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Offensive Explosion

Last updated Sunday, November 4, 2007 12:28 AM CDT
in Razorback Central

By Alex Abrams
THE MORNING NEWS

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FAYETTEVILLE -- As momentum briefly shifted in South Carolina's favor, Arkansas turned to the one guy who has been known to carry the offense and flex his muscles after a big touchdown run.

Turns out, running back Darren McFadden is healthy again and his Heisman Trophy chances have new life.

On a play that has been mostly missing from his highlight reel this season, McFadden took a handoff from Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick and raced 80 yards untouched for the final score Saturday night.

With the run, McFadden put the final touch on a 48-36 win over No. 23 South Carolina and gave the crowd of 70,742 in Reynolds Razorback Stadium one last glimpse at Arkansas' impressive offensive explosion.

And of course, the junior -- perhaps playing in his final game in Fayetteville -- couldn't resist flexing his biceps for a national TV audience.

"I don't think anybody touched him. I don't think he had to cut back on anybody. I don't think he had to side-step anybody," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "I think he just ran around the end and never slowed down."

Fellow Arkansas running back Felix Jones had his own chances to celebrate on a night when the Hogs jumped out to a 21-3 lead and gained 541 yards rushing and 650 yards of total offense.

Who said the Razorbacks (6-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) need a balanced offense? Especially when McFadden set an SEC record with 323 yards rushing and Jones added 163 and three touchdowns.

Arkansas had only 109 yards passing.

"When you know we're going to run the ball and they still can't stop us, that's an awesome offense," Arkansas offensive guard Robert Felton said. "I'm speechless. I'm lost for words talking about our performance tonight."

The major knock against Arkansas in its three close losses to Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn was its inability to put teams away down the stretch. That wasn't a problem Saturday night.

The Razorbacks avoided another late collapse and instead turned to McFadden, Jones and a few trick plays to keep the offense moving and the pressure on the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4), losers of three in a row.

In contrast, Arkansas extended its seasonlong winning streak to three games by beating its first ranked opponent this season. The Razorbacks also became bowl eligible with their sixth win.

McFadden, considered the Heisman Trophy preseason favorite, had been bothered over the first half of the season with a slight concussion and bruised ribs. He confessed early last week that his ribs hurt more than he was letting on.

But as Spurrier can now attest, McFadden is back. So are his Heisman hopes.

"I was on the ball, and I took this game to heart and gave it my all," McFadden said. "I felt that by the fourth quarter we were able to get our game together and finish it to the best of our capabilities."

Jones got Arkansas' offense going early on, breaking off touchdown runs of 40 yards and 72 yards to help the Razorbacks jump out to a 21-3 lead with 2 minutes and 52 seconds left in the first quarter.

"Felix is just beautiful to watch," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said.

McFadden didn't look bad himself.

His 323 yards rushing on 35 carries broke the previous SEC record of 321 yards set by Vanderbilt's Frank Mordica against Air Force in 1978.

McFadden also completed a 23-yard touchdown pass after he recovered his own fumble and lobbed a pass to wide receiver Robert Johnson in the end zone, extending UA's lead to 35-20 at 5:13 in the third quarter.

Last Saturday, South Carolina rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to force overtime against Tennessee. The Volunteers ended up winning 27-24 on a field goal.

For the second consecutive week, Spurrier watched his players make a second-half rally, but they couldn't get any closer than 42-36 midway through the fourth quarter.

Arkansas' offense was too much, and the Razorbacks even managed to outfox the Ol' Ball Coach.

Spurrier is known for his trickery. But the Razorbacks got the best of him midway through the second quarter when they broke out a play that had been hidden in offensive coordinator David Lee's playbook.

McFadden took the direct snap out of the WildHog formation and handed it off to Jones, who immediately pitched it to quarterback Casey Dick.

Dick, who had been lined up at receiver, lobbed the football 35 yards to a wide-open Lucas Miller for a touchdown that extended UA's lead to 28-10 with 6:52 left in the first half.

The trick play was part of an offensive explosion by the Razorbacks, who outgained the Gamecocks 378-221 in the first half.

Arkansas, which entered Saturday leading the SEC in rushing offense at 287.6 yards per game, recorded 292 yards on the ground before halftime.



