By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas receiver Joe Adams said messages poured in after the 33-30 overtime loss at LSU.
Facebook friends couldn’t fathom how he got up off the ground. Or how the sophomore caught the go-ahead touchdown pass a few plays later.
Texts said he was the toughest player in college football for getting up after LSU safety Chad Jones’ vicious helmet-to-helmet hit. Some went even further, calling him the toughest man in the world after he bounced back to catch the go-ahead touchdown.
“Most people don’t get up from those type of hits,” Adams admitted Monday night, speaking to the media about the collision for the first time since the LSU game. “It really didn’t bother me, to be honest.”
Adams didn’t need any more proof he was one of Arkansas’ toughest players, but solidified his spot after the sequence in the fourth quarter at LSU.
He was reaching out for the football at the goal line when Jones delivered a bone-jarring blow that knocked Adams’ helmet off, drew a 15-yard penalty, and left both players slow to get up off the turf. Surprisingly, Adams was back four plays later to catch a touchdown pass in traffic to give Arkansas a brief, 30-27 lead.
In the end, it couldn’t help Arkansas win. But it has clearly left an impression on the Razorbacks.
“It’s a testament to his toughness,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “It shows you he’s a tough kid and he wants to win and to come back after things that happened and make that big catch. It makes you proud, proud of him and you feel good for him.”
The sequence also encapsulated Adams’ season.
He was named a second-team All-Southeastern Conference performer by The Associated Press on Monday after grabbing 28 passes for 553 yards and 7 touchdowns. Adams turned in big plays all year. It was impressive, especially considering Adams missed three games after suffering a minor stroke in early October.
The health scare never deterred Adams, who was confident he would return. It also hasn’t changed his mentality when he runs a route across the middle.
“That’s where I play at, around the middle …” Adams said. “It’s hard for somebody to hurt me.”
Jones, who Adams said was spying on him throughout the game, may have come the closest when he delivered a big blow in the first quarter on an errant pass from Mallett. Adams said the first hit actually hurt more than the one on the goal line in the fourth quarter.
However, Adams was a little surprised he was still standing after the fourth quarter collision.
“I was laying there for a second and I was looking down and I was thinking, ‘Man,’ because I kind of thought my leg was caught up under his,” Adams said. “That’s why I wasn’t moving. But I thought about it, ‘Hey, I’m all right. Let me get up and go to the next play.’”
Adams returned to catch the touchdown pass, absorbing another hit by Jones. But the big play was his final snap of the game. Team doctors took his helmet away, telling Adams he couldn’t go back on the field.
The receiver said it was tough not being able to help in overtime, but his contributions to get the Razorbacks to the extra period impressed teammates.
“Joe Adams is tough,” Arkansas defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said Tuesday. “I don’t think people really realize how tough he really is, but he’s probably one of the toughest receivers I’ve been around.”
Adams said the first thing he wanted to do when the Razorbacks returned home later that night was to see the hit. So Adams went straight to a friend’s house to watch a replay of the game, catching his first glimpse.
The violent blow made many who saw it in person cringe. Surely, it had the same affect on Adams when he finally saw it for the first time, right?
“No,” Adams said. “I can go watch it right now.”
Four Razorbacks Recognized
Four Razorbacks were named to the Southeastern Conference Coaches’ All-SEC team on Tuesday.
Guard Mitch Petrus was the only Arkansas player to earn first-team honors. Quarterback Ryan Mallett, tight end D.J. Williams and defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard were named second-team selections by the league’s coaches.
The Coaches’ All-SEC was announced a day after the Associated Press team was revealed. Mallett, Petrus, Sheppard and receiver Joe Adams were second-team picks.
