Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/13/2010 at 10:59pm

Image by Mark Wagner

Arkansas ran for 336 yards rushing against UTEP. Knile Davis had 182 on 11 carries with a touchdown.

ARKANSAS 58, UTEP 21

Why Arkansas Won
Take away a wild first quarter and Arkansas was dominant. The Razorbacks were simply a more talented team and played like it for most of the night. They outgained UTEP 577-355, forced two turnovers and blocked a field goal. UTEP had only 13 yards in the third quarter as the defense made up for a shaky start. Arkansas was seven-for-seven in the "critical" zone and scored on five consecutive possessions at one point.

Gamebreaker
Outsiders often think of Bobby Petrino as a pass-happy coach. Arkansas’ early season struggles in the run game did little to change people’s minds.

Nobody would confuse the Razorbacks for a run-only team, but they’re far from one-dimensional. In fact, Arkansas ground out 339 yards rushing, including 182 from Knile Davis.

Davis set the tone early. He had 109 yards and a touchdown on his first two carries. The running game came in handy after halftime as the Razorbacks tried to run out the clock and protect a 35-14 lead that grew as large as 49-14 in the third quarter.

Last Goodbye?
Quarterback Ryan Mallett did ask Coach Bobby Petrino to run through the "A" onto the field with his teammates. Arkansas team captains usually take the field before the entire team, but Mallett wanted to experience the traditional team entrance for the first time this year. Was it the last time?

Mallett wouldn’t say if Saturday’s game against UTEP was his final in Razorback Stadium. He will presumably enter the NFL Draft in the spring after forgoing the pros in 2009 for a second season at Arkansas.

If it was his last, it was — not surprisingly — historic.

Mallett tied a pair of school records in three quarters of work. He threw for five touchdowns, matching a feat he’d done before. And by running for a 14-yard score he tied Madre Hill’s record for “touchdown responsibility” at six.

It wasn’t a typical Mallett night in terms of total yardage. He only threw for 215 yards, but completed 19 of 26 passes (73 percent). Mallett also ran for 18 yards on four carries.

Action Packed
Anybody still trying to catch their breath from the first quarter?

There was plenty of action packed into the first 15 minutes, which ended with the Razorbacks up 21-14.

Knile Davis ran for 109 yards on two carries. Ryan Mallett had a 14-yard run for a touchdown, doubling his longest run of the season entering the night.

Somewhere in there Tramain Thomas blocked a field goal. UTEP got a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Whew …

Busy Night
There’s a good chance that when safety Tramain Thomas’ name is called, there’s been a big play for Arkansas. Thomas was involved in two big plays on Saturday, blocking a field goal and grabbing an interception.

Both of Thomas’ game-changers set up Arkansas scores.

Thomas finished with four tackles. He has four interceptions this season.

Who Me?
Arkansas’ first five possessions resulted in scores against the Miners. So it was a bit of a surprise when the Razorbacks were forced to punt after a second-quarter possession.

In fact, even punter Dylan Breeding seemed surprised the team was punting. Breeding had to sprint onto the field with what appeared to be less than 15 seconds left on the play clock.

Breeding got the punt — a 44-yarder — off in time. But it was clear he wasn’t ready to be on the field.

Injury Report
Tight end D.J. Williams left the game early with an apparent shoulder injury. It wasn't believed to be serious.

Williams, who led the team with five catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns, met with media following the game — something players with injury concerns don't typcially do.

Speaking Out
“I think we’ve improved a lot as a football team. You work hard and you see improvement in offense, defense and special teams. ... We're a very close team. We have very good chemistry. That makes it fun to coach. They have great work ethic and take a lot of pride in focus and preaparation."
—Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino

Up Next
Arkansas faces a crucial road game at Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino, D.J. Williams