether Robinson will face a suspension from the UA.

"I'm not going to live captive waiting to see if someone's going to go to math class at 8 o'clock on Thursday," Bielema said. "I'm just not going to live that way.

"He's unfortunately probably going to have look at other opportunities beyond Arkansas."

Robinson missed the opener against Texas-El Paso because of a suspension. He also was on suspension at times last spring and summer.

In 5 games this season he has 6 catches for 53 yards and 8 kickoff returns for 154 yards.

Triple threat

Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen recorded his first career reception Saturday when he caught a throwback pass from Damon "Duwop" Mitchell, a former quarterback.

Allen also ran on three keepers, including an 11-yard gain, and completed 19 of 31 passes for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception.

Working OT

Arkansas improved to 10-6 in overtime, including 7-1 in games that go two or more overtimes.

Prior to Saturday, Bret Bielema had been 0-3 in overtime as the Razorbacks' coach, with all of the losses coming in the first overtime -- 24-17 to Mississippi State in 2013, 35-28 to Texas A&M in 2014 and 28-21 to Texas A&M this season.

Saturday's game was the longest for Arkansas since its 71-63 victory at Kentucky in 2003 that took seven overtimes. That game tied the NCAA-record of seven overtimes in which Arkansas beat Ole Miss 58-56 in 2001.

Arkansas never had played a game that ended in four overtimes prior to Saturday.

Auburn fell to 8-7 in overtime games.

Jones at fullback

Sophomore fullback Chris Jones got in several snaps and helped the Razorbacks rush for 213 yards.

Jones got snaps in place of freshman Kendrick Jackson, whom Coach Bret Bielema said sustained a concussion in practice this week.

"Chris has been a survivor," Bielema said. "He's a true fullback. He can do some things for us. He got in there and thumped it pretty good. I think Chris really did some things today that's really going to open some eyes."

Butter fingers

Auburn redshirt freshman quarterback Sean White completed 19 of 32 passes for 254 yards, but his numbers could have been a lot bigger with some more help from his receivers.

The Tigers had seven dropped passes.

"We've just got to catch the ball and do a better job of it," Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn said.

More Reed

Arkansas receiver Dominique Reed, a junior college transfer, continues to become more involved in the offense.

Reed had a season-high 4 catches for 47 yards Saturday and 3 carries for 25 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown run on his first rushing attempt.

Getting closer

Arkansas sophomore receiver Jared Cornelius, who has been out since fracturing two bones in his left arm against Texas Tech on Sept. 19, dressed out for warm-ups and caught passes but then wore sweats during the game.

Going the long way

Auburn put together its two longest touchdown drives of the season.

The Tigers went 96 yards on 16 plays to pull within 14-7 with 30 seconds left in the second quarter, then went 93 yards on 12 plays to tie it 21-21 in the third quarter.

Their longest touchdown drive coming into the game had been 80 yards against Jackson State and Kentucky.

Defensive dude

Arkansas defensive end Jeremiah Ledbetter said he didn't know anything about free safety Josh Liddell going to Coach Bret Bielema to ask about the possibility of playing offense -- Bielema mentioned it in his postgame news conference Saturday -- but that he was glad Liddell is still with the defense.

"Josh is our guy. He's a defensive guy," Ledbetter said. "We're going to stick with him to the end. Josh is our dude."

For starters

Receivers Dominique Reed, a junior, and Luke Rossi, a redshirt freshman, made their first career starts.

Reed started at wideout and Rossi started in the slot.

Sophomore end Tevin Beanum and sophomore safety Josh Liddell returned to the starting lineup on defense.

Beanum came off the bench at Alabama in the previous game so junior JaMichael Winston, who is from Alabama, could start. Saturday was Beanum's third start.

Liddell regained his starting job after playing behind freshman Santos Ramirez the previous three games. Liddell started the first three games.

Longest of the year

The game lasted 4 hours, 5 minutes, and is tied with the Alabama-Ole Miss game Sept. 19 as the longest this season in college football.

Five college games have lasted more than four hours this season. Arkansas-Auburn is the only of those that did not end in regulation.

Century mark

The 100 combined points Saturday were the fourth-most in an Arkansas SEC game, but weren't the most the Razorbacks and Tigers have ever combined to score.

The teams combined for 108 points in a 2010 game that was won by the Tigers, 65-43.

Four of Arkansas' five highest-scoring SEC games have included overtime, including NCAA-record seven-overtime victories over Kentucky in 2003 and Ole Miss in 2001.

For the record

Brandon Allen and Alex Collins moved up the lists for Arkansas career bests Saturday.

Allen passed Barry Lunney Jr. for sixth in career passing yards (5,792), while Collins passed James Rouse for sixth in career rushing yards (2,922).

Collins also passed Bill Burnett and Madre Hill on the school's career rushing attempts list and is sixth with 544.

Information for this article was contributed by Matt Jones of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Sports on 10/25/2015