No. 10 Arkansas avoids upset bid, defeats Petrino and Missouri State
After two straight sacks from the Razorback defense forced Missouri State to punt, Razorback return man Bryce Stephens fielded the ball and sprinted 82 yards into the end zone to send Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium into the loudest frenzy it's been in all season.
The score put Arkansas up 31-27 with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter after it trailed the Bears for the whole game leading up to that point.
Despite out-gaining Missouri State 597-409 in the game, the Hogs struggled to get the ball in the end zone, and four turnovers did not help things.
The Hogs trailed 27-17 with 12:04 left in the game, and after a 1-yard touchdown run from KJ Jefferson with 1:39 left, Arkansas led Missouri State 38-27.
Jefferson finished the evening with a career-high 385 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 40 rushing yards and a score on the ground as well.
Defensively, the Hogs recorded eight sacks on the evening and Drew Sanders had 2.5 of them. The defense did struggle to tackle on the night, something that will need to be cleaned up before next Saturday's game with Texas A&M.
Here is a breakdown of how things went down:
First Half
Both teams started off slow with each of the first two drives resulting in a punt. Missouri State managed to chew 4:26 off the clock on its first drive, while the Hogs used up just 0:51 in their first drive.
On Arkansas' second drive of the game, Jefferson followed up a 26-yard completion to Matt Landers with a fumble on a quarterback keeper that the Bears recovered at their own 36-yard line.
The Bears capitalized by driving 64 yards in 12 plays and Jacardia Wright punched in a 1-yard score on the ground to make Missouri State the first team to have a lead on Arkansas all season.
On the next Razorback possession, Jefferson placed the ball right on the money for a 64-yard completion to Ketron Jackson Jr., but on the very next play, Sanders fumbled to ball into the end zone and Missouri State recovered it for a touchback.
After controlling 11:20 of the clock in the first quarter, the Bears came out firing with a 45-yard completion on the first play of the second quarter. After a pass interference on Dwight McGlothern, the Arkansas defense held tight in the red zone to force a 28-yard field goal from Jose Pizano that made it a 10-0 Bears lead.
The next Razorback drive lasted 1:21 and they gained no yards. The Bears took advantage once again, as Jason Shelley spun off Bumper Pool and dove for the end zone to score and give Arkansas its largest deficit to an FCS team in program history, 17-0.
Jefferson and the Hogs' offense woke up on the next drive by capping off an 8-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard score from Raheim Sanders, who walked into the end zone untouched.
After a defensive stop, Arkansas found itself in a 4th-and-9 situation on the next drive and Jefferson handed it off to Rashod Dubinion, who took it up the middle for just five yards.
The Hogs were fortunate to stop the Bears on the ensuing possession and they took advantage with a 2-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that featured a 38-yard touchdown catch by Jadon Haselwood that made it a 17-14 Missouri State lead with just over a minute left in the half.
A Jordan Domineck sack shut down any chance for the Bears to score before time ran out, resulting in a 3-point deficit for the Hogs at the break.
Second Half:
Arkansas received the ball to begin the half and a pass that hit off of Trey Knox's hands landed in the hands of Missouri State's Tahj Chambers to result in Jefferson's first interception of the season.
After an offensive pass interference and delay of game penalty, the Bears were forced to punt and they pinned the Hogs back at their own 6-yard line.
The Arkansas offense managed to drive 84 yards in 14 plays, but couldn't punch it in. Cam Little hit a 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 17-17 with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.
Missouri State came right back with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Shelley to Ty Scott on 4th-and-1 that made it 24-17. An unsuccessful Razorback drive resulted in a Max Fletcher punt that gave the Bears the ball on their own 15-yard line.
The Razorbacks' defense bent, but didn't break and allowed a 31-yard field goal to make it a 10-point deficit with 12:04 left in the contest.
Just two plays later, Jefferson dumped the ball off to Sanders, who took off for a 73-yard score to bring the deficit back to three points with 11:38 left.
A pair of sacks — one split by Landon Jackson and Domineck and one from Sanders — pinned the Bears back and forced them to punt. Missouri State kicked deep to Stephens, who sprinted 82 yards for a touchdown to give the Hogs their first lead of the night, 31-27.
The Bears did not let up on offense as they gained a 38-yard reception on the first play of the ensuing drive. The Razorbacks hit back, though, as Zach Williams got his second sack of the night to force Missouri State into a 4th-and-21.
The Hogs converted a 3rd-and-12 with a 21-yard completion to Trey Knox. After a 43-yard run by Sanders, Jefferson punched it in from a yard out to put the Hogs up 38-27, the eventual final score.