Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

10/22/2011 at 5:00pm

Image by Mark Wagner

Quarterback Tyler Wilson ran for two touchdowns against Ole Miss. Wilson helped the Razorbacks to a 29-24 victory.

Arkansas 29, Ole Miss 24

Why Arkansas Won
For the second time in three games, the ninth-ranked Razorbacks battled back from a halftime deficit and held on for a win. It took a career-day from running back Dennis Johnson (160 yards) and a late interception from Eric Bennett to continue the best start of the Bobby Petrino era. Arkansas (6-1, 2-1 SEC) overcame a sloppy tackling day and a lack of scoring punch in the passing game for the victory, scoring 29 unanswered points. A late touchdown and recovered onside kick by Ole Miss made things interesting, but the Razorbacks pulled out the victory.

Turning Point
Facing third-and-13 from the 48 and with little working on offense, the Razorbacks caught Ole Miss off guard with a draw play. It was reminiscent of the play calls that fans used to loathe when Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt was in Fayetteville. Dennis Johnson took the handoff 52 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Rebels’ lead to 17-7 with 5:11 remaining in the opening half. Johnson sparked a run of 29 unanswered points. 

Gamebreaker
Once the responsibility of sparking the running game was handed to Dennis Johnson, he responded. Johnson posted 160 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and his 52-yard run ignited the offense. Johnson also added two catches for 7 yards each, finishing with 174 yards of total offense. It was the third 100-plus yard game of Johnson’s career and eclipsed the career-high 127 he had as a freshman against LSU. 

Running QB?
Tyler Wilson has shown his toughness in a variety of ways this season. He was at it again on Saturday, rushing for a pair of touchdowns to help the Razorbacks to a win. Wilson had a pair of 1-yard scores, helping offset a day in which he was limited through the air. Wilson completed 13 of 28 passes for 232 yards with no touchdowns. 

Top Option
Arkansas’ go-to receivers change game-by-game. Saturday against Ole Miss it was Joe Adams who had the big day with four catches for 124 yards. Adams didn’t score a touchdown, but set one up with a 67-yard catch and run in the third quarter. 

Mini-Joe
Players joke around the locker room that freshman Marquel Wade is a “mini-me” of senior Joe Adams. He sure looked the part on a 37-yard carry in the third quarter. Dennis Johnson fumbled away a carry later in the drive, so Wade’s run didn’t set up a score, but it was impressive nonetheless.

Quiet Day
Jarius Wright had been the Razorbacks' go-to receiver so far this season. He finished with just one catch, his lowest output since going without a reception in a 31-24 victory against Georgia on Sept. 18, 2010.

Nice Start
Arkansas wanted to get off to a fast start against the Rebels. Instead the Razorbacks stalled and got an early push from Ole Miss, which jumped out to a 17-7 halftime lead. Ole Miss dominated the first half time of possession 22:12 to 7:48 and outgained Arkansas 250-128.

Ole Miss ended up with its closest SEC loss of the year. Previous losses had come by an average of 27 points. 

Career Day
Arkansas defense has a way of bringing out the best in opponents.

Ole Miss quarterback Randall Mackey had a career-high 219 passing yards with two touchdowns. He ran for a touchdown as well, the first of his career at Ole Miss. Also enjoying career days were: Nickolas Brassell (eight catches, 70 yards), Donte Moncrief (five catches, 73 yards, two TDs) and the Ole Miss offense (24 first downs).

Defensive ... Highlights
There were some positives for the defense.

• Sophomore safety Eric Bennett continued his solid play, recording his second interception of the season.
• Senior Jerry Franklin is eighth in Arkansas history with 339 tackles. He finished with seven against Ole Miss.
• Safety Tramain Thomas led Arkansas with 11 tackles and had a pair of pass breakups.

Speaking Out
“I was very happy with the way our team responded. … You saw the energy of the players. You saw the playmakers make plays."
— Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino on the Razorbacks rallying from a 17-0 deficit for a 29-24 victory.

“I wish we were standing here with a win. We were close, but it didn’t happen.”
— Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt

Up Next
Arkansas (6-1, 2-1 SEC) faces Vanderbilt on Oct. 29. Kickoff is set for 11:21 a.m. in Nashville.

Tagged: Southeastern Conference, Ole Miss Rebels, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Randall Mackey, Houston Nutt, Jerico Nelson, Jerry Franklin, Eric Bennett, Dennis Johnson, Marquel Wade, Joe Adams, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks, Jarius Wright