Zac Lehr • Special to the Arkansas News Bureau
By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas punter Dylan Breeding must have been surprised. What else could explain the fact the Razorbacks’ punt team was on the field in waiting for its punter, who was still standing on the Arkansas sideline?
But it’s hard to blame the sophomore, who buckled his helmet and sprinted onto the field in time to boot a 44-yard punt in the second quarter.
Arkansas’ offense — which is appears to be gaining more and more strength each week — met little resistance from Texas-El Paso during its 58-21 win in front of an announced crowd of 67,330 in Razorbacks Stadium.
Quarterback Ryan Mallett completed 19 of 26 passes for 216 yards with a school record-tying five touchdown passes and added a 14-yard touchdown run. Knile Davis ran for a career-high 182 yards, turning in his third 100-yard rushing performance in four games. And tight end D.J. Williams, who was one of 21 seniors playing in Fayetteville for the final time, caught two touchdown passes.
It led Arkansas (8-2) to a fourth straight win, which equals the longest streak under coach Bobby Petrino. The Razorbacks also reached eight wins in the regular season for the first time in his tenure.
“We came out and played hard and executed and got a very dominant win,” Petrino said. “That’s something we talked about we needed to get done.”
Petrino urged his team throughout the week to make the game count for the seniors. The group was honored during a ceremony before the game and Arkansas’ players responded — after an eventful start that featured 35 points and big plays from both teams in the first quarter.
UTEP actually scored first, getting a 51-yard touchdown run from Leilyon Monroe on its opening possession. The Miners also scored on a 100-yard kickoff return by Marlon McClure to answer an Arkansas touchdown. Arkansas responded again immediately after the kick return when Davis sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown on a fake reverse, which tied the game again at 14-14.
“It opened up real good,” said Davis, who has 550 yards and nine touchdowns in the past four games. “Everybody was accounted for and I was able to make one cut and take it to the house. It was a beautiful play.”
The defense settled in after Davis’ touchdown run, limiting UTEP to 200 yards after the first quarter. It included a 12-yard first quarter. Meanwhile, Arkansas’ offense kept rolling against the defenseless Miners.
Zac Lehr • Special to the Arkansas News Bureau
Arkansas scored touchdowns on seven of its first eight possessions before the starters left the game. The Razorbacks finished with 577 yards and got nearly everyone involved in their final nonconference game.
“Knile Davis is a great player,” UTEP coach Mike Price said. “Ryan (Mallett) is a great quarterback and they really have some good athletes. We had a tough time stopping them.”
Mallett threw touchdown passes to Williams, Cobi Hamilton and Jarius Wright in the first half to help the Razorbacks grab a 35-14 lead. He added two more — to Williams and Chris Gragg — in the third quarter before leaving the game.
In the process, Mallett equaled his school record for touchdown passes in a game. He also moved into second on the school’s career touchdown passes list (55), jumping over Matt Jones. Mallett tied Madre Hill for the school record for touchdown responsibility in a game with six (five passing, one rushing), too.
“He was really good,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. “He has been doing pretty well the last couple of weeks, practicing the right way. He’s been under control, really looking at the defense.
“When he’s like that he’s pretty hard to stop.”
But Mallett was the first to admit he has been aided by an improved run game, one that put up its best performance of the season.
Behind Davis, the Razorbacks gashed UTEP for 326 rushing yards. Arkansas gained more on the ground than it did through the air (251) for the first time.
The 58 points was Arkansas season-high. It is part of a four-game stretch in which the Razorbacks have scored 186, which is an average of 46.5 a game.
“To have the ability of our offense to do the things they did, drive the ball and run the ball and keeping us fresh, that was so impressive tonight,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said.
The win — coupled with losses by No. 13 Iowa and No. 14 Utah — should help Arkansas (No. 15) move up in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings.
The Hogs can make stronger statements in the next two weeks with games at BCS No. 19 Mississippi State and against No. 5 LSU in Little Rock.
Arkansas will return to conference play with confidence, too, believing it is playing its best football at the right time.
“The offense is clicking on all cylinders, putting up tons of points,” Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette said. “As a defense we’ve been coming into our own. It’s exciting to be a on a four-game win streak. We feel good about ourselves.”
Zac Lehr • Special to the Arkansas News Bureau
