FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- It's a new football season for the Arkansas Razorbacks with a new coaching staff and new schemes on offense and defense.
But for the Razorbacks and their fans, Colorado State's 34-27 victory over the University of Arkansas on Saturday night at Canvas Stadium was all too familiar.
For the third time in the Razorbacks' last three games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents Arkansas blew a lead of 14 or more points and lost.
In the latest gut-punch loss for the Razorbacks, Colorado State scored the game's final 25 points to overcome a 27-9 deficit.
The Rams went ahead on Izzy Matthews' 1-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left that broke a 27-27 tie.
In Arkansas' final two games last season, Mississippi State won 28-21 on Nick Fitzgerald's 6-yard touchdown pass to Deddrick Thomas with 17 seconds left after trailing 14-0 in the first quarter and Missouri won 48-45 on Tucker McCann's 19-yard field goal with five seconds left after trailing 28-14 in the second quarter.
That's three losses with the opponents' winning scores coming with a combined 30 seconds left in tie games.
"It didn't feel the same as last year to me," Arkansas sophomore quarterback Cole Kelley said of the Colorado State loss. "I know it probably looked that way.
"It's still the second game we've played with this staff. We're still just finding our rhythm."
It was the first loss for Arkansas Coach Chad Morris after the Razorbacks beat Eastern Illinois -- a Football Championship Subdivision team -- 55-20 to open the season.
"I think those guys over there are going to rally and continue to build," Morris said of his players. "What's happened in the past has happened in the past. This is a totally new season and new group of guys and we've got to come together."
Kelley -- who didn't play in the first half but took every snap in the second in relief of starter Ty Storey -- threw touchdown passes of 25 yards to La'Michael Pettway and 64 yards to T.J. Hammonds to put Arkansas ahead 27-9 midway through the third quarter.
Many Colorado State fans began leaving the game, having seen enough of their team which lost its first two games 43-34 to Hawaii and 45-13 to Colorado.
Hammonds said he figured the Rams were headed for another loss, too.
"Yeah, I thought it was over with," Hammonds said. "But they came back. ... I guess they wanted it more than we did."
In the Razorbacks' previous three games against Colorado State they won 43-9 in 1974, 36-3 in 1979 and 31-20 in 1990.
The last time Arkansas played a Mountain West team, the Razorbacks beat New Mexico 52-3 in 2011. Colorado State hadn't beaten an SEC team since upsetting LSU 18-17 in 1992.
"We're down. It's a loss," Hammonds said. "Any team would be mad.
"I mean, we're an SEC team playing a Mountain West team. Not saying that matters, but we had more expectations."
Rams senior quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, a graduate transfer from Washington, led Colorado State on scoring drives its final four possessions while the Rams' defense allowed just two first downs and 37 yards on Arkansas' final five possessions.
"Probably a lot of people out there thought we couldn't get it done," Colorado State Coach Mike Bobo said. "But our team kept fighting, kept playing for each other."
Arkansas junior defensive lineman McTelvin Agim said he's believes the Razorbacks will respond positively for their next game against North Texas (2-0) on Saturday in Fayetteville.
"We've still got faith in Coach Morris and this coaching staff," Agim said. "We're just going to play it out and see what happens."
Junior cornerback Ryan Pulley said Morris' postgame message to the team is that there are a lot of games left to play.
"We're going to talk about [the loss], look at film, see what we did wrong and we're going to respond," Pulley said. "We've always got hope. No question.
"I'm one of the leaders on the team. I'm going to rally the troops."
Going back to the 2012 season when John L. Smith was Arkansas' interim coach and Louisiana-Monroe beat the Razorbacks 34-31 in overtime after trailing 28-7 in the third quarter, they have lost 14 games in which they led by 10 or more points.
Players in their fourth season at Arkansas have endured six such losses.
"We just have to learn how to finish and we have to continue to play hard in all areas," Morris said. "There's plenty of things that we've got to work on and continue to work on to get better and we will.
"These guys, this coaching staff will pull together and we'll definitely get this thing going."
Deja Vu
Arkansas has lost 14 games since 2012 in which it led by 10 or more points. Here is a rundown:
2012: Louisiana-Monroe (21)
Details: Arkansas led 28-7 after a touchdown early in the third quarter, but ULM outscored the Razorbacks 27-3 over the final 20:41 and overtime to win 34-31. At the time the 21-point blown lead was the largest in Arkansas' history.
2012: Ole Miss (10)
Details: Arkansas led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, but was outscored 30-17 the rest of the way. Ole Miss won on a field goal as time expired.
2013: Rutgers (17)
Details: Arkansas led 24-7 in the third quarter, but allowed 21 points over the span of 11:56 in the third quarter and fourth quarter and lost 28-24.
2013: Mississippi State (10)
Details: Arkansas led 10-0 at halftime and 17-10 going into the fourth quarter, but Mississippi State scored twice in the fourth quarter and overtime and won 24-17.
2014: Texas A&M (14)
Details: Arkansas led 28-14 at the end of the third quarter and a 51-yard Jonathan Williams run to the Texas A&M 1 was negated early in the fourth quarter because of a tripping penalty on Dan Skipper. Texas A&M outscored the Razorbacks 21-0 in the fourth quarter and overtime and won 35-28.
2014: Mississippi State (10)
Details: Arkansas led the No. 1 Bulldogs 10-0 early in the second quarter, but was outscored 17-0 the rest of the way and lost 17-10.
2014: Missouri (11)
Details: The Razorbacks led 14-3 in the second quarter, but a Missouri field goal as time expired in the first half was the beginning of an 18-0 run to end the game. The Tigers won 21-14 to clinch the SEC East.
2015: Mississippi State (11)
Details: After trailing by 17, Arkansas scored 28 consecutive points to go ahead 42-31 after three quarters, but Dak Prescott outdueled Brandon Allen in the fourth and Mississippi State held onto a 51-50 win with a field goal block in the final minute.
2016: Missouri (17)
Details: Arkansas led 24-7 at halftime but was outscored 21-0 in the second half and lost 28-24. At the time it was the Razorbacks' largest blown lead in the second half since a 1970 game against Tulsa.
2016: Virginia Tech (24)
Details: Arkansas led 24-0 at halftime, but committed four turnovers in the second half and lost 35-24. The 24-point blown lead was the largest in the Razorbacks' history.
2017: Texas A&M (14)
Details: Arkansas led 21-7 early in the second quarter and went ahead 43-40 late, but Texas A&M kicked a field goal with four seconds left in regulation and won 50-43 in overtime. It was the Razorbacks' third blown fourth-quarter lead in four games against the Aggies.
2017: Mississippi State (14)
Details: Arkansas took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Mississippi State outscored the Razorbacks 28-7 the rest of the way. The Bulldogs scored the game-tying touchdown with 3:57 remaining and the game-winner with 17 seconds remaining.
2017: Missouri (14)
Details: Arkansas led 28-14 midway through the second quarter, but Missouri scored 17 straight to take a 31-28 halftime lead. The Tigers won 48-45 on a field goal with 5 seconds remaining.
2018: Colorado State (18)
Details: Arkansas led 27-9 in the third quarter, but Colorado State outscored the Razorbacks 25-0 over the final 17:46 and won 34-27 when on a touchdown run with 8 seconds remaining.
Sports on 09/10/2018