It was about as even a game as it could be for 58 minutes, but the Arkansas Razorbacks battened down their defensive hatches and survived the storm that the No. 19 and previously undefeated Tulsa Golden Hurricane brought to Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

After losing their last two games in the final minutes, the Razorbacks made a lastminute stand inside their 5-yard line to hold what statistically is the nation’s most potent offense and preserve a 30-23 victory.

Junior safety Matt Harris knifed inside and forced Tulsa’s Wildcat quarterback A. J. Whitmore down for a 3-yard loss on third and 2 at the Razorback 4.

Harris’ play denied the Golden Hurricane a first down and kept Tulsa’s surprisingly effective running game dry-docked for the game’s most important play.

On fourth and 5 at the UA 7, Tulsa quarterback David Johnson, statistically the nation’s most efficient quarterback, threw incomplete to Trae Johnson.

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Credit senior Hog cornerback Jamar Love, who has missed the last three games with a finger injury, for locking Johnson to the sideline with great coverage on the pivotal play.

Also credit Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Johnson for a solid gameplan and his players for admirable execution to hold Tulsa in check. Forget about the 528 yards Tulsa compiled.

The Hogs’ defense and kicking game kept a dangerous opponent bottled up and frustrated most of the day. Saturday’s fourth quarter was the only quarter that Tulsa hasn’t scored in this season.

The Razorbacks owned the first quarter thanks to an early an aggressive pass rush led by freshmen Zach Stadther and Jake Bequette and junior Malcolm Sheppard, and the Hogs nailed down 17 points.

Until Saturday, the Razorbacks had only scored just 10 points in the first quarter THE ENTIRE SEASON. Saturday’s quick start gave Arkansas a chance to win, something they had denied themselves of this season over and over with sloppy play, mistakes and turnovers.

Throughout the day, the Razorbacks found a way to answer Tulsa’s challenge.

No time was much more important than when freshman Dennis Johnson answered Tulsa’s game-tying field goal with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 30-23 lead. His return gave the Razorbacks momentum through much of the fourth quarter.

Tulsa did a fine job of limiting Michael Smith, the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher and the Hogs’ Mr. Everything, to 67 yards on 23 carries, but Arkansas’ passing game picked up the slack.

Casey Dick, the Crip Hall Award winner for the outstanding senior performance at homecoming, completed 25 of 38 passes for 385 yards, which is just two yards shy of Clint Stoerner’s Arkansas passing yardage record, and receivers D. J. Williams, Jarius Wright and Lucas Miller had fine performances.

Williams ’ six catches for 129 yards showed why the sophomore is one of the most dependable go-to guys in the SEC.

Wright had the break-out day everyone has been waiting for since the first game with 5 catches for 112 yards. The freshman from Warren had the best preseason camp of all of the Hogs’ wide receivers, but his day just hadn’t come until Saturday.

Miller, who had 4 catches for 63 yards, runs fine routes, has solid hands and is an excellent down-field blocker.

That’s the type of production Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino has been looking for from his passing game all season.

The victory should work wonders for the Razorbacks as they prepare for the final quarter of their season. The Hogs have truly dug deep after two heart-breaking losses to Kentucky and Ole Miss to keep improving as a football team.

That process will be made much easier with a win under their belt and the carrot of bowl trip still hanging in front of them.

The Razorbacks have to win two of their last three games at South Carolina, at Mississippi State and at Little Rock against LSU to become bowl-eligible.

Accomplishing the task won’t be easy, but the goal of doing so will keep the Hogs from packing it in early this season.

With three games to play, there is still much improvement this squad can make in Petrino’s first year at the helm. And the more the Hogs improve this season, the more there will be to carry over into next year.

As for the Golden Hurricane, the loss sort of exposes them and renders them out of the BCS equation.

While Tulsa may be the best team in Conference USA, they are no better than a third- or even fourth-tier SEC squad.

Tulsa can now look forward to going to the Liberty Bowl for a possible matchup against Houston Nutt’s Ole Miss Rebels, who beat Auburn, 17-7, Saturday.

It will be interesting to learn if Nutt will be politicking behind the scenes to set up or avoid that matchup.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.