Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/4/2011 at 8:54am

Image by Mark Wagner

Arkansas punt return specialist Joe Adams had two touchdowns on returns.

It was only Missouri State.

Let’s go ahead and get that out of the way. Because we all know that’s the initial reaction to a 51-7 victory like the one Arkansas enjoyed against overmatched Missouri State on Saturday.

Big plays are supposed to happen against weak opponents. Missouri State is projected to be one of the worst FCS teams in the country, so it's only fitting a team ranked No. 15 nationally dominated. Etc. Etc. 

But what Joe Adams did on Saturday against the Bears (0-1) can’t be dismissed as routine. His SEC record-tying two punt returns for a touchdown aren’t guaranteed, even when the opponent is a team cashing a six-figure check to provide a guaranteed victory.

Adams, who is also a big-time threat at receiver, joked with me this summer he prefers special team scores to receiving touchdowns because punt returns “look better on TV.” His returns, which covered 61 and 69 yards, were good enough to earn Adams the No. 7 spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Plays of the Day.

Live and on replay, Adams looked spectacular and helped provide some excitement on a night that offered little suspense and few memorable moments. Tyler Wilson was sharp in his first start since high school. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns to Jarius Wright. Senior Jerico Nelson had an interception, while fellow linebacker Alonzo Highsmith led the team with a pair of tackles for loss in his debut as the Arkansas defense held Missouri State to 163 yards of total offense.

But those things were supposed to happen against a team like the Bears. What Adams did — outgaining Missouri State's offense with a school-record 174 punt return yards — was impressive regardless of opponent.

Adams appeared to hurdle a defender at the beginning of his first touchdown return, which covered 61 yards. That one, which pushed Arkansas up 13-0 early, wasn’t even the most spectacular one of the day.

Words can’t really describe what the 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior did on the second return. Just know this writer's vocabulary — heck, the English language — can’t possibly do it justice. The best head coach Bobby Petrino could come up with was: “real crazy.” 

Wright, himself no stranger to big plays, went with “electrifying.” Defensive end Jake Bequette described it as “awesome.”

It happened like this: Adams tried to field a Jordan Chiles punt that bounced at about the 37-yard-line. After it hit the turf, the ball rolled back about 10 yards and escaped the grasp of a Missouri State player. Adams coolly scooped it up and headed toward the right sideline before reversing course, breaking a tackle on his way toward the opposite side of the field and then accelerating on his way to the end zone. 

Somewhere in there a Missouri State player lost his helmet, but still ran to catch Adams and got near him with about 10 yards left. Adams gave him a look, evaded the defender’s tackle with one final burst of speed, then ran into the right side of the end zone, ending the run on the side of the field it began.

“That was crazy,” Adams said of the way the play unfolded to give Arkansas a 44-0 lead in the second half.

Even crazier? Adams didn’t even want to return the punt. He already had a 61-yard touchdown and figured freshman Marquel Wade, who is back with him returning punts, needed an opportunity to get his hands on the ball. Wade wound up with at least three key blocks on the return.

Adams, as Wright put it, “made a way out of no way.”

Teammates and coaches were impressed with Adams, but didn’t seem the least bit surprised by what he did. Adams showed his playmaking ability throughout 2010 when he averaged 15.56 yards per return and finished fifth in NCAA football. That’s what made Missouri State’s continued punting to him so surprising. He finished with six returns for 174 yards, an average of 29 yards per return.

“I was surprised that they were kicking to me,” Adams said. “I wasn’t mad they were kicking to me. But I was surprised.”

Adams’ play was the type that inspires everybody on the team. Arkansas defensive players have a motto of “3-and-out” this season (they’ve even got T-shirts printed with the slogan) and Bequette said knowing what Adams can do on punt returns gives added incentive to force offenses to punt.

“That [return] was awesome,” Bequette said. “I mean, he’s the kind of guy that can take it to the house, no matter what the situation is. Anytime he touches the ball.”

Missouri State or not, Adams was remarkable.

Tagged: ESPN SportsCenter, Arkansas Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino, Missouri State Bears, ESPN , Jarius Wright, Jake Bequette, Joe Adams