Reader Comments (17 comment(s))


The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.

HawgCowboy wrote on Nov 4, 2007 6:08 AM:

" Wow!! I had been thinking that McFadden had an injury that would last the rest of the season. He was Superman last night in the Hogs win and Felix was super too. Our boys deserved a big SEC win over "the ole ball coach" like this. Razorbacks! Hope! "

12247 wrote on Nov 4, 2007 7:54 AM:

" Our Hogs looked great last night. The offense kept scoring even though SC put up decent offensive numbers. Most 36 point outings result in a win. 5&25 ran wild. Play calling mix was near perfect except for just before halftime. I think Lee called most of the game. #5 still isn't 100 percent. He sit several times right after hits. The mis-direction and timely passing made a big difference in this game. This is a game we lose 4 weeks ago. Healthier players and execellent play calling with DECEPTION won this game. This article says trick plays..... I didn't see any trick plays. I saw great play calling. Granted, we rarely see this, but to call it trick plays when we do is not correct. The MacFadden to Jones to Dick and pass to Miller could have been handled by most any 7th. grade team. Not a trick play, just smart use of the players. We could be 9-0 or 8-1 with this type play calling all year. This game is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of what happens when you give a defense more than 1 option to defend. I didn't see the famous formation of no passing game and 1 back on the field once last night. Hopefully this, try to get the running back killed, formation is long gone. "

Ozarks wrote on Nov 4, 2007 8:02 AM:

" The entire team was fantastic. What a game! Congratulations Darren. Thank you Felix and all of the Oline. Even though we only passed for 109 yrds, it was 9 of 11. We will need 18 of 22 for 218 next week to beat Tenn and I'm excited about that game. Darren & Felix can take it easy next week and only rush for 400 yrds. :) Sooie!! "

dfwhogfan1 wrote on Nov 4, 2007 8:30 AM:

" What a awesome night to be a Hog fan!!! I am kicking myself for not going up to the game now but atleast I got to watch it on TV and it was a thing of beauty!!! We will need this again against the Vols because they can pass just as well as SC. Not sure if they can run as well though. I for one am going to take a couple of days and enjoy this one thats for sure. 12247...for once I think I agree with everything you said. I think this time change has got you a little loopy...just kidding! Everything you said is correct about the game. I am still concerned with our 2 minute drill at the end of the half (should of gotten fg out of it) but I am not going to ramble on about that because it was a big win. "

Springdale Hog Fan wrote on Nov 4, 2007 9:58 AM:

" The Hogs were fantastic, but don't forget who introduced that offense to the Hogs! Hint/ It wasn't Lee. "

CO-Hog wrote on Nov 4, 2007 10:18 AM:

" Well, the Hogs won. That does mean a bowl game now too. If they can go on the road and beat the Volunteers, at their house, they should have the motivation to win over Miss State. A "potential" 8-3 going into the last nationally televised game against LSU. A win there, finishing at 9-3, who knows maybe they could sneak up and get a BCS bowl. That would be nice. "

NEW TULSA FAN wrote on Nov 4, 2007 10:28 AM:

" Felix in motion in the same backfield with DMac, that looked familiar. The Wildcat, a reverse with the quarterback throwing a touchdown, all that looked familiar. Deception in the running game, that looked familiar. It used to be that when Hillis went in motion, that's where the running play was going, wasn't exactly the case last night. One thing is for certain it wasn't the old playbook. All of this aside, it was a great night for DMac, Felix, Hillis, Casey and all the kids. I really salute them. You know all most of us ever wanted was for the Huckster to turn loose of the design of the offensive,let a good coordinator call the plays and stop being so predictable. The Huckster could recruit, relate to the kids and do his "rah rah" thing. The world would have been good. Do you think the Auburn game pounded some sense into his thick skull? "

Springdale Hog Fan wrote on Nov 4, 2007 10:52 AM:

" tcoach, You're missing the point. Last night Houston Nutt threw away his one page play book and allowed the offensive coordinator to do his job. Lee did great. My point was that this offense was introduced last year, but wasn't allowed to develop. Maybe that will change from this point on. "

