Arkansas Gets First SEC Victory
Last updated Saturday, October 20, 2007 8:40 PM CDT in Columns
By Harry King
THE MORNING NEWS
OXFORD, Miss.-- Assessing Arkansas' offense against Ole Miss is about the eyes of the beholder. Sticklers for the definition of creative will be so-so about what the Razorbacks did against the Rebels. Those who start with the final score and work backwards should be pleased as punch.
The 44-8 victory won't make up for an 0-3 start in the Southeastern Conference nor will it soothe critics of Arkansas coach Houston Nutt.
In fact, it could irritate those who will look at the lopsided decision and say it is indicative of underachieving against other league opponents.
Believe it, the Rebels helped a bunch and their performance raised a question about which Mississippi team is the worst in the SEC. But, the Razorbacks were in desperate need of a victory, particularly if they hope to be bowl eligible, and, as Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis once said, "Just win, baby."
Going against an Ole Miss defense that is next-to-last in the Southeastern Conference against the run, Arkansas ran the ball. What a concept -- matching a strength against a weakness.
The run didn't work so well last week against Auburn's stout front four. But, Vanderbilt ran for 183 against this defense, Missouri did 218, Florida 246, and Georgia 328 and none of them have a Darren McFadden or a Felix Jones. Arkansas made 213 running in the first 45 minutes and, at that point, there was a perception that the Razorbacks were balanced. In truth, Casey Dick had completed 9-of-14 for 76 yards.
In the pocket dictionary, creative is followed by inventive and imaginative. Given some leeway, the Razorbacks' offensive line meets the secondary definition, "able to create"
Particularly in the first half, there were some holes.
Early, Arkansas faced third-and-10 at its own 32 and ran the draw. McFadden broke for 30. On the next play, another boring run, Jones went through a huge opening on the right side and made it to the end zone 38 yards away.
For those craving creativity, celebrate a couple of morsels on Arkansas' next possession. Facing third-and-4 at the Arkansas 42, Dick showed pass, pulled the ball down and handed it to Jones for 8. On third-and-4 at the Ole Miss 44, Peyton Hillis was split wide and Jones was in the slot. The Rebels' cornerback swooned over Dick's arm fake to Jones and Hillis was an easy target for a pass that netted 34.
On second-and-long from the 11, out of the fairly Wild Hog, McFadden handed to Jones who went up the middle for 14-0.
Dick's 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Davie on a delay pattern with 9:00 to play does't qualify as creative because it was 31-0 at the time.
Dick completed his first seven, extending his Oxford streak to 19 straight, and a seatmate promised to jokingly ask Dick if he would consider transferring to Ole Miss so he could play a half-dozen games per year in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
A 58 percent passer in the first seven games of the season, Ole Miss quarterback Seth Adams threw four interceptions, giving him 10 in the last three games. One by Adrian Davis led to Arkansas' third touchdown and Matterral Richardson's second of the afternoon set up the fourth TD.
Adams, who won the starting job by being more consistent than fellow senior Brent Schaefffer, gave way to Schaeffer with three minutes left in the third quarter and Arkansas in front 28-0.
When the period ended, the Arkansas offense ran to the other end of the field with enthusiasm. At that point, the Razorbacks had 289 yards, almost 100 more than the Rebels.
Ole Miss came out throwing, calling a first-down pass on three of its first four opportunities. That worked well until Adams threw incomplete on first down from the Arkansas 23, putting the Rebels in a bind. They wound up missing a 49-yard-field goal attempt into the coats and ties in the South end zone.
The Rebels made 55 yards on that first drive, but only 119 the rest of the half and 19 in the third quarter.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
About this columnist
The dean of Arkansas sports writers, Harry King updates his column five days per week with the latest on the Razorbacks. A 35-year veteran of The Associated Press, King joined the Arkansas News Bureau in May of 2002. He's covered the Razorbacks since the Arkansas-Texas game dubbed the Big Shootout in 1969.
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