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Harry KingHARRY KING
Sports Columnist for The Morning News

Robbie NeiswangerROBBIE NEISWANGER
Sports Columnist for The Morning News



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Defense Has Another Rough Outing

Last updated Saturday, September 27, 2008 11:06 PM CDT
in Razorback Central

By Robbie Neiswanger
The Morning News

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FAYETTEVILLE -— Arkansas defensive end Antwain Robinson offered a peak at what the Razorbacks want to be on defense in the fourth quarter Saturday.

The senior saw a loose football on the turf. He scooped it up with two hands. Then he rumbled 80 yards down the sideline and into the end zone for a touchdown.

“We expect that every play,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said.

The problem? Robinson’s late-game highlight was the only play the Razorbacks defense made during its 52-10 loss to No. 7 Texas in Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

For the second straight week, Arkansas was bullied by a high-powered offense that moved up and down the field with ease against Robinson’s beleaguered unit.

Texas scored points on seven of its first eight possessions Saturday. Six of those were touchdowns.

The numerous strikes enabled the Longhorns to race to a 31-3 lead at halftime, extend it to 45-3 by the end of the third quarter and score one of their biggest wins in the storied series. It also sent the Razorbacks reeling once again a week after a 49-14 loss to Alabama.

“The game plan we had all week, we weren’t able to come out and execute,” strong safety Jerico Nelson said.

The disappointment came a week after Robinson challenged his group’s heart after the Alabama loss.

The Razorbacks inserted two new players into the starting lineup — Nelson and linebacker Freddy Burton — and showed some energy early. But it couldn’t help them stop quarterback Colt McCoy and the Longhorns.

Texas rushed for 208 yards. It threw for 213 more. But the most frustrating statistic for the Hogs during the long day was this: The Longhorns were 7-for-12 on third down.

“You can’t really describe anything like that,” Arkansas linebacker Jerry Franklin said. “You have to be out there on the field and see. You’re working hard on first and second down, you get them in third down situations and they just easily convert. It’s frustrating.”

Said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino: “We had a heck of a time getting off the field.”

Robinson said Texas didn’t surprise the Razorbacks with new wrinkles or creative plays Saturday. Everything the Longhorns ran on offense — except for a reverse Arkansas actually defended well — was what the Razorbacks worked on over and over in practice.

He said Arkansas’ tackling, which was a sore spot against Alabama, didn’t improve much. He said the execution was still problematic. Robinson shouldered some of the blame himself, too, and said he has to “whittle back” some things as the Razorbacks look forward to Florida.

“The thing about it is, everybody has issues,” Robinson said. “We have ours. But that can’t be the excuse.”

Franklin said the Razorbacks won’t use it as one in the next few weeks. Arkansas hasn’t been good on defense this season, but they’re not going to quit.

“The competitor in you wants to go out there and practice and wants to get better and change this thing around,” Franklin said. “This is a big week. We do need to stay together as a team and try to overcome this.”




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