Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

10/10/2009 at 10:26am

Late November has blown into Northwest Arkansas, and it's not yet mid-October and the leaves haven't made their majestic, colorful change. But it's cold. Heavy jackets are required with kickoff an hour away.

This is where we come in and welcome you to the live blog for the Arkansas football game, this week against Auburn in Fayetteville. Thanks to the Southeastern Conference's new agreement with ESPN, we're kicking this one off earlier than any game in Fayetteville (at least in my memory), 11 a.m.

By midafternoon, we'll know if former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville is a third-tier TV analyst, just as he proved to be an underachieving coach against such a "third-tier program" as Arkansas', considering he managed a 5-5 mark against the Hogs in his 10 years on the Plains. Maybe that's why it was so easy for the Auburn big-moneyed folks to agree to pay Tubs nearly $6 million when he resigned.

Joe Adams is in jogging pants and no pads under his No. 3 jersey. We're checking to see  what his status is. If he's out, this isn't good -- Adams has been the Hogs' best player the past two weeks. It's a good time for London Crawford to return at receiver, but he still not Adams quick.

Auburn has key injuries, too. On defense, backup Adam Herring will start at right linebacker. Herring's dad, Reggie, was the defensive coordinator here 2005-2007, and the younger Herring played at both Fayetteville High and Shiloh Christian.

Tickets could be had, mostly singles, on our walk up Razorback Road to the stadium. About half the student body section (116)l was filled more than an hour before kickoff.

Please feel free to join in the conversation, but there is a slight change today (Saturday). Send email to cbahn@abpg.com and we'll attempt to address it during the game. Or just add your comments on this site. If you're reading this post-game, start from the bottom and work your way back up to follow it chronologically (and send comments post-game to jharris@abpg.com).

3:26 p.m. -- And that's a wrap. Dennis Johnson's kickoff return to the Auburn 30, and Arkansas capitalizing on the field position, indeed proved to be the backbreaker to Auburn's late chances, if not the play of the game.

Arkansas finished the scoring, after forcing another fumble from Auburn quarterback Chris Todd at the Tigers 10 on Jerico Nelson's sack, with Alex Tejada's 23-yard field goal. With 4:20 left, the final score was set at 44-23.

Joe Adams, we learned in the post-game press conferences, was held at after suffering a mild stroke, according to Bobby Petrino. Not sure as to the other injuries from the game, but Chris Bahn will have that covered in his Two-Minute Wrapup on this site.

For the Hogs, it's a week to prepare for currently No. 1 ranked Florida, which puts its top-rating on the line in dangerous Baton Rouge at night against LSU.

1:52 p.m. -- If Arkansas' lead holds up now, credit Dennis Johnson with the play of the game, maybe the best non-scoring kickoff return we've seen from a Hog in who knows how long? Johnson broke right, reversed his field to the left, reversed it again to the right, cut up the middle, hit the left sideline again and was finally ridden out at the Auburn 30 to end the third quarter. The Hogs them pushed 30 yards in seven plays, eating up the precious clock in the process (3:47 of the fourth period) to push the lead back to 18, 41-23.

Auburn showed in the third quarter, however, that it doesn't need much time now against the Arkansas defense to put points on the board.

Knile Davis, the freshman running back out of Texas, was maybe at his best in his short UA career with three big carries, including a third-down run through the left side of the line.

Arkansas also overcome a chop-block (called on center Seth Oxner, but it couldn't have been Oxner because he was out on the right side and did not block anyone; the offending party was likely Wade Grayson at left guard) after reaching the Auburn 6. The Hogs made that back in one play on Mallett's pass over the middle to D.J. williams.

Those "missing" offensive stars -- Michael Smith and D.J. Williams, whom Chris Bahn wrote about this week -- have shown up today.

1:38 p.m. -- Injuries are starting to hurt Arkansas mightily on offense. Michael Smith seemed to tweak a hamstring after an 11 yard run into Auburn territory. Without him, Arkansas stalled, failing on a fourth-and-7 run by Ronnie Wingo into the line.

Receiver Joe Adams started the game on the bench, with a medical situation cited. Receiver Jarius Wright left the game in the first half with what the radio reported as a concussion. No official word came from the UA media staff.

And Auburn needs just three plays after that failure to score again. All of a sudden, a Hog blowout is an 11-point Hog lead at 34-23 with 0:09 left in the quarter. Dennis Johnson maybe bails out the Hogs on the return though, an incredible reversal of field two ways and then up the middle before being run out of bounds at the Auburn 30.

