LEXINGTON, Ky. — Ben Hicks has earned the right to start against Auburn on Saturday.
Nick Starkel needs to prepare hard and be ready, but Hicks came off the bench for the University of Arkansas and gave the Razorbacks Nation a reason to watch.
Hicks entered with the Hogs trailing Kentucky 17-13 late in the third quarter, and all the momentum was with the Wildcats after they scored 17 unanswered points.
Hicks drove the Razorbacks 29 yards for a touchdown that gave them a 20-17 lead with 10:35 left, but the Razorbacks defense forgot how to tackle. Kentucky drove 75 yards in just six plays to regain the lead.
On his last series, Starkel threw three consecutive incompletions. Although the play calling was questionable, Starkel was 7-of-19 passing for 41 yards. A change at quarterback was inevitable.
If Hicks were given more time, the 24-20 loss might have been different. Instead, it was just another SEC loss, and one that should have been a victory.
Saturday may not have been San Jose State embarrassing, but it was close. The Razorbacks were beaten by a Kentucky team that had a wide receiver playing quarterback.
Lynn Bowden is a phenomenal athlete, but before last night he had passed four times out of the Wildcat all season, completing three.
Against the Razorbacks, he completed 7 of 11 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he ran 24 times for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game winner.
If authorities had finger-printed his uniform, they wouldn’t have had many matches for tackling suspects.
The Hogs needed to play the final three quarters like they did the first. They needed to gain the confidence that they can win, but they spit and sputtered until Hicks calmed them down.
The Razorbacks led 7-0 after the first quarter and had 131 yards of offense. They finished with 305.
Thanks to Rakeem Boyd’s 74-yard touchdown run, the Razorbacks drove 75 yards in two plays. They had 101 yards of offense on the next 29 plays.
On the second play of the game, Boyd hit the middle in a hole big enough that a car could have driven through. He was clear and headed for the right sideline. One defender had an angle but couldn’t catch Boyd.
Arkansas seemed to keep the momentum on its second drive when it converted two third downs and drove from its own 6 to the Kentucky 41, but on third down Starkel was sacked and fumbled, although he recovered it.
Five plays later, the Wildcats went for it on a fourth and 1 from their own 35, but Jonathan Marshall made a big hit that caused a fumble that De’Jon Harris recovered for the Hogs at the Wildcats’ 32.
The Razorbacks, aided by a defensive holding penalty, drove to the Wildcats’ 9 with a first and goal. They settled for a 28-yard field goal. Three points are never as good as seven.
After Kentucky missed a field goal, Arkansas drove to the Wildcat 25 but ran out of gas. Connor Limpert hit a 44-yard field goal, and with 5:48 to play in the first half the Hogs led 13-0.
The Wildcats drove 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown, and the Hogs had the ball with 55 seconds left.
It appeared they were going to be aggressive after opening with a pass and run to set up a third and 2, but instead of taking a shot at a home run, they ran the clock out while clinging to a 13-7 lead.
There is no doubt Arkansas is improving, but not enough to win against a team that started a wide receiver at quarterback.