Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/18/2010 at 11:00pm

Image by Mark Wagner

Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette sacks Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray on the Bulldogs' final drive Saturday. Georgia was forced to punt after the third down play, setting up a game-winning drive by the Razorabck offense.

ATHENS, Ga. — Arkansas players and coaches embraced on the sidelines as the final seconds ticked off the clock at Sanford Stadium. They stopped to vigorously ring the bell outside their locker room, something they do before games and after victories.

Few postgame celebrations during Bobby Petrino’s 28-game tenure at Arkansas have been so boisterous. Considering the circumstances, it was perfectly understandable.

This wasn’t just a 31-24 victory at Georgia. This was validation for the 12th-ranked Razorbacks, delivered in the form of a huge defensive stand and a perfectly executed, two-minute drill in the waning minutes of the game.

Quarterback Ryan Mallett found Greg Childs for a 40-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left for the game winner. Moments earlier Jake Bequette delivered a huge third down sack to force Georgia to punt and give the Razorbacks a chance at proving they are capable of pulling out victory in the fourth quarter.

“We showed our toughness at the end,” Mallett said. “We showed what we are capable of. You can see we sat in there and fought.”

All the plays that Arkansas (3-0, 1-0 SEC) couldn’t seem to make in close losses last year, they managed on Saturday at Georgia. Perhaps now the Razorbacks can forget about the games that slipped away last year in the fourth quarter at LSU and Florida.

All that work on mental toughness in the offseason paid off Saturday. And the Razorbacks weren’t holding back in celebrating a victory which likely sets up a battle of top 10 teams next week when Alabama comes to town.

Bell ringing could be heard throughout Sanford Stadium as dejected Bulldogs fans filed out of the stadium and stunned Bulldogs players field off the field. Rarely have the Razorbacks been able to ring the bell on road trips. Petrino hadn’t won on the road since his first season, but the bell — that sits on a stand with the words 'Ring the Bell' painted on it — has gone with them anyway.

Those Florida and LSU losses from 2009 were a great source of motivation for players in the offseason. Linebacker Jerry Franklin said it was a relief to finally get on the right side of a close game that went down to the wire.

“Man, it feels good to be on this side of it,” said Franklin, who led the defense with eight tackles. “We’ve been on the other side these last couple years. It feels good to get a win like this.”

Arkansas jumped out to a 17-7 halftime lead and was up 24-10 with 2:44 left in the third quarter. Things got dicey late, though as Georgia scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to tie the game at 24.

A stalled drive put the ball back in Georgia’s hands with 2:18 left. And it put a burden on the Razorbacks’ defense.

But that’s when Arkansas’ playmakers showed up.

Bequette had the final of six sacks at a crucial moment. Arkansas had gotten to Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray throughout the day and yet he never really saw Bequette coming.

“Jake made a hell of play,” Mallett said. Then Mallett delivered a hell of a play — or three — himself.

It very well could have been his signature Heisman Trophy moment. He was 3-for-3 for 73 yards and the game-winning touchdown, expertly running the Razorbacks’ two-minute drill. Mallett finished 21 of 33 for 380 yards with three touchdowns and completed passes of 18 and 15 yards before he found Childs for the game winner.

Not only did the Razorbacks win, Petrino saw it as proof his lessons paid off.

“We learned a lot. I think our guys really understand it is about toughness,” Petrino said. “It’s about sticking together, grinding it out and winning in the fourth quarter. Doing that on the road really helps us.”

There are issues. Arkansas could have avoided the need for a game-winning drive in the final minute if it had run the ball more effectively. Once again the ground game stalled and the Razorbacks managed just 53 yards on 23 carries, an effort that won’t be good enough next week against top-ranked Alabama.

And there were some big plays given up by the defense. But when it mattered most, they delivered.

Despite the game shaping up much like ones Arkansas lost in 2009, players said they were confident the outcome would be different. Cornerback Ramon Broadway said the game was proof of the team’s growth.

“I wasn’t tense. I wasn’t nervous,” Broadway said. “This team is a different team from a year ago. It’s like I’ve been saying.”

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Georgia Bulldogs, Southeastern Conference, Ryan Mallett, Greg Childs, D.J. Williams, Jake Bequette