Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

10/17/2010 at 12:58am

Image by Will Flowers

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton dives for a touchdown against Arkansas. Newton accounted for four touchdowns in the Tigers' 65-43 victory.

AUBURN, Ala. — Take away a couple of questionable calls by officials that went against Arkansas. Take away the concussion Ryan Mallett suffered in the first half of Saturday’s game against Auburn.

Take away those things, and the Razorbacks are still left with a defense that didn’t do its part on Saturday in a 65-43 loss at Auburn.

Harsh? Perhaps. True? Absolutely.

Arkansas (4-2, 1-2) was exposed as a team not ready for the SEC West title race thanks to a defense that was exposed throughout the afternoon by Tigers’ quarterback Cam Newton. By himself, Newton accounted for 328 yards and four touchdowns as the Razorbacks lost to a Top 10 team for the second time this season.

“For whatever reason in the heat of the moment and the pace of their offense, we just didn’t get adjust very well,” defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said.

In the heat of the moment, the Razorbacks’ title hopes likely went up in flames. They were torched by a Tiger offense that racked up 470 yards of offense. On average, Auburn pass plays went for 9.3 yards, while the average rushing attempt was 6.7 yards.

Arkansas is now tied with Ole Miss at the bottom of the SEC standings. If offense was to blame for the Week 4 loss to Alabama, then this one is on the defense.

It seemed like so much had changed for the defense since Petrino’s first two seasons. Credit for last week’s victory against Texas A&M went to the defense. Arkansas was able to rally against Georgia thanks to its defense, which set up a game-winning drive for the Razorbacks.

Defensive players were proudly proclaiming they were holding their “end of the rope,” something the team had adopted as a motto. While the offense struggled to put points on the board, the defense did a commendable job of keeping opponents off the board too.

Through five weeks Arkansas was ranked No. 18 nationally in total defense. It had been a surprising turnaround for a unit that ranked No. 89 nationally in 2009.

Fun while it lasted.

Statistically, Arkansas figured to take a hit against Auburn. The Tigers were one of the nation’s most productive offenses, so it stood to reason they’d put up big numbers.

But they had the Razorbacks completely out of sorts. Even based on last year’s standard, this was an awful day for the defense. Quotes from players and coaches revealed it was even worse than it appeared.

“Most of our defensive players weren’t on the same page,” linebacker Jerico Nelson said. “We weren’t getting our calls communicated right.”

Come again?

“The pace, the different types of formations they throw at you. You look at the sidelines, you’re getting a call and you se a formation, you look back you see a different formation,” Nelson added. “You have to adjust and communicate a check at a fast pace. We have to get better communication.”

Better tackling would have helped too.

Arkansas struggled to wrap up Auburn players — particularly Newton — throughout the game. A few additional stops here and there and perhaps the Razorbacks don’t squander a brilliant performance from back-up quarterback Tyler Wilson.

Wilson entered the game with 6:28 left in the first half. Mallett suffered what was described as a “concussion” after guiding the Razorbacks on a drive that gave them an early 14-10 lead.

Losing Mallett should have sunk the Razorbacks. So should have Mario Fannin’s phantom touchdown with 6:28 left. Officials, including the replay booth, ruled he scored despite not taking the ball with him into the end zone.

Later, officials ruled Broderick Green fumbled, though his knee appeared to be down before the ball came loose. Green’s fumble — one of three Arkansas turnovers — was returned 47 yards for a touchdown, pushing Auburn up 51-43 with 9:44 left.

Despite those factors, the Razorbacks could have won. They couldn’t stop Newton, though and he made sure the Razorbacks joined Arkansas State, Clemson, South Carolina and Kentucky as teams that blew leads against Auburn.

Tailback Mike Dyer added insult to injury with a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Dyer, a Little Rock native, scored the sort of late rushing touchdown that Petrino desperately wants from his offense, the sort of touchdown that demoralizes defenses and puts games away.

Defensive end Jake Bequette described what happened and sounded much like he did after games last year.

“Obviously, it wasn’t very good,” Bequette said. “We gave up too many points, too many big plays.”

Take away those points. Take away those big plays. And Arkansas would have been left with a great chance at victory.

Tagged: Cam Newton, Willy Robinson, Auburn Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks