No, Arkansas' 66-7 annihilation of Sun Belt Conference underdog North Texas doesn't atone for losing fourth-quarter leads in SEC losses to Alabama and Kentucky.

But a team can only do all it can do against its next scheduled opponent. Winning by such a large margin, with a nearly mistake-free first half, the Razorbacks did just about all they could do last Saturday night in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

It sure beats doing what they had done, two weeks'lodging in Heartbreak Hotel.

" I was really proud of our team, " Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said Sunday. " After two tough weekends, the way we took the field Tuesday and Wednesday, I thought we'd have a good game. I thought the intensity, the focus was very good. "

Certainly it seemed in the right step to get the Razorbacks ready for their Oct. 13 SEC return with Auburn, after the Hogs' nonconference game Saturday night in Little Rock against Tennessee-Chattanooga.

ADVERTISEMENT

Fan focus from the North Texas game likely will rivet on Arkansas' passing game. Fans are accustomed to referring to the Arkansas passing game as lacking, but this week it showed marked improvement. Quarterback Casey Dick completed 12 of 21 pass attempts for 210 yards, 3 touchdowns and no picks.

And the line and backs have got to be doing something right when All-American running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones net 138 and 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns each by half and then sit while Texarkana's Brandon Barnett rushes for 105 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Fullback Peyton Hillis also got in on the act, carrying the ball six times for 66 yards.

However, North Texas'Mean Green, 0-4, may have less defense than the Swiss Navy. Oklahoma hung 79 points on the Mean Green.

But when it comes to throwing the football, though, North Texas is well-armed. The Mean Green ranked fifth nationally in passing offense going into last Saturday's game. So that wasn't a lightweight air show the Hogs shot down.

Against, Arkansas, North Texas quarterbacks Daniel Meager and Giovanni Vizza completed only 15 of 51 passes for 179 with no touchdowns and two picks. The last interception, thrown by Vizza, was returned by nickel back Jerell Norton for a 100-yard touchdown.

Picks by cornerback Michael Grant and of course, Norton, stand out. However, what bodes most well for an Arkansas team that struggled in pass defense against Sun Belt Conference champion Troy and SEC foes Alabama and Kentucky is that the Razorbacks broke up 10 passes, many of the dink, almost sure-to-be completed short stuff on which Spread offenses thrive.

The cornerbacks broke up eight passes. Grant had five breakups and Matteral Richardson, Ramon Broadway and Norton each had one.

" Our DB's spent a lot of time working with Coach [Bobby ] Allen trying to get their eyes on the ball., " Nutt said. " They had 10 break-ups which was good. We had a lot of good three-and-outs. "

The safeties also performed well. Starting free safety Kevin Woods had four tackles, including one for a loss. His backup, walk-on Rashaad Johnson, broke up one pass and picked up four tackles.

Actually, the secondary had showed marked improvement the previous week against Kentucky, until the Wildcats changed their strategy in the second half with a pounding running game that opened the passing game, too.

With its Spread offense, North Texas didn't choose to run the ball much.

However, when the Mean Green ran, Nutt implied that the Razorbacks reacted just so-so.

" We got better, " Nutt said. " But we are not satisfied at all. We are looking for bigger things from [defensive tackle ] Marcus Harrison. We are looking for better things from [defensive tackle ] Ernest Mitchell. We just know we can play better. We have got to work harder at stopping the run better. "

Nutt said there's much to improve upon.

He hasn't forgotten that the Hogs didn't win against Alabama and Kentucky, and will stress that the next step towards winning in the SEC is preparing well this week for underdog Tennessee-Chattanooga.

" We don't have time for letdowns right now, " Nutt said. " We've got some making up to do. We want to get better so when you step back in the SEC you are a totally different team than you were in September. "

Nate Allen covers the Razorbacks for the Northwest Arkansas Times.