CO-Hog wrote on Nov 4, 2007 11:03 AM:

" I hope a lot changes by the end of the season. It is easy, for the critic I am, to say "well if the Hogs finish at 9-3 maybe, just maybe ..." If that does happen, referring to changing my mind on whether HDN stays or goes, I guess my final decision would depend on the bowl game allotted (BCS or not) and whether the Hogs won that bowl game. Both would be factors. "

Springdale Hog Fan wrote on Nov 4, 2007 11:19 AM:

" I don't think our success or failure through the end of the season will have any effect on Nutt's future. I firmly believe he has coached his last season at Fayetteville. Of course, that won't be an official topic of discussion until our last game. "

12247 wrote on Nov 4, 2007 12:20 PM:

" Please remember we are only 1 game away from Nutt starting to call plays again. Whatever he runs he messes up, period. Houston still has the same ego he had last week. This will not last, I promise. If Lee is successful he will become the new Malzahn. He will have to be toned down and pushed into quitting. Another thing, that vintage Nutt series just before half does several things. It kills ole mo. It disgusts the players who can see the HC has no confidence in them. It gives the other team hope. We overcome all that and still won. Last night the seniors and all others planning to leave had so much to play for and nothing could get in their way. I sincerely hope we kept Malzahn's playbook cause that famous 1 back NFL formation we tryed for a while might get our back killed. I hate to say that raz-daz pass play was Malzahn's. That play was so simple I doubt Gus invented it. I've seen that in Junior High ball. "

S.CarolinaHog wrote on Nov 4, 2007 12:32 PM:

" lt is great to read some positive comments on here! the hogs fixed it so l can hold my head up here in Charleston all week!!! man, what a great game to watch. (it is on CSS as we speak). lf that was Lee calling the plays last nite, Nutt better stay outa the way the rest of the season. we CAN win the next two......especially MSU, since that one's in the Rock. LR crowds are drunker and louder than their Fayettenamese counterparts. GO HOGS! "

razorbackbacker wrote on Nov 4, 2007 1:42 PM:

" Hey guys got a good one for you. That play or even the wild hog is not from Coach M or Coach Lee or even Coach N. that has been around a started at Texas and then Texas A.M. from circa 1968 or maybe a little before that. Hatfield used it here for years then Holtz. People didn't like it then when Hatfield ran it said it was not enough passing. Got him fired. What is all the hulabalu about passing anyway, when you can run for over 500 yards. passing is overrated. For years any main stream coach wanted a strong running game. "

Westcoast Hawg wrote on Nov 4, 2007 3:10 PM:

" Darren McFadden for the Heisman! "

CO-Hog wrote on Nov 4, 2007 4:07 PM:

" That would be very nice WestCoast, and in order to do so there is NO DOUBT D-Mac has to be at the spearhead of the remaining games in VICTORIES. He, at least, has to have big games int he next two games. Versus LSU - anyones game and several people's Heisman chances. Would LOVE to see him in New York again. "

12247 wrote on Nov 4, 2007 5:48 PM:

" The Heisman race heated back up for #5 last night. It heated up because plays and formations were called that highlighted his skills, plus he is getting over the rib thing. He isn't healthy yet but close. While #5 was heating up some contenders were cooling off and that helped D-mac even more. D-mac needs the team to win these last 3 while he runs amuk and does all the other things he can do to help a team. Then he might have a chance at the heisman. I seriously doubt we can win out. I didn't expect a win last night. Of course, I expected Nutt to call the plays. I doubt Nutt can sit still and let Lee get in the limelight. I expect Nutt to rip defeat right out of the jaws of victory at least twice in these last 3. Someone needs to tell Nutt that if D-mac goes to NY, he gets to go too. You know, reward him if he stays out of the way and lets the team play to its potential. SO REMEMBER, HOUSTON, YOU GET TO GO TOO. "

Swinehunt wrote on Nov 5, 2007 7:36 AM:

" There is no doubt that D Mac is the greatest offensive player in Razorback history and if he returns for his Sr. season he will break all the SEC records. He is the best player in the country and deserives to win the Heisman. D Mac, sit on the bench in the middle of your offensive linemen, they ARE your future. "


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