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FAYETTEVILLE — Despite a sporadic showing from its offense, Arkansas opened the 2019 season with a victory Saturday afternoon.

The Razorbacks led by only four points until late in the third quarter and needed a stop in the final minute to preserve a 20-13 win over Portland State, an FCS program.

Making his first start for Arkansas, SMU transfer Ben Hicks completed just 14 of 29 passes for 143 yards and no touchdowns while leading an offense that scored the Razorbacks’ fewest points against an FCS team since the infamous 10-3 loss to The Citadel in 1992.

Meanwhile, Arkansas’ defense limited the Vikings to just 230 total yards, racked up six sacks, matching last year’s season high set against Tulsa, and made three interceptions.

It was ugly from the opening kickoff, as Hayden Henry was assessed an unsportsmanlike penalty to give Portland State great field position from the start.

A 22-yard scramble by quarterback Davis Alexander got the Vikings into Arkansas territory before the Razorbacks’ defense stiffened. However, Cody Williams booted a 50-yard field goal to give Portland State a 3-0 lead.

Arkansas responded with a 54-yard drive that stalled inside the red zone, meaning they had to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Connor Limpert.

The second possession went much better for both sides of the ball, as the defense pushed the Vikings backward in a three-and-out and the offense went on a 10-play, 64-yard drive that gave Arkansas its first lead since the first quarter of last year’s Vanderbilt game.

Tyson Morris kept the drive alive by hauling in a Hicks pass that went through a defender’s hands along the sideline. It was a 15-yard gain on third down. Then an end-around sweep by De’Vion Warren resulted in 17 yards to get the Razorbacks inside the red zone and Devwah Whaley capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge with 3:16 left in the quarter.

Alexander continued to hurt Arkansas with his legs on the ensuing possession, scrambling for a fourth-down conversion on a drive that eventually ended with a 47-yard field goal by Williams.

Those proved to be the final points of the half despite multiple opportunities for the Razorbacks.

First, they wasted Kamren Curl’s interception that he returned into the red zone. Arkansas inserted Nick Starkel at quarterback, but the move didn’t pay off when he gave it right back with an interception right to linebacker Robert Holt.

Starkel’s second possession was a case of poor clock management. He connected with Trey Knox for a 38-yard gain to get into field goal range, but - with no timeouts - Limpert never got to attempt a kick.

Grayson Gunter fell down in bounds after catching a pass near the sideline. Instead of spiking the ball to stop the clock, Starkel threw a pass to Rakeem Boyd, who couldn’t get out of bounds before time expired.

With Hicks back at the helm, the offense sputtered at the start of the second half. The Razorbacks managed just 39 yards on nine plays over its first two possessions, punting both times.

Following a spectacular interception by Jarques McClellion, they finally put together a 12-play, 67-yard drive that included a pair of third down conversions.

Five runs by Boyd and a face mask penalty accounted for the final 39 yards, capped by a 2-yard touchdown. That gave him exactly 100 yards of offense, with 84 on the ground and 16 on two receptions. Boyd finished with 114 yards on 18 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards.

While the offense struggled, Arkansas’ defense stepped up. The Vikings gained just 37 yards on 12 plays in the third quarter.

The Razorbacks found themselves in the red zone again early in the fourth quarter, with a first-and-five at the 9-yard line, but still couldn’t punch it in thanks to two incompletions by Hicks sandwiched around a one-yard run by Chase Hayden.

Portland State made it interesting late, scoring on a 32-yard pass to tight end Charlie Taumoepeau with 4:14 remaining and then forcing a punt with a little over a minute left.

However, Joe Foucha intercepted a pass that deflected off a Vikings receiver’s hands to seal the victory.

Arkansas returns to action next Saturday in Oxford, Miss., for its SEC opener against Ole Miss. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.