FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas followed up its worst SEC loss ever with another first.
This time it was the good kind.
The Razorbacks easily beat No. 11 Florida 31-10 for the program's first win over the Gators since joining the SEC. Florida had won nine straight in the series - mostly by blowout scores - and had not lost to Arkansas since Dec. 31, 1982, in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
With the win, the Razorbacks became eligible for their third consecutive trip to a postseason bowl game.
Arkansas (6-3, 2-3 SEC) rebounded from a 53-point loss to Auburn two weeks earlier, and earned its most significant win to date this season. The Razorbacks controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides and out-gained the Gators 468-241 in total yards - a stat skewed a bit because of a long Florida drive in the closing minutes against an Arkansas prevent defense.
"After that Auburn game, we were down," Arkansas defensive end Jeremiah Ledbetter said. "But we knew we could bounce back and we had a good team."
Wearing anthracite-colored jerseys and chrome helmets for the first time, the Razorbacks looked like a different team. Arkansas' defense outplayed a Florida unit that entered the game ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 11.7 points and 240 yards per game.
The Razorbacks gave up an SEC record 543 rushing yards to Auburn in their previous game, but held Florida's offense out of the end zone and allowed just 12 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
"To come out of that game and realize we couldn't stop the run, I just said, 'I don't care what we do, we're going to stop the run on defense,'" Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "I don't care if we played with 11 guys or had to play with 12. I'll take the penalty; we ain't going to have someone run the ball on us."
Bielema said he took it upon himself to correct the Razorbacks' problems stopping the run during the team's off week. Arkansas allowed 9.2 yards per carry in SEC losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Auburn.
"When sh*t needs to happen, I've got to make it happen," Bielema said. "That's what I needed to do. That part, it's fun to see your kids respond that way."
Arkansas got a touchdown from its defense on the Gators' first offensive play of the game. Santos Ramirez intercepted a pass that was deflected by Josh Liddell and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. It was the Razorbacks' fourth interception returned for a touchdown this season.
The score brought an announced crowd of 74,432 - the eighth-largest for a game at Razorback Stadium - to life, and it appeared Arkansas fed off the energy the rest of the game.
The Razorbacks extended their lead to 14-0 later in the first quarter when Rawleigh Williams scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to cap an 8-play, 91-yard drive. Freshman running back Devwah Whaley had three big plays on the possession with runs of 16 and 13 yards, and a 43-yard reception.
Whaley rushed for 66 yards and also had 69 yards on two receptions.
Williams added a 41-yard touchdown run with 5:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Arkansas a 31-10 lead. He finished the game with 148 yards on 26 carries, and also had 22 receiving yards.
"That's our identity," Williams said. "If we can't run the ball, our team doesn't click the way it should ... Everything else will open up because of that, and it did today."
Florida scored its only touchdown late in the first quarter when Duke Dawson returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. Dawson intercepted an Austin Allen pass that was intended for Jeremy Sprinkle and ran untouched for the score.
Florida (6-2, 4-2) failed to score an offensive touchdown in an SEC game for the first time in three years. The Gators' offense sputtered with quarterback Luke Del Rio, who completed 19 of 37 passes for 229 yards and was intercepted twice.
It was a disappointing showing for Florida, which had been doubted by critics all season who said the Gators had not played quality competition. Florida's six wins were over Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky, North Texas and Massachusetts.
The Gators lost their third straight game against an SEC West opponent dating to last season, while the Razorbacks beat an eastern division team for the third straight time. The SEC West improved to 9-1 in games against the SEC East this year.
"First and foremost for the guys who made the trip down here, I apologize you had to sit through that," Florida coach Jim McElwain said. "... I feel horrible for Gator Nation and the way everything kind of played out.
"My hats off to Bret and those guys. They came out with something to prove and they proved it. They dominated the line of scrimmage. The first time you touch the ball you throw a pick-6, that didn't help."
Arkansas used another long drive to take a two-score lead into halftime. Allen's 7-yard touchdown pass to Drew Morgan on a third-and-goal gave the Razorbacks a 21-7 lead with 16 seconds left in the first half. The scoring drive spanned 87 yards and 10 plays.
Allen completed 15 of 26 passes for 243 yards. Morgan had 95 yards on seven receptions.
"We had a serious meeting after the game against Auburn and we vowed to never let that happen again," Allen said. "Everyone rose to that challenge and performed well this week.
"We played with a chip on our shoulder and we were able to bounce back from some tough losses in order to put together a good game for the fans. That shows how much veteran leadership we have on this team."
The teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter before Williams' long touchdown run put the game away. Adam McFain's 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter extended Arkansas' lead to 17 before Eddy Piniero pulled the Gators to within 24-10 on a 49-yard kick with 6:41 remaining.
The Razorbacks play their final home game of the season this week against LSU, which is coming off a 10-0 home loss to No. 1 Alabama. Arkansas has beaten the Tigers by 17 points the past two seasons, with both games coming the week following an LSU loss to the Crimson Tide.