Arkansas proved it can run the ball, but when the big play needed to be made on Saturday night, the Razorbacks went with old faithful. Standing with poise as Mississippi State’s blitz came hard and fast, Ryan Mallett lofted a perfect 7-yard touchdown pass to Knile Davis in double overtime and No. 13 Arkansas beat No. 22 Mississippi State 38-31 at Davis Wade Stadium. Mallett finished with 305 passing yards and three touchdowns, but early in the night, the Razorbacks seemed content to use the quarterback’s powerful arm almost exclusively for handoffs. He finally got going in the third quarter with an 89-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright, the second-longest in school history. Wright was wide open in the middle of the field, but nearly tripped over his own feet before regaining his balance on his way to the end zone. Mallett completed 17 of 26 passes, making the big play almost every time the Razorbacks needed him. Arkansas (9-2, 5-2 SEC) won its fifth straight. "They’d been blitzing a whole bunch," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "The middle was open a lot and we had just missed it. So it was a play-action and Jarius knew he was going to have it in the middle of the field. I’m just glad he kept his feet." On top of his game-winning touchdown reception, Davis rushed for a career-high 187 yards and two scores, leading the Razorbacks’ potent running game. The final catch was sweet redemption since his two fumbles earlier in the game nearly cost them the victory. "I don’t like to fumble," Davis said. "I take that very seriously. But at least we won. It felt good to come up big to help out the team." The Bulldogs had a chance to tie the game in the second overtime, but Chris Relf was hit hard as he tried to complete a fourth-down pass. Relf was 20 of 30 passing for 224 yards and rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown. The game featured loads of offense, with the two teams combining for 974 yards. Mississippi State (7-4, 3-4) ran 100 offensive plays, including 70 rushing attempts as its grind-it-out style nearly produced an upset win. Arkansas had multiple chances to put the game away, but struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
No. 13 Arkansas tops No. 22 MSU 38-31 in double OT...update
Arkansas proved it can run the ball, but when the big play needed to be made on Saturday night, the Razorbacks went with old faithful. Standing with poise as Mississippi State’s blitz came hard and fast, Ryan Mallett lofted a perfect 7-yard touchdown pass to Knile Davis in double overtime and No. 13 Arkansas beat No. 22 Mississippi State 38-31 at Davis Wade Stadium. Mallett finished with 305 passing yards and three touchdowns, but early in the night, the Razorbacks seemed content to use the quarterback’s powerful arm almost exclusively for handoffs. He finally got going in the third quarter with an 89-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright, the second-longest in school history. Wright was wide open in the middle of the field, but nearly tripped over his own feet before regaining his balance on his way to the end zone. Mallett completed 17 of 26 passes, making the big play almost every time the Razorbacks needed him. Arkansas (9-2, 5-2 SEC) won its fifth straight. "They’d been blitzing a whole bunch," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "The middle was open a lot and we had just missed it. So it was a play-action and Jarius knew he was going to have it in the middle of the field. I’m just glad he kept his feet." On top of his game-winning touchdown reception, Davis rushed for a career-high 187 yards and two scores, leading the Razorbacks’ potent running game. The final catch was sweet redemption since his two fumbles earlier in the game nearly cost them the victory. "I don’t like to fumble," Davis said. "I take that very seriously. But at least we won. It felt good to come up big to help out the team." The Bulldogs had a chance to tie the game in the second overtime, but Chris Relf was hit hard as he tried to complete a fourth-down pass. Relf was 20 of 30 passing for 224 yards and rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown. The game featured loads of offense, with the two teams combining for 974 yards. Mississippi State (7-4, 3-4) ran 100 offensive plays, including 70 rushing attempts as its grind-it-out style nearly produced an upset win. Arkansas had multiple chances to put the game away, but struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities.
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