ARLINGTON, Texas -- With 1:51 to play at 2:14 Saturday afternoon, it appeared the University of Arkansas might turn the tables on Texas A&M.
The defense, which allowed the Aggies to convert only two of 10 third downs, had just held A&M. Arkansas, which had pulled to within 24-17 on its previous possession, was going to get one more shot to upset the Aggies, whose only losses were to No. 1 Alabama and then-No. 2 Clemson.
Less than a minute later a desperation deep pass was picked, and the improbable was still improbable with an offense that totaled 248 yards, 55 on the ground.
There would have been some justice in coming from down 24-10 to tie or win the game.
Twice the Razorbacks were called for hands-to-the-face personal foul penalties. Both times multiple replays showed the Hogs defender was actually being held, something the Aggies are very good at not getting flagged for. The last bad call helped the Aggies score the decisive touchdown.
It took seconds for Texas A&M to take the lead. Another unspecial teams play allowed the Aggies to return the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and a lead they would never surrender.
After the UA went three and out -- a too common occurrence Saturday -- the Aggies drove 79 yards in nine plays, and nearly midway through the first quarter A&M led 14-0.
For the next three-and-a-half quarters, it was a better-than-expected game as the Razorbacks not only got a field goal but scored two touchdowns, something they didn't do against Auburn a week ago.
Chad Morris would not promise a win-loss record before the season, only that the Razorbacks would play hard and improve every week.
For the second consecutive Saturday, the Razorbacks did play hard and showed improvement, especially on defense where they twice denied the Aggies scores in the red zone.
De'Jon Harris, Dre Greenlaw and Santos Ramirez played with reckless abandon, swarming to the ball to make tackles. Armon Watts had a big sack and tackle for loss.
It wasn't just them: Everyone on defense seemed to take the game personal. Maybe they were playing for their coach, John Chavis, who was the A&M defensive coordinator before coming to Arkansas.
Or perhaps they are just coming together as a team and taking pride in wearing the Razorback uniform.
Whatever the reason, the defense was why the Razorbacks -- a 21-point underdog -- had a shot late in the game.
That doesn't mean the offense didn't give 100 percent effort, but the closest thing to a big-play guy was tight end Cheyenne O'Grady, who had three catches for 77 yards, but it took the junior from Fayetteville some time to buy into Morris. O'Grady missed the first two games, and apparently the second one was because he was late for a bus.
On Saturday, he was a huge spark, especially his 53 yards on his first two catches that led the Hogs to their first touchdown since the North Texas game.
The offense just wasn't consistent enough, especially on the ground where Rakeem Boyd ran hard but had to earn every inch of his 47 yards.
The overall effort provided the Hogs a shot at the end, but it also put them in the sights of Alabama, who comes to Fayetteville on Saturday for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
Nick Saban was once known to not run the score up on opponents, but with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line, every coach is looking for style points.
The Hogs came close to winning some style points of their own, but instead showed more improvement is needed.
Sports on 09/30/2018