FAYETTEVILLE — Dan Enos thought Austin Allen “invented some things” in his first start. Without question, the junior quarterback settled into things in a big way in start No. 2. There was little his quarterbacks coach could argue about.
Allen earned SEC offensive player of the week in leading Arkansas to a 41-38 double-over victory at TCU. He was especially good in a tying drive – and two-point play – in the final two minutes of regulation, then spectacular in scoring the winning touchdown to end the second overtime.
Allen completed 17 of 29 passes for 223 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown and caught a pass on a two-point conversion.
There was one pass batted around in the secondary, but Allen was solid with his reads and decisions. He definitely didn't invent anything.
Perhaps the only thing Allen did wrong was spike the ball after completing the 5-yard run for the game-winner. Head coach Bret Bielema went to Allen before the Hogs jumped into their two-minute offense to end regulation.
“I thought I'd try to loosen him up,” Bielema said. “I said, 'Hey Bro, this is like Wednesday when we went through the two-minute drill, but we are going to need a two-point play, too.' I smiled and he smiled.”
Later, when asked if he really did say “bro,” Bielema laughed.
“I'm not sure I said Bro,” he said. “But I was smiling. I thought about that, too. I wondered if the TV cameras were on me. You know, they sometimes have them on you and people wonder why you are smiling.”
There were all smiles after Allen scored to end the second overtime, except Enos was left staring at his call sheet on the sideline, looking for a possible fourth-down play.
“Coach had told me to be ready for a fourth down call if we got close,” Enos said. “I thought they had Austin short of the goal line. I was looking down at the sheet. I looked up and I was the only one still there. Our whole team was out there. I didn't know he got in.”
It was something akin to the winning play scored by Brandon Allen last year against Ole Miss on a two-point conversion in overtime. Bielema did note one difference.
“Brandon went to the ground to score and then he put the ball on the ground,” Bielema said. “Austin spiked it. We covered that with him. I'd rather he didn't do that.”
Bielema said he did give Enos the heads up that if the third down play came up short, to be ready for a fourth down call.
“I will say no one called any play Saturday night except Dan Enos,” Bielema said. “He was creative. I was going to go for it on fourth down if it was fourth-and-2 or less. We would have kicked it at fourth-and-3 or more.”
There continues to be comparisons between the Allen brothers. Bielema said Brandon “is a better athlete and was more jacked up. Austin can run it. I will say he got hit pretty good when we ran that play before. I asked him, 'Didn't you see that guy.' He said he popped out from behind someone else.”
Enos said there was some joking at halftime about the hit that was taken on the earlier quarterback run call.
“It was third-and-medium and he got it, but he missed the cut,” Enos said. “We teased him last night in the meetings.
“I will say that Austin is not a guy who you are going to make a living running the ball with, but he's capable.”
The quarterback run for the winning touchdown was an easier call because of the success that came in the two-minute drive and the earlier plays in OT.
“We all knew Austin was playing pretty well at that point,” Enos said. “It was not the same play Brandon ran against Ole Miss. It worked out the same way. Against Ole Miss, it was a single back. This was two-back. We had no lead back against Ole Miss. We pulled the guard against Ole Miss, the center this time. It was a bunch run and we had the tailback as the lead blocker.
“I will say that on calls like this, it's important to think player and not play. That's where you knew what you were doing with Brandon and then with Austin.”
Enos said Allen played well the entire game against TCU, but was especially good in the “big moments.” There was improvement in demeanor and communication from the opener.
“That's the one area where he got much better,” Enos said. “In the opener, there was a lot of buildup for his first start. We talked about that. There had to be better communication. There was. His demeanor was better.”
Enos noticed confidence in the team as the preparations were made before the two-minute drive in regulation.
“What I saw was player after player – and especially from the defense – coming by to say something to Austin,” Enos said. “It was the volume of players encouraging him. It was neat to see. There was confidence shown. You could see the entire team believed in him.”
Enos said the tying two-point conversion at the end of regulation was a play that had been practiced at length throughout camp. It was ready the previous week against Louisiana Tech, but not called. Drew Morgan took a pitch, then flipped it back to Keon Hatcher. With a run-pass option, Hatcher flipped it to Allen in the end zone.
Morgan had left the game earlier in the drive with cramps. He spent time stretching his legs in the huddle before the play.
“We had others who have practiced it, but we wanted Drew out there,” Enos said. “We wanted him to sell it so that everyone in the stadium thought he was getting the ball. For Keon, his first option was to run it. That's the key to the play. If you think you are going to pass, then you try to run, sometimes you let up and then you don't get there. Keon did a good job of selling run.”
Enos was pleased with protection late in the game, noting that was the key to the offensive success.
“The entire stadium knew we were going to pass and we had to go down the field a little,” Enos said. “So they had to hold their blocks a little longer. They raised their level of play.”
Bielema said the offensive line improved from week one to week two, with left tackle Dan Skipper grading out at 90 percent. There was also improvement across the board from Hjalte Froholdt, Frank Ragnow and Jake Raulerson. Colton Jackson, the right tackle, had a false start and missed some protections, but had some good plays in the run game.
“Skipper played at a high level,” Bielema said. “Frank played really well. Hjalte made a jump up. So did Raulerson. Colton grew in certain things, but I will say that we are not settled in by any means with our starting five.
“Jalen Merrick has missed some time with a concussion. Brian Wallace had his best week of practice.”
Bielema had suggested last week some of those backups could play against TCU, but that didn't happen.
“Once we got into the flow and there had been some unique preparations for what TCU does, their looks and their pressures, and things were rolling,” he said, “we didn't make any (changes).”
Protection is still an issue.
“We had to make some changes (after the first two series) in protections,” he said. “The first third down, Austin got hit. He took a hit to the head that we put on tape and sent to the conference office. I'm going to protect Austin, but our players have to keep him from getting hit.
“Austin was on the ground five times and that's five times too many.”
Both Bielema and defensive coordinator Robb Smith were miffed that TCU fans booed when Brooks Ellis left the field with cramps in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. TCU scored on the next play to go ahead 28-20.
“I will say that our doctors set a record in getting him back out there,” Bielema said, noting two fluid injections were given.
“(The boos) were a very sick moment. (Linebackers coach) Vernon (Hargreaves) and I were talking. He said, 'I don't want Brooks off the field.' He's a 3.9 (GPA) student and not dishonest in anything he does. He got booed off the field. It's a sad commentary on life. Ryan Pulley got booed, too.”
Smith, the defensive coordinator, said there is no way Ellis would be taken off the field at the 1-yard line.
“I didn't notice (boos) at first because I was so engaged in getting the next mike linebacker out there,” Smith said. “I guess (the boos) are the way of the world now with tempo teams. I will say that we were glad to get Brooks back.”
Smith said if there was a positive in the defensive performance it was the blocked field goal to end regulation and the stand to force a field goal in the second overtime. The Hogs did give up 572 yards on 90 snaps, including 195 rushing and 93 by quarterback Kenny Hill. Texas State, the foe this week, features a running quarterback in a spread.
“You have to never get too high, never too low, just focus on the next play, so getting the stop in the second overtime was big,” Smith said. “Three sacks was an improvement and we improved some of our under coverage.
“What I did see is that our defensive front played with fanatical effort. Ryan Pulley is getting better and Jared Collins is playing solid.
“We have to continue to build depth. We have to get more players ready.”
The tempo game is going to be there this week.
“Texas State does things to challenge you,” Smith said. “They try to snap it with 23.5 on the play clock and that's three seconds faster than TCU. There are a lot more designed quarterback runs.”