End of third quarter, a bad one for the Arkansas defense. Auburn scored three touchdowns and left another on the ground at hte UA 5.

1:31 p.m. -- That Arkansas defense that can't tackle and can't stop anyone just reared its ugly head.

Ben Tate runs 60 yards, right through two tacklers and another UA player took a bad angle, and Tate sprints down the right sideline for the score. Auburn probably makes the bad decision in going for two points with 3:52 still left in the third quarter. Arkansas leads 34-16.

Auburn scored on its previous possession too, a Tate run from 2 yards out.

In between that, Arkansas had some strange playcalling, or maybe just a miscommunication at least on first down between Ryan Mallett and Greg Childs. Auburn's d-back fell down, but Childs didn't run the route Mallett thought and the ball went incomplete. On third and 6, Mallett tried a swing pass that was well defended. Arkansas had the ball just 50 seconds. That's no way to protect a lead with this defense.

1:17 p.m. -- Arkansas' newest offensive wrinkle for this game was the quarterback actually running the football. Ryan Mallett has had three big runs, including one for 4-yards and the Hogs' fifth touchdown of the game. Arkansas, 34-3 with 7:56 left in the third quarter.

Another writer just mentioned, looking at ESPN on our press box TV, that a "blurb" on the screen asked "Auburn in Trouble?"

We'd say yes.

Auburn's best chance to get back in the game was, one, stopping Arkansas on a three-and-out to start the half, then driving to the Hogs' 3-yard  line. But tailback Ben Tate dropped the ball back at his five, and UA defensive end Jake Bequette recovered.

Arkansas then marched 95 yards in 10 plays with, again, a nice mix of Michael Smith running and Ryan Mallett passing (and then Mallett running untouched up the middle for 4 yards after spreading out the defense with the formation).

12:30 p.m. -- Ryan Mallett (and playcaller Bobby Petrino) may have  gotten too greedy trying to hit the post-route to freshman Cobi Hamilton being defended man-to-man by Walter McFadden. McFadden's going to play on Sundays, and he made a Sunday play in picking off the pass over Hamilton (who should have knocked it away and played defender for a second).

But Petrino doesn't need too much convincing to go right back to the game plan, which apparently today is to run the ball after a passing circus the first four games of the season. 

Michael Smith has his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and there is still a minute left in the first  half. His 33-yard sprint around left end and down the left sideine started the 69-yard scoring drive, and Arkansas covered it all in 8 plays. The final play was a 5-yard pass to a wide open D.J. Williams in the right flat, and he rambles in over a tackler.

Tejada's kick puts Arkansas up 24, 27-3.

And another three-and-out for the Tigers, with Malcolm Sheppard and others sacking Chris Todd on first down.

That's the half. We're wondering: Is Tommy T. laughing or frowning.

12:12 p.m. -- Auburn gets its rapid-fire attack, thanks to the run from Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb. One pass over the middle works, but then it all bogs down. If one didn't know better, it had that bend-but-not-break look, and Ramon Broadway did a great job defending a fade route in the end zone. Auburn settles for Wes Byrun's 36-yard field goal. You think Willy Robinson will take a 3 instead of a 7 on the opponent's scoreboard.

And Dennis Johnson shakes off last week's quad injury with a big-time kickoff return, 50 yards to the AU 47. Arkansas has come with a punch-em-in-the-mouth approach in all phases.

12:03 p.m. -- ANd just like that, Arkansas zips ahead 20-0 on a 16 yard  pass perfectly thrown by Ryan Mallett over the head of the AU defender and into the hands of Greg Childs. The previous play was an 18-yard game by D.J. Williams on a short pass. Mallett had looked over three different receivers downfield before tossing it short to D.J. Mallett's ability, when he has time from this improving offensive line, is amazing to go through as many reads as he does.

12:00 p.m. -- Auburn's got some doing ahead if the Tigers are going to hit Tommy T's prediction of a 21-point win. Arkansas keeps pounding the Tigers with a RUNNING game (yes, you read that right), and a 70-yard drive is capped by a perfect power sweep and cutback by Michael Smith for 25 yards.

Smith ran all over Auburn last year. The running success is giving Arkansas some man-to-man shots. The officials may have missed interference on a deep fade to Greg Childs, with the talented Walter McFadden holding on to deny the completion. Nieko Thorpe wasn't so lucky on the other side, flagged for holding London Crawford.

