MARY ANN CHASTAIN Associated Press South Carolina’s Jared Cook reacts as he runs 66 yards for a touchdown during the first half of the Gamecocks ’ 34-21 win over Arkansas Saturday in Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S. C.

COLUMBIA, S. C. — Arkansas almost overcame a flat start but flat couldn’t overcome a third-quarter interception in the flat.

Especially after South Carolina then flattened the Razorbacks with a running game South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier hadn’t seen all year.

So instead of driving to come back from down 20-7 and possibly take a 21-20 lead, Arkansas comes home a 34-21 loser to the South Carolina Gamecocks in Saturday’s SEC game before 80, 290 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Arkansas’ 21 wasn’t achieved until 1: 18 left and the game in Carolina’s hand.

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“ I’m disappointed, ” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “ I thought we would play a lot better than that. I think that’s a game we should have been right at the end to win. ”

Arkansas senior quarterback Casey Dick (16 of 26 for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns but also 3 interceptions ) had thrown his second touchdown pass to close to 20-14. Then he had just hit a big 30-yard pass to have the Hogs driving at the Carolina 40 when he shortarmed a swing pass. It was supposed to soar over USC linebacker Jordin Lindsey and nestle in the flat for Arkansas backup tailback Dennis Johnson.

Lindsey leaped for a pick and 40-yard return to the Arkansas 15 to change the game irrevocably. Two plays later, wide receiver Kenny McKinley, 7 catches for 130 yards, caught a 15-yard TD from quarterback Stephen Garcia with 14: 49 left in the game.

Arkansas had to punt three downs after Dick threw a 23-yard pass to tight end D. J. Williams.

The Gamecocks, with but 64 yards rushing going into the fourth-quarter, then pounded 11 consecutive runs, capping a game-sealing 72-yard scoring drive on Mike Davis’ 13-yard run with 6: 11 left.

So the Hogs, with star tailback Michael Smith injured in the first half and Casey Dick injured in the fourth quarter, limp into an open date week at 4-6, 1-5 in the SEC West while Steve Spurrier’s bowl-bound Gamecocks can crow at 7-3, 4-3 in the SEC East.

“ I didn’t like the way we came out offensively in the first half unable to move the ball, ” Petrino said. “ We came out in the third quarter and got in position where it’s 20-14, and that third interception — especially when the back is open — you just have to get it over his hands. And then they ran the ball on us, kept our offense off the field and their offense on the field. ”

Pounding the ball in the fourth-quarter after passing to the lead was a Spurrier trademark in his salad days coaching Florida.

This year, though, Spurrier’s South Carolina offense had been tied almost entirely to quarterbacks Chris Smelley and Stephen Garcia, the pair he alternated nearly every play Saturday.

Until Saturday’s fourth quarter...

“ We were able to run the ball the first time all year, control the clock and score some touchdowns, ” Spurrier said.

The Arkansas fourthquarter fade against the run bewildered the Razorback staff. Because it was defense, particularly with Arkansas losing SEC rushing leading tailback Michael Smith to a first-half shoulder injury, “ that had kept us in the game, ” Petrino said.

Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson certainly didn’t expect it.

“ In the fourth quarter, we didn’t respond very well after we threw the interception, ” Robinson said. “ We should have held them to three points and we didn’t do that and then they come out and drive the football against a defense they shouldn’t be able to run against. For them to take the ball down the field without throwing the football is very, very disappointing. ”

No more so, Petrino implied, than the offense’s opening.

The Hogs hardly could have started worse. A gameopening three and out, and a rare Jeremy Davis shanked 20-yard punt gave USC its first possession at the Arkansas 44.

The Gamecocks scored in 4 plays with Garcia running a 14-yard TD.

Next series, Dick’s first interception at the Arkansas 31.

The defense held but USC still scored three on Ryan Succop’s career record 54-yard field goal. Succop later missed a 25-yard chippie but hit one from 37.

Down 10-0 and going nowhere against a USC defense, the Hogs hit a quick one on Casey Dick’s 70-yard TD pass to flashy freshman receiver Jarius Wright with 9: 24 left in the second quarter.

Smelley, 9 of 19 for 148 yards while Garcia was 4 of 4 11 and 71 yards, bombed back with a 66-yard TD to Jared Cook and a 17-7 halftime lead increased to 20-7 on Succop’s second field goal at 12: 54 of the third quarter.

With Smith sitting with the shoulder injury, a couple of former Texarkana Razorbacks, Brandon Barnett, 7 carries for 45 yards and the 1-yard touchdown run on the Nathan Dick quarterbacked drive with 1: 18 left, and Dennis Johnson, 3 catches for 18 yards, carried the second-half mail and drew Petrino’s praise.

Starting with Johnson’s 31-yard kick return, both loomed large in the 15-play, 62-yard scoring drive unexpectedly capped by walkon fullback Mitchell Bailey catching Casey Dick’s 4-yard TD pass.

“ I liked that drive, ” Petrino said. “ The way we mixed the run and pass and got in position. ”

Then it all went flat in the flat.

“ That was the dagger for us, ” Arkansas All-American center Jonathan Luigs said. “ We have to do a better job handling adversity. ”

Tight end D. J. Williams, 4 second-half catches for 40 yard after being shut out in the first half, said, “ A big momentum shifter. We were moving the ball pretty good and something like that happens - but that’s something as a team we can’t let happen. We needed to make a play on defense and make plays on offense and we didn’t do that today. ”

While the Hogs get an open date to mend Casey Dick, the Gamecocks will be without star safety Chris Culliver the first half of next Saturday’s game versus Florida. Petrino said Dick took a hit to the head.

Culliver was ejected for punching Razorback Khiry Battle in an altercation after Arkansas’ onside kick following the Barnett touchdown.