Sarah Bentham • Special to the Arkansas News Bureau
By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arkansas linemen Grant Cook, D.D. Jones and Travis Swanson gladly shared the responsibility Saturday, carrying the bulky Southwest Classic Trophy all the way to the locker room.
It was a prize Arkansas earned for the third straight season. But one that seemed improbable earlier in the day. The Razorbacks had to erase an 18-point halftime deficit to stun Texas A&M 42-38 in Cowboys Stadium, setting off a postgame scene that felt as if it was one part elation and one part relief.
“We probably had some people leave at halftime,” Arkansas receiver Jarius Wright said, referring to the 69,838 in attendance. “But it was good for us to fight back. … It showed a lot about our team.”
Arkansas rallied behind the arm of quarterback Tyler Wilson, who completed 30 of 51 passes for a school-record 510 yards and three touchdowns. The hands and speed of Wright, who tied the school record for catches (13) and shattered the single-game mark for receiving yards (281). And the resilience of a defense that finally slowed Texas A&M after allowing 404 yards and five touchdowns in the first half.
It helped the Razorbacks (4-1) bury last Saturday’s disappointment at Alabama, while getting the season back on track. It also provided the program with one of its more remarkable come-from-behind wins.
“Wow, what a day’s work,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “It took a full day’s work to win that one. I’m very, very proud of our football team.”
The reason? Arkansas was in big trouble at halftime, falling into an enormous hole with uninspiring play.
The offense went three-and-out on its first two possessions, struggling early to protect Wilson from a blitzing defense and establish a run game (13 rushing yards in the first half). Texas A&M (3-2), meanwhile, cruised behind its high-powered ground game and raced out to 14 straight points.
Sarah Bentham • Special to the Arkansas News Bureau
Running back Christine Michael did most of the damage, rushing for 128 of his 230 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. But teammate Cyrus Gray added 59 of his 95 yards and two more scores, while quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 15 of 19 passes for 179 yards to stake the Aggies to a 35-17 lead.
“The O-line was moving people out of the way and (Michael) was making things happen,” Tannehill said of the first-half dominance. “He was running physical, creating yards after contact.”
Said Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson: “It was all tackling.”
So Arkansas’ coaches challenged defensive players to toughen up at halftime, while tweaking their plans to stop the run. Players also pushed each other to play with more courage after an embarrassing start.
There was a reason to believe a comeback was possible against Texas A&M, too. The Aggies blew a 17-point lead in the second half of last week’s loss to Oklahoma State.
“I knew coming in before halftime we’d had success just spreading them out,” Wilson said. “I knew we were going to be pretty successful in the second half if the defense would just hold them a couple times.
“I thought we’d have a pretty good shot.”
Texas A&M’s confidence began to crumble right on cue when Arkansas scored 10 points in the third quarter to make it 35-27. Then, the Hogs tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a wild play in the end zone.
Arkansas receiver Cobi Hamilton caught a pass from Wilson, but had the ball poked out of his hands as he reached the Texas A&M 10. It squirted into the end zone, where Wright fought of two Texas A&M defenders to fall on it for a touchdown. Wilson’s two-point conversion tied the game at 35-35 with 11:00 left.
“I saw the cornerback poke the ball from behind,” Wright said of the touchdown. “My first initial thought was get on the ball. I knew that I had to recover it because there were two Texas A&M players right there.”
Arkansas’ defense then made amends for its first-half problems with two critical stops the rest of the way.
The first came when the Hogs stopped Tannehill short of the first-down marker a 3rd-and-6 play from Arkansas’ 10. It forced the Aggies to kick a field goal that gave them a 38-35 advantage.
Sarah Bentham • Special to the Arkansas News Bureau
The Razorbacks marched downfield once again, putting together a 9-play, 80-yard drive to score the game-winning points. Running back Broderick Green — who was playing less than six months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee — gave Arkansas its first lead on a 3-yard run with 1:41 left.
“The O-line made a huge hole,” said Green, who had two rushing touchdowns in his season debut. “The play was designed to go off the left side. I saw it and I hit it.”
Texas A&M got the ball with a chance to respond, but its last-ditch effort ended when the Hogs stuffed a fourth-and-2 play from the Aggies’ 39. Arkansas defensive tackle D.D. Jones made the decisive stop, shedding a blocker to drop Michael when he reached the line of scrimmage.
The Aggies were held to a field goal in the second half.
“Why couldn’t you do it in the first half? That’s what it says,” Robinson said of the defensive turnaround.
“But our kids showed great courage and they were challenged and they responded very, very well.”
Arkansas got the ball back and made one more critical play when Green picked up 10 yards on 3rd-and-8 with less than a minute remaining. It allowed the Razorbacks to run the clock out and enjoy the win.
Texas A&M, which will join the Southeastern Conference next season, lost its seventh straight to an SEC team dating back to 1995 despite outgaining the Razorbacks 628-581. The problem? The Aggies have been outscored 52-12 in the second half of its past two games, squandering double-digit leads.
“We’re contributing to our demise in the second half,” Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. “Each player in that locker room has to look at themselves, as well as the coaches and figure out what we could all have done.”
Arkansas wasn’t flawless by any means, either, but did enough to enjoy another win in Texas.
The Southwest Classic trophy was presented to Petrino by Arkansas alum and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones once again. Players and coaches exchanged hugs and handshakes, saluting the crowd as they walked to the locker room. It wasn’t an easy win — but one the Razorbacks should remember for a long time.
“We needed to believe that we could come back and win the game and keep executing,” Petrino said. “Our coaches did a great job in the second half. Our players played with a tremendous amount of heart, competitive spirit and toughness. That’s a good win. That’s a really good win.”
