WholeHogSports
SWEPT UNDER : Hogs demolished on home field by Crimson Tide
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008
URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/69349/
Arkansas’ defense couldn’t stop Alabama on offense and neither could Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick.
Dick was the last man falling when Alabama defensive backs ran by him returning two of his three interceptions for touchdowns.
Add Alabama’s five offensive touchdowns, four on big plays ranging from 25 to 87 yards, throw in Arkansas failing four times from an initial first-and-goal before half, and the nationally ninthranked Crimson Tide rolled the Razorbacks, 49-14, in Saturday’s SEC opener for both teams before 72, 315 at Frank Broyles Field at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Nick Saban’s ninth-ranked Tide advance to 4-0 and host nationally No. 3-ranked SEC rival Georgia next Saturday.
Barely surviving alleged nonconference breathers over Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe, firstyear coach Bobby Petrino’s Hogs fall to 2-1 and visit a nonconference heavyweight, seventh-ranked Texas of the Big 12, Saturday in Austin.
“ We can’t give up 14 points on two stupid throws I make, ” Dick said. “ If I don’t make two stupid throws, it might have been a totally different ballgame. ”
Well there were other things, like failing four times on a first and goal from the one before half and then starting the second half with yet another interception and Alabama scoring two plays later.
The Hogs wasted a gutty Petr ino-praised per formance by junior running back Michael Smith, with 19 carries for 91 yards and 6 catches for 67 yards including a 10-yard fourth-quarter TD pass from debuting true freshman reserve quarterback Tyler Wilson.
Wilson later threw a fourth-quarter pick as the Tide started blitzing.
Alabama scored so fast offensively and defensively that Arkansas hogged the ball nearly 35 minutes and lost by 35 points.
So much for time of possession, particularly with Arkansas trailing 35-7 with the ball for 21: 52 first-half minutes.
“ You look at the halftime stats, we have the ball 47 plays and they have it 15, ” Petrino said. “ But two interceptions and not scoring from the one, that’s a 21-point swing. ”
A running theme throughout was Arkansas’ total inability to stop the run. The Tide flowed 328 rushing yards on 35 carries including Alabama tailback Glen Coffee’s 162 yards and 2 TDs on just 10 totes.
“ We’ve got to stop the run, ” Petrino said. “ We’ve got to fit our backs better and tackle better, and you’ve got to give Alabama credit. They’ve got a big, physical offensive line and backs that can hit the home run, and we missed tackles to help them go the distance. ”
Stalling at the Alabama one before half down 35-7, including the two picks returned for 63- and 74-yard TDs by Alabama defensive backs Javier Arenas and Justin Woodall, the deflated Hogs were totally zapped when Dick’s third pick, snared by Alabama cornerback Marquis Johnson, was followed two plays later by Coffee’s 31-yard TD with 14: 05 still left in the third quarter.
Coffee had already popped an 87-yard first-quarter touchdown run and set the day’s tone on Alabama’s first scoring drive with a gameopening 16-yard run right up the gut.
Arkansas actually stopped that game-opening drive and forced a punt but freshman Elton Ford was charged with running into the kicker to keep the drive alive.
“ That hurt our momentum, ” Petrino said. “ We had a chance to move it with the score 0-0. ”
It was the only special teams blemish in Arkansas ’ otherwise best special teams performance by far.
Against Alabama it was enough to dig an irrevocable hole.
Tailback Mark Ingram, 53 yards on 6 carries, completed the 10-play drive with a 1-yard TD run at 10: 40.
The Tide’s longest scoring drive after that took five plays before quarterback John Parker Wilson’s lone touchdown pass, a 25-yarder to Julio Jones to make it 28-7 at 8: 31 of the second quarter. Coffee’s TD runs were on 1-and 2-play drives.
Tailback Roy Upchurch, 7 carries for 91 yards, scored on a 62-yarder the first play after Arkansas’ fourth-quarter touchdown pass by freshman Tyler Wilson to running back Michael Smith.
Set up by Texarkana freshman Dennis Johnson’s 41-yard kick return, Dick (20 of 39 for 190 yards ) quarterbacked a nine-play, 47-yard second-quarter scoring drive capped by his downthe-middle, 12-yard TD pass to tight end Andrew Davie on fourth and 1.
It was Davie’s first catch of 2008.
Smith netted a 30-yard run during the late first-half drive from the Arkansas 23 to the Alabama 1. Junior Brandon Barnett of Texarkana, short like Smith but bulkier was brought in for a goal-line plunge and appeared to have it, in Petrino’s view, the coach said.
Officials thought otherwise. There was no debate on the subsequent plays. Barnett was turned back. Dick rolled out and threw incomplete for freshman running back De’Anthony Curtis. Then Smith was stopped short by 365-pound nose guard Terrence Cody and linebacker Rolando McClain.
The heralded battles between Razorback two-time All-American Rimington Award senior center Jonathan Luigs and Cody seldom took place, ironically because Arkansas excelled. Smith ran so well east-west and the playaction pass worked so well that Cody was often benched for quicker personnel.
“ I thought we had a pretty good rhythm there, ” Petrino said. “ But we didn’t get points out of it. That kills you. ”