Late rally helps Hogs avoid another disaster, 39-38
Cole Kelley plunged in from 3 yards out with 1:55 remaining to give Arkansas a 39-38 lead and the Razorback defense finally managed a key stop to hold off Coastal Carolina's upset bid in front of 61,476 at Razorback Stadium Saturday evening in Fayetteville.
On a day that saw the lowly Chanticleers (1-8) convert eight of their first 10 third-down tries, the Hogs (4-5, 1-4) forced two punts and held the visitors on downs to avoid what might have possibly been the worst upset loss in school history.
“Anybody can get anybody on any given Saturday. We’ve seen it,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said after the game. “Football is football. It’s 11-on-11. You get a couple of big plays and anything can happen.”
T.J. Hammonds didn't receive his first touch of the game until the second quarter but made the most of his opportunities from that point forward. The sophomore from Little Rock piled up 119 rushing yards on 18 carries and an 88-yard touchdown run that cut into Coastal Carolina's 13-point lead with just over ten minutes remaining.
“Our coaches, we’ve got to do a better job of making sure he’s in there," Bielema said. “Made big plays at the end. Can’t say enough about T.J. Hammonds, a guy we tried to bring along more and more.”Hammonds also had one reception for a 60-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Kelley, who made his fourth straight start in place of injured senior quarterback Austin Allen, finished 16 of 25 with 264 passing yards and a touchdown. Allen did not see the field against the Chanticleers.
Devwah Whaley added 81 rushing yards and a touchdown, David Williams carried five times for 43 yards, and tight end Jeremy Patton had three catches for 49 yards as well as a 2-point conversion catch midway through the third quarter.
Arkansas got on the board first with a 5-yard touchdown rush at the 11:52 mark of the first quarter, capping off a seven-play, 68-yard scoring drive.
The Chanticleers answered with a long, time-consuming 75-yard touchdown drive that took 14 plays and over 7 minutes off the clock. Tyler Keane