Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/26/2010 at 8:20am

Image by Mark Wagner

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett walks off the field in frustration after a 24-20 loss to Alabama. Mallett threw three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter.

FAYETTEIVLLE — Ryan Mallett’s arm strength has become the stuff of legend. As the story goes he once threw a ball so hard it shredded the gloves of a wide receiver. Then there was the time he was supposedly clocked at 100-plus miles per hour on a radar gun as he flicked his wrist and sent the ball 100 yards.

And those stories are what made Mallett’s final throw against No. 1 Alabama such a stunner for No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday. Mallett admitted he didn’t put enough behind an attempt to throw out of bounds and he wound up being intercepted in the closing minutes of a 24-20 loss to the Crimson Tide.

Mallett’s pass came up short. So did the Razorbacks (3-1, 1-1) as they attempted to prove they belonged in the same national title conversation with Alabama (4-0, 1-0).

“I’m just disappointed in myself,” Mallett said. “I should have thrown that ball farther out of bounds than I did.”

Imagine the stories a record crowd of 76,808 would tell if Mallett hadn’t been intercepted twice in the fourth quarter. What would people — locally and beyond — have said if Mallett and the Razorbacks had succeeded in knocking off the defending national champions?

Before things went south, this was the game Bobby Petrino and the Razorbacks had been dreaming about. Arkansas was hosting its first Top 10 matchup since 1979 — a 17-14 victory against No. 2 Texas, by the way — and seemed poised for finally breaking through to the big time.

Instead, Alabama strengthened its reputation at the expense of Mallett and Arkansas. Instead, the Razorbacks were left to deal with another heart-breaking loss, one that will be mentioned alongside 1969’s 15-14 heartbreaking “Game of the Century” against Texas and the 1998 “Stoern-over” game that ended 28-24 in Tennessee’s favor.

Mallett’s two interceptions ensured Arkansas-Alabama 2010 went down as another heartbreaker.

To be fair, this wasn’t solely the “Mal-letdown” as one regional writer cracked while waiting for the Razorbacks’ postgame media session to begin. There was plenty of blame to go around, though Mallett was the central figure.

That's what happens when you're a Heisman Trophy contender, a darling of the national media and NFL scouts. And when you're a week removed from making game-winning heroics look easy, there's bound to be grumblings when you can't again make it happen.

Many in the stands and press box were waiting on Mallett to repeat what he did a week ago at Georgia. It seemed like the coronation of a Heisman Trophy front-runner when Mallett coolly led the Razorbacks 73 yards in three plays to victory against the Bulldogs a week earlier. Arkansas built a lead, watched it evaporate because a lack of a running game didn’t allow the Razorbacks to milk the clock and protect their lead and also because the defense still managed to give up big plays.

Mallett saved the day there.

Those same themes of poor running and bad big-play defense played out against Alabama. Trouble for Arkansas and Mallett, the Crimson Tide are a far better team than the Bulldogs and were more than capable of taking over the game thanks to gifts.

Alabama made the Razorbacks pay for their shortcomings. And they made Mallett look ordinary in the fourth quarter.

Early, the Crimson Tide had a difficult time neutralizing Mallett. He was 21 of 28 for 313 yards and a touchdown with an interception. There was also a rushing touchdown with 15 seconds left in the first half as Arkansas pushed its lead to 17-7.

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.

Alabama made it difficult for Mallett, especially late. He was intercepted in the end zone in the second quarter, and then had two costly mistakes in the final period as Arkansas unraveled.

Another Mallett interception set up Alabama’s eventual game-winner. Mark Ingram’s one-yard run pushed the Crimson Tide up 24-20.

One more opportunity for Arkansas and Mallett came up short and into the hands of Dre Kirkpatrick. For now the talk of national relevancy has cooled, the quest for a national title damaged and instead of a growing legend, more heartbreak.

Tagged: Heisman Trophy, Ryan Malett, Bobby Petrino, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks