Dennis Johnson provided a lift to Arkansas’ rushing game Saturday, running for a career-high 160 yards on 15 carries. It included a 52-yard touchdowns for Arkansas’ only first half score, helping the Razorbacks overcome a 17-deficit.
“I was just trying to bring up the team,” Johnson said of his performance, which was the third 100-yard outing of his career. “I think that set the spark, and we took it from there.”
The Razorbacks ended with 206 yards on the ground to 151 for Mississippi. The only blemish on Johnson’s day was a fumble at the Ole Miss 1 late in the third period, but two plays later, Jerry Franklin forced a safety and the Razorbacks got the ball back after a free kick.
“Unfortunately, everybody fumbles,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “Everybody throws interceptions. As a coach, the first thing I like to do is get them the ball again right away, and show them that I have confidence in him. And I have tremendous confidence in Dennis Johnson.”
Good Morning
So far, so good for those morning games. Although slow starts have been a hallmark of the Razorbacks’ play in pre-noon games, Arkansas’ 29-24 victory over Ole Miss marked the second time this season the Razorbacks have won early games.
Arkansas defeated Texas A&M in an 11 a.m. game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, 42-38, but trailed 35-17 at intermission.
Arkansas travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Saturday in its second straight 11:21 a.m. game on the SEC Network.
Not Great, But Not Bad
Although Wilson did not have a touchdown pass and his numbers were paltry compared to other outings, he still threw for 232 yards. He was 13 of 28 and was sacked once. Wilson also had two rushing touchdowns.
Wilson was coming off career and record-setting performances against Texas A&M and Auburn before the open date on Oct. 15.
Against the Aggies, he passed for 510 yards, the most ever by a Razorback and the most passing yards by any quarterback in the country this season heading into this week’s games.
Against Auburn, Wilson completed 18 passes in a row in a 24-for-36 performance. The feat is tied for second in SEC history for consecutive completions against conference opponents.
Bowl Reps At Game
Representatives of the Capital One Bowl were in the press box Saturday for the Ole Miss-Arkansas game.
The Orlando, Fla., game features the top pick from the Southeastern Conference against a Big Ten team after BCS teams are decided. This year’s Capital One Bowl will be played on Jan. 2.
Representatives of the Gator Bowl and the Liberty Bowl also were on hand.
On Fourth Down
Arkansas gained 19 yards on a fourth-and-7 early in the third quarter to keep a drive alive following the second-half kickoff. Wilson completed the throw to Chris Gragg over the middle. The drive ended with a 33-yard field goal by Zach Hocker to cut the Ole Miss lead to 17-10.
“I felt at that time we need to go for it,” Petrino said. “We were in a position where you’re in between a field goal, the punt. We needed to have something positive happen. Tyler did a really nice job reading what they did and Chris Gragg ran a great route, caught the ball and ran with it.”
On a fourth-down play late in the first period, the Razorbacks were unsuccessful. With a fourth-and-1, the Razorbacks put in Kiero Small as a lead blocker, but Broderick Green was stopped for no gain. Ole Miss scored on a 31-yard touchdown pass on its ensuing possession, giving the Rebels a 10-0 lead with 14:50 to play in the half.
Arkansas is 7 for 9 on fourth-down conversions this season.
First-Quarter Woes
Seven and 11 were not lucky numbers for Arkansas in the first quarter against Ole Miss. The Razorbacks managed only 11 yards on seven plays in the first stanza against the Rebels. Arkansas managed one first down in the quarter, but it was via a penalty.
Four Hogs Back
Four injured Razorbacks apparently benefited from the open date and returned against Ole Miss on Saturday.
Running back Ronnie Wingo, who had a hurt toe, rushed for six yards on three carries. Defensive tackle Robert Thomas (leg), and cornerbacks Darius Winston (leg) and Isaac Madison (shoulder) did not play against Auburn, either. All three were back on the field for the Ole Miss win.
