FAYETTEVILLE — At 9 a.m, precisely two hours earlier than Saturday’s scheduled kickoff, the Arkansas Razorbacks arrived on the stadium.
Site visitors was held up and crowds gathered to observe the house group stroll into the stadium
Each participant was in a go well with, a part of a preseason cope with Dillard’s, most of them darkish blue.
Recreation faces have been firmly in place. No laughs. No grins. No horseplay.
It was virtually time to go to work and the No. 16-ranked Razorbacks weren’t taking unranked South Carolina evenly.
The Hog chip was as a replacement, on their shoulders.
Their solely actual errors within the first half was penalties, however they glared 72 yards.
It was one thing that harm within the second half and will have value them the sport, however they settled down and the sport wasn’t as shut because the 44-30 rating would possibly point out.
The Razorbacks scored on their first three possessions on three landing runs, two by Raheim Sanders, and so they led 21-9. The one time they didn’t rating within the first half was a missed 50-yard area purpose.
It was apparent the Gamecocks needed to do one thing within the second half to cease Arkansas’ speeding assault, which had accounted for 126 of the Hogs 241 whole yards.
They threw all the pieces however the benches on the Hogs and managed to cease them on their first two possessions. However on this present day, it could not be sustainable.
Halfway via the third quarter, South Carolina drove 88 yards, highlighted by a 63-yard landing move, to chop the rating to 21-16.
It made the loud crowd even louder, however the Hogs punted and the Gamecocks took over at their 19 … however not for lengthy.
Bumper Pool sacked Spencer Rattler for a 15-yard loss on third down.
Minutes later, Pool would have a Hog Heaven second.
On a South Carolina punt, Arkansas was known as for holding and took over at its 41 as a substitute of the Gamecocks’ 48.
Sanders carried three straight instances for 12 yards after which peeled off a 46-yard run to the South Carolina 1. Flag. Holding, Arkansas.
The Razorbacks didn’t panic, didn’t abandon their sport plan and put collectively a landing drive that had two move completions.
South Carolina tried to mount one thing, however Hudson Clark grabbed a fumble, and after 4 straight Arkansas runs the Gamecocks obtained caught flat-footed when KJ Jefferson hit Warren Thompson at the back of the top zone for one more landing and a 35-16 lead.
Rattler then obtained picked in the long run zone by Dwight McGlothern and the Hogs pounded the bottom however went three and out.
On first down, Rattler handed for 64 yards and three performs later it was 35-24 and with 6:25 to play. The guests, who by no means gave up, tried an onside kick.
Pool, a linebacker who’s a part of the nice palms group, took it and was full pace returning it to the 9. Two performs later, AJ Inexperienced scored a landing and the one factor lacking on this work day was somebody turning the lights off.
For the day, Jefferson accomplished 18 of 21 passes for 162 yards and a landing, however the Razorbacks by no means supposed to be Air Arkansas in opposition to the Gamecocks.
From day one, the plan was run, run, run after which run some extra.
The Razorbacks ran 65 instances for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns.
They owned the time of possession by virtually 10 minutes, which was a essential a part of their sport plan.
It was undoubtedly enchancment in each side from sport one to 2 apart from penalties.
That wasn’t Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and even LSU at Reynolds Razorback Stadium — and in opposition to these groups, nobody can afford to shoot themselves within the foot.
