Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/4/2011 at 8:53am

Arkansas 51, Missouri State 7

Why Arkansas Won
It was obvious from the start that the Razorbacks had superior talent. They weren’t perfect in any phase of the game, but easily dispatched the Bears like they were supposed to do. Quarterback Tyler Wilson showed good command of the offense and did a great job spreading the ball around to the team’s multitude of playmakers, while the defense did its part in holding Missouri State to 169 yards of total offense and just seven points. Sure, the Razorbacks would have preferred a shutout, but they were clearly the dominant team.

Turning Point
It was obvious from the opening drive that Arkansas would be in control of the game. Tyler Wilson completed 4 of 5 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, a beautiful 33-yard strike to Jarius Wright. From there the rout was on, as most suspected it would be.

Game Breaker
Joe Adams was superb on punt returns, tying an SEC record with two for touchdowns. His first was a “routine” 61-yard return that helped give the Razorbacks a 13-0 lead. We can call that “routine” because of his second one, an electrifying, 69-yarder that included him fumbling the ball, fielding it nine yards down field and then zig-zagging his way into the end zone. Oh, and Adams pushed his consecutive games with a catch streak to 35.

Finally
Tyler Wilson’s wait is over. He earned his first start at Arkansas and ended three years of backing up other quarterbacks (Casey Dick in 2008 and Ryan Mallett in 2009/2010).

Wilson completed 18 of 24 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his scoring passes went to Jarius Wright, including throws of 33 and 29 yards.

Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said he could tell getting to start meant a lot to Wilson, who is from Greenwood.

“When we were in pregame warmup, and they announced him as the starting quarterback, the crowd started cheering for him and saw him start smiling,” McGee said. “For him, it had finally happened. He was the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks.”

Making History
It’s too early to predict that Mitch Smothers will be an all-time great on the offensive line for Arkansas, but he’s done something no other Razorback managed. Smothers became the first freshman to start a season opener on the offensive line.

Not even All-American Shawn Andrews started his first game for the Razorbacks. Andrews, in fact, needed five games to make it into the starting lineup.

Other freshmen to notch playing time: long snapper Alan D'Appollonio, wide receivers Marquel Wade and Keante Minor, defensive linemen Lonnie Gosha and Trey Flowers, running back Kody Walker, cornerback Tevin Mitchel, linebacker Tyler Gilbert and offensive lineman Brey Cook.

Rough Start
Organization and precision have been trademarks of the Bobby Petrino era at Arkansas. So it was shocking to see the way the Razorbacks began their first offensive drive of 2011.

Petrino twice had to call timeout within the first 1:32 of the game because the wrong personnel groupings were on the field. There was also an offsides penalty that backed the team up on its opening drive.

Those issues were short-lived, though. Arkansas found the end zone with 10:32 left on a 33-yard pass from Tyler Wilson to Jarius Wright. By halftime the Razorbacks were up 30-0 and they finished with 466 yards of total offense.

Speaking Out
“I was happy with our team. It’s a good start. It’s the way we were supposed to start. You’d say it was ‘mission accomplished.’ We came out and executed the way you should execute. We didn’t do everything right, but … now we have to get ready for the next game.”
—Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino

Up Next
Arkansas hosts New Mexico on Saturday in Little Rock. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Tagged: Tyler Wilson, Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks