Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

10/1/2011 at 4:21pm

Image by Mark Wagner

Jarius Wright fights for yards after the catch against Texas A&M. He finished with 13 catches for 281 yards, both school records.

No. 18 ARKANSAS 42, No. 14 TEXAS A&M 38 

Why Arkansas Won
Instead of folding after a terrible start and quitting when faced with an 18-point deficit, Arkansas staged an improbable comeback to win the game. The Razorbacks (4-1) overcame 600-plus yards of offense by Texas A&M (2-2), 100-plus yards in penalties, multiple injuries and a 71-yard rushing effort to win. It helped that Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright each enjoyed record-setting days. 

Turning Point
Texas A&M moved the football up and down the field on Arkansas all day. Arkansas’ defense stiffened at just the right times. It was a key third-down stop on a Cyrus Gray reception that left the Aggies a yard short of the first down. Rather than go for it on fourth-and-one from its own 49, the Aggies punted, setting up a series that saw Arkansas tie the game. That clinched the momentum in Arkansas’ favor. 

Gamebreaker
Pregame film evaluation revealed Texas A&M left the middle of the field open, so Arkansas wanted to exploit that when on offense. Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright did repeatedly, each setting a school record in the process. Wilson passed for a school-record 510 yards. Wright had 281 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions. Wright, who is now third on the career receiving yards list at Arkansas, also had a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown. Wright broke the career record of 204 yards set by Mike Reppond against Rice in 1971 and Wilson broke Ryan Mallett's 409 yards set last year against Vanderbilt.

Wright Place, Wright Time
Jarius Wright has a reputation as one of the team’s best blocking receivers. He can often be spotted downfield trying to free up teammates for more yardage. That’s what he was doing near the end zone when Cobi Hamilton fumbled what looked like a sure touchdown play after a reception. Wright made a head’s up play by falling on the ball and recovering for a touchdown to pull the Razorbacks within 35-33. Tyler Wilson’s two-point conversion tied the game at 35. 

Going Green
Knee surgery is hard to endure. Recovery can be a lengthy process and Broderick Green figured to be out the entire 2011 season after an ACL tear in spring practice.

Yet there was Green, rushing for two touchdowns and converting some key short-yardage situations on Saturday. He began practicing three weeks ago and got a team-high nine carries on Saturday, picking up a hard-fought 25 yards. 

Flag Football
Scanning the stat sheet, Arkansas really didn’t have a clear statistical edge anywhere. Not anywhere they would be proud of anyway.

Officials flagged the Razorbacks 14 times for 112 yards.

That many penalties included several significant lapses by Arkansas, but none more than one by freshman Tevin Mitchel, who was flagged for a late hit on Cyrus Gray. Seconds before he was hit Gray had already fallen to the ground. 

Injury Report
It seems you can add wide receiver Joe Adams, defensive tackle Robert Thomas, cornerback Darius Winston and running back Ronnie Wingo Jr. to the growing list of injured Razorbacks. All three missed portions of Saturday’s game.

Adams, who took a hard hit in the end zone just before halftime, was the only player who Bobby Petrino addressed in the post-game press conference. Adams took a “shot to the ribs” on the play near the end of the first half.

Turnover Battle
Forcing takeaways had been a problem for Arkansas. Even when the defense forced turnovers the offense was giving the ball away to the point the Razorbacks entered the game -1.50 on turnovers, ranking 115th in the country.

Saturday the defense got more than the team gave away. Greg Gatson had an interception and Tevin Mitchel recorded a fumble recovery. That gave the Razorbacks their first multiple-turnover game of 2011.

Gatson's takeaway resulted in a first-quarter touchdown. Arkansas pulled within 14-7 on the play, a 68-yard pass from Tyler Wilson to Jarius Wright. Mitchel's didn't result in a score, but got the A&M offense off the field for a bit, helping the Razorback defense get a few snaps worth of rest.

Speaking Out
“Wow. What a day’s work. It took a full day’s work to win that one.”
—Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino

Speaking Out Too
"Well, 4-1 is a completely different story than 3-2. Morale going forward is going to be completely different. I think the excitement, the energy within the team, we’re in a much better position. I’m excited. We’ve got to go get us a win next week."
—Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson

Up Next
Arkansas hosts Auburn. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Texas A&M Aggies, Jarius Wright , Bobby Petrino, Tyler Wilson