Now that's more like it. After losing their first three SEC games of the year, the Razorbacks rolled over the Ole Miss Rebels, 44-8 in Oxford on Saturday. It was a refreshing change of performance for an Arkansas team that has floundered well below preseason expectations. And with the refreshment comes the hope that the Hogs can keep their seasonal ship rolling straight through November.
Tailbacks Darren McFadden (22 carries/110 yards) and Felix Jones (15 carries/101 yards) were back on their respective games, while the offensive line did a tremendous job of opening space in front of them. Even quarterback Casey Dick was on his game, throwing 11 completions in 17 attempts, for 96 yards and 3 TDs against a sole meaningless end-of-the-first half interception. Peyton Hillis was a weapon out of the backfield as well, catching 4 passes for 60 yards, while TE Andrew Davie had the first two TD catch game of his young career.
And still, this one was mostly about the defense for the Hogs. With six sacks and four interceptions, there's no question that the Razorback 'D' went into this one with the intent of driving the Rebels firmly back on their heels. Surely, they did that and more, generating pressure up front, playing solid man coverage and giving defensive coordinator Reggie Herring the ability to blitz as freely as he wanted, without the worry of springing a leak. Arkansas' defensive performance was so good it made talented Rebels' QB Seth Adams look really bad, and with him, a host of skilled receivers.
It's way too early to reach much into this game: Ole Miss stinks. Now Arkansas plays a terrible Florida International team on Saturday. But if the Razorbacks can keep their good play going against South Carolina in two weeks, there's a very realistic chance that this club could play its way back into New Year's Day bowl consideration. For head coach Houston Nutt, under fire after a lackluster first half of the season, that's about as good a turnaround as could be hoped for at this point.
-JAB
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