Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/25/2010 at 7:54pm

Image by Mark Wagner

Arkansas' Knile Davis dives to the 1-yard line at the end of a 14-yard run, setting up a Ryan Mallett touchdown and a 17-7 lead over No. 1 Alabama late in the first half.

ALABAMA 24, ARKANSAS 20
Why Arkansas Lost Alabama proved capable of making plays down the stretch when Arkansas couldn’t. Problems with turnovers, dropped passes and a lack of a running game were again visible at key times and the Razorbacks couldn’t overcome those issues this week. Arkansas led 20-7, but it wasn’t enough and Alabama outscored the Razorbacks 17-0 over a 15:44 stretch of the third and fourth quarters.

Gamebreaker Alabama intercepted Ryan Mallett twice in the fourth quarter, once to set up the go-ahead score, and the other to all but finish off the Hogs. Mallett’s first fourth-quarter interception, picked by safety Robert Lester, helped the Crimson Tide take a 24-20 lead with 3:18 left. Arkansas still had an opportunity to drive for a win, but Mallett came up short on a ball he intended to throw out of bounds and it was picked off by Dre Kirkpatrick, allowing Alabama to run out the clock.

Dynamic Duo Stopping Crimson Tide running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson was a significant concern for the Razorbacks’ defense. And for good reason considering their size, speed and ability to break tackles.

Those skills were on display throughout the day. Ingram, the defending Heisman Trophy winner, had 24 carries for 157 yards and Richardson had eight carries for 85 yards. Richardson also caught a 20-yard screen pass for a touchdown.

Both backs were instrumental in a 16-play drive that milked 8:55 off the clock in the third quarter. Alabama got only a field goal out of the drive, but it kept the Arkansas offense off the field and unable to add to its lead.

Mallett Watch
Through three quarters it looked like Ryan Mallett was going to further build his case as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Then he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions.

Mallett finished the game 25 of 38 for 357 yards with 1 touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown as the Razorbacks took an early 17-7 lead with 15 seconds left in the first half.

Entering the fourth quarter Mallett was 21 of 28 for 313 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Mallett now ranks fifth on the career passing list at Arkansas with 5,062 yards.

Drawing a Crowd
Fans flocked to the first Top 10 matchup in Fayetteville since 1979. No. 1 Alabama at No. 10 Arkansas drew a Reynolds Razorback Stadium record 76,808.

Presumably that total doesn’t include the 1,000 or so fans who congregated on the grassy knoll outside the northeast corner of the stadium.

More than 300 credentials were issued for media and bowl and award reprsentativs.

Receiving Back
Tailback Ronnie Wingo hasn’t been much of a running threat out of the backfield. He’s quite a weapon in the passing game, however.

Wingo caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Mallett just 50 seconds into Saturday’s game. He hauled in the pass at the 25 and broke a tackle at the 7 on his way to the end zone.

Saturday’s touchdown catch was Wingo’s third this season. He had three catches for 44 yards, but no rushing yards and no rushing attempts.

Arkansas Idols
Singer Kris Allen led the crowd in a Hog Call between the first and second quarters. Allen, a Conway native, was the 2009 American Idol Winner.

Other notable attendees at Saturday’s game included Arkansas alum and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former Razorback Ronnie Caveness, who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame later this year. Former coach/player Ken Hatfield was the honorary captain. Zack Cox, who was recently drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round, was also on the sidelines.

Kicking It
Why exactly was Arkansas not considering Zach Hocker as its place kicker from the beginning?

Hocker, who worked at punter until late in fall camp, remained perfect on field goals and extra points. He had a 31-yarder in the first half and 48-yarder with 5:04 left in the third quarter to push Arkansas up 20-7.

Quotable
"Alabama is a good team. We should have beaten them. We didn’t. We didn’t execute. They finished it off."
—Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett

Up Next
Arkansas has a bye week. The Razorbacks’ next game is Oct. 9 against Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, at Cowboys Stadium.

Tagged: Bobby Petrino, Ryan Mallett, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks