Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/19/2011 at 7:49pm

Arkansas 44, Mississippi State 17

Why Arkansas Won
This was yet another complete performance from the Razorbacks, who secured a second consecutive 10-win season for the first time since 1989. Arkansas’ offense put up 539 yards and scored 40 points for a third straight game, the first time for the program since joining the SEC. Arkansas turned in another solid defensive effort, forcing six consecutive three-and-outs and recording a turnover for the seventh straight game. Mississippi State managed just 211 yards of total offense.

Turning Point
Things took a turn during the final 2:04 of the first half as the Arkansas lead quickly went from four to 14. Arkansas was up just 14-10 when the defense forced a three-and-out to set up a six-play, 75-yard drive that Joe Adams capped with a 32-yard touchdown reception. Another three-and-out resulted in a 44-yard Zach Hocker field goal with 5 seconds left, and the Razorbacks had a lead that would continue growing after halftime.

Record Night
Mississippi State kept sending extra defenders to stop the run, leaving receivers open. Tyler Wilson took full advantage in completing a school-record 32 passes on 43 attempts.

Wilson ended the night with 365 yards and three touchdowns. His lone miscue was a red zone fumble in which he lost track of pressure coming from behind and had the ball stripped.

Otherwise, it was another big night for Wilson, who is now No. 2 on the school’s pass completions list with 243.

Feeling Better
Every week seems to be a reminder of how much Arkansas missed senior Jake Bequette and junior Tenarius Wright earlier in the year. Both defensive ends missed time with injuries but have played well the past two weeks.

They combined for seven tackles against Mississippi State, including two sacks from Bequette, who was also credited with a forced fumble. Wright had three quarterback hurries.

Kicking It
Zach Hocker’s first field goal attempt was not a sign of things to come.

Mississippi State got through to block the 32-yard attempt, but couldn’t stop Hocker on his other three tries. Hocker was good from 44, 48 and 27 yards.

Cobi’s Town
If Arkansas plays in Little Rock you just know Cobi Hamilton is getting a touchdown. Half of Hamilton’s 12 career touchdowns have come in War Memorial Stadium.

Hamilton got his score out of the way early, pushing the Razorbacks up 7-0 on his 20-yard reception just 12:42 into the first quarter. He finished with four catches for 36 yards.

Role Reversal
Fullback Kiero Small is used to setting up touchdowns and kick returns for his Arkansas teammates. He got in on the action himself against the Bulldogs.

Small had a 1-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the season to push the Razorbacks up 14-3 with 1:34 left in the opening quarter. He also had a pair of kick returns for 17 yards. His 11-yard return helped set up the possession he capped off with a score. 

Big Night
Greg Childs has been quiet much of the year. He’s seemed to struggle in returning from a knee injury suffered last year and has been a non-factor at times.

But he caught three passes for 32 yards against Mississippi State, including an 18-yarder. Childs had all three receptions on the same drive, in fact.

Childs helped keep a drive alive that resulted in a 32-yard catch by Adams in the back of the end zone. That extended the Arkansas lead to 21-10 with 2:04 left until halftime.

Oct. 8 was the last multi-catch game for Childs, who had four against Auburn.

Speaking Out
“I like the way we’re playing. I think we’re playing really good football. We’ve got a lot of guys back healthy. We’re running the ball well. We’re throwing it well. Defensively we’re doing a great job of stopping the run and getting after the quarterbacks. What can you say about our special teams, they’ve been strong all year. I really like the way we’ve played the last three games.”
—Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino

Up Next
Arkansas (10-1) travels to Baton Rouge for a 1:30 p.m. game against LSU (11-0) on Friday.

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino, Tyler Wilson, Jake Bequette, Tenarius Wright, Mississippi State Bulldogs