FAYETTEVILLE -- The sting of Arkansas' lopsided loss to Auburn lingered for two weeks.
The Razorbacks made tweaks on both sides of the ball during their bye week, then dominated No. 11 Florida in a 31-10 romp Saturday.
Arkansas (6-3, 2-3 SEC) gained bowl eligibility and notched its first victory as an SEC team over the Gators (6-2, 4-2) on a chilly afternoon before a crowd of 74,432 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Santos Ramirez returned an interception for a 24-yard score on Florida's first offensive snap, and Rawleigh Williams ran for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 41-yard breakaway touchdown with 5:40 remaining to seal the upset.
"We didn't come in here feeling like an underdog," Ramirez said. "We went in there expecting to beat the crap out of Florida, which we did.
"No disrespect to Florida. They're a good team and everything, and kudos to them going forward, but we think we're one of the best teams in the nation, too."
The Gators had been 9-0 against the Razorbacks in the SEC and 3-0 in Fayetteville before Saturday, when the Razorbacks -- wearing anthracite jerseys for the first time since 2013 -- enjoyed a 466-241 edge in total offense.
"To play a top 10 again -- I believe that's our sixth ranked opponent this year -- I knew we'd fare well because they love the challenge," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said.
"My hats off to Bret and those guys," Florida Coach Jim McElwain said. "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."
Inspired by a pregame talk by former Razorback and current New England Patriot Trey Flowers, the Razorbacks' defense held Florida to 12 rushing yards and 241 total yards while limiting the Gators' offense to three points. Florida took one snap in Arkansas territory in the first half and didn't make it inside of the 35 until halfway through the fourth quarter.
The game after Arkansas allowed 543 rushing yards in its 56-3 loss to Auburn, Bielema said he ordered changes on defense: senior Jeremiah Ledbetter's move from tackle to end, and more playing time for freshman McTelvin Agim and sophomore Randy Ramsey. All three players started.
"When s*** 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."
Agim said former players Flowers, Martrell Spaight and Sebastian Tretola talked to the team after the Auburn loss and challenged the players to bounce back.
"They showed us how it hurt them, too, and how they still put on the Razorback red and how we have to take control of this," Agim said.
Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio completed 19 of 37 passes for 229 yards and was sacked 3 times. The Gators had been converting better than 50 percent of their third-down plays before going 1 of 11 against the Hogs.
Arkansas improved to 9-0 after SEC losses since falling to Georgia midway through the 2014 season. The Razorbacks are 6-1 on Halloween or later the past two seasons and have won their past three games against the SEC East.
"I just think playing in the West, it's just ... a different breed of animal," said Drew Morgan, who had a game-high seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown for Arkansas. "I'm not saying anything bad about Florida. They just came into a rowdy house of Razorbacks."
Arkansas shredded Florida's No. 2-ranked defense for 466 total yards, including 223 on the ground. Offensive line coach Kurt Anderson gave Johnny Gibson a start at right guard, and Jake Raulerson subbed in and played effectively at left guard after Hjalte Froholdt went out with an ankle injury in the second quarter.
After rushing for 25 yards at Auburn, the Razorbacks were intent on creating running lanes against Florida, which had been allowing 240 total yards and 106 rushing yards per game.
"They're definitely a great defense," Williams said. "They showed a lot of things that were kind of tough for us early on. But we're a great team. It kind of showed today that if we have the will to win, we can do anything we need to do."
The Razorbacks made effective use of screen passes, with Williams and Devwah Whaley combining for four catches for 91 yards. Whaley's 43-yard scamper on a screen set up Williams' first score, a 6-yard run up the middle with 5:56 left in the first quarter to put Arkansas ahead 14-0.
"We knew those end rushers were going to rush hard and try to get after the passer, and it worked in our favor three or four times out there," Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen said.
"They're very aggressive up front," Bielema said. "We thought if we could get them up the field and run some stuff underneath it, that would be there. Great execution. Great design."
Bielema said offensive coordinator Dan Enos got busy game-planning early in the off week.
"Dan had a great plan," he said. "Coach Enos, when you have one week, he's good. When you have two weeks, he's extra good."
Allen, playing his first game since suffering a sprained knee, started off shaky at 4 of 12, including an errant pass for Jeremy Sprinkle that resulted in Duke Dawson's 37-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first quarter. The junior bounced back, hitting 11 of 14 after the slow start to finish 15 of 26 for 243 yards.
Arkansas safety Josh Liddell jumped a slant pass intended for Tyrie Cleveland on Florida's first offensive snap, and the ball ricocheted high to his fellow safety. Ramirez had an escort around right end and returned the interception 24 yards for a touchdown.
Florida struggled to move the ball throughout the first half, but Johnny Townsend's punting helped the Gators with field position. Arkansas' average starting position in the half was its own 14.
The Razorbacks were backed up to their own 9 to open their second scoring possession, which turned into the Whaley show. The freshman back had runs of 1, 16 and 13 yards as Arkansas drove to its 41. On the next snap, Whaley motored around left end with a screen pass and rambled to the Gators' 16.
Florida's Jalen Tabor picked up a pass interference penalty in the end zone against Keon Hatcher on third down, and Williams powered up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead on the next snap.
Arkansas drove 87 yards late in the second quarter. The Razorbacks overcame an illegal block penalty on Gibson on that sequence, with Sprinkle catching a 31-yard pass from Allen to convert on second and 19. A pass interference call on Quincy Wilson got Arkansas to the 8, and on third and goal from the 7, Morgan shook free from safety Marcus Maye for a 7-yard touchdown catch with 16 seconds left in the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Arkansas drove 68 yards and increased its lead to 24-7 on Adam McFain's 36-yard field goal.
Sports on 11/06/2016