The Tigers also gave Arkansas 15 yards with an unsportsmanlike penality on safety Zac Ethridge, who punched UA receiver Cobi Hamilton in the facemask after a play.

So, Arkansas only needs five plays to cover the 70 yards in 1:43. And Auburn gives Arkansas another short field by fumbling the ensuing kickoff at the 34, Jerell Norton on the midair recovery.

11:48 a.m. -- First "mini" gamble of the day. Arkansas goes for a fourth and five from the Auburn 37. Mallett has Cobi Hamilton wide open in the flat but throws poorly and short.

Defensively, though, outside linebacker Jerico Nelson wakes up this late-rising crowd with a jarring hit on Auburn receiver Mario Fanning on a short toss. Boom! Fanning would have been better off to drop it. He's fortunate the hit didn't jar it loose as a fumble. Ten guys all follow Nelson after his hit down toward the goal. No celebration penalty, fortunately for Arkansas.

Bobby Petrino must feel good about his defense today. Except for one blown coverage (Chris Todd overthrew the  wide-open receiver) with corner Andru Stewart, the defensive play has been spot on every snap -- receivers covered, defenders fighting off the blocks, great tackling.

11:41 a.m. -- First quarter ends with Arkansas up 6-0. The Razorbacks ran the ball 11 times in the quarter, easily the mostruns in the first period this season. Two were called passes that quarterback Ryan Mallett turned into positive runs, including his keeper for a first down on the scoring drive.

High-powered Auburn, meanwhile, started two possessions with procedure penalties and had just 1 first down in the quarter. Arkansas forced a three-and-out twice. Auburn's best weapon is punter Clinton Durst, whose skyrockets would contend with Jerry Jones' scoreboard down in Arlington, Texas. Again, Arkansas has no weapon in its punt return game, but luckily managed to field all three Durst punts.

Dylan Breeding's only punt wasn't pretty, but some extra roll after it hit resulted in a decent yardage. He's from Hoover, Ala. He wasn't great against Alabama two weeks ago, and so far against another native state school, he's OK.

The Tejada extra point miss was credited as no kick and a muffed snap instead of a block. OK, it was a special teams goof one way or another. Arkansas can't get through one game without some placekicking messup.

We notice lots of empty seats in the South Outdoor Club seating. Those are nice seats for the end zone, with access to an indoor concession area. Apparently, people decided they'd rather stay indoors at home rather than take their club seats. They appeared all filled at the Georgia game Sept. 19.

11:18 a.m. -- Ryan Mallett CAN run for a first down. In a key play during the Razorbacks' first posssession -- a 73-yard scoring drive -- Mallett kept for 9 yards on a third-down run to prolong the drive near midfield. Mallett also connected on third down to Jarius Wright for 10 on a third-and-7. Broderick Green finished the drive with a 2-yard run over right guard, capping the longest UA scoring march since a 7:58 drive against Missouri State in the season opener.

Arkansas' defense started the game pitching a three-and-out on Auburn. The Hogs appeared extremely agressive and shut down all the options. Auburn slipped Kodi Burns in at quarterback for second and third down and nothing worked.

Broderick Green has taken to some UA coaching in the past two weeks. He's running lower, rather than straight up, and he's falling forward on contact. His scoring run was just what Bobby Petrino had envisioned during the off-season. The Hogs could not make that play last year.

10:47 a.m. -- Joe Adams won't play. The UA cited "medical reasons" and no other explanation. It must not be contagious or life-threatening, because he's been walking around with the team and will be on the sidelines. Best guess by some in the pressbox is that he tweaked something at Thursday's practice, but since practices are closed only the team would have known that. 

Already, we can say that's a big loss for the Hogs -- Adams has been the best player on the field for the Razorbacks the past two  games. A&M last week had no answer for him. Auburn has its injuries and missing personel too. Linebacker Eltoro Freeman isn't playing, and Reggie Herring's son, Adam, gets the start at right linebacker. Herring played high school ball at Fayetteville and Shiloh Christian while his dad served the UA as defensive coordinator.

The message boarders seem to get a rise out of whom Lee Corso picks, and the ESPN analyst is going with the Hogs (though he may have changed that if he knew Adams' status). Desmond Howard joined Corso in picking the Hogs. We don't know why Corso's opinion matters to Arkansas fans so much; after all, when he served as the color analyst he picked Arkansas to beat Miami in 1987 and only slightly was off that 51-7 Hurricane romp in Little Rock. We think that has steamed Corso for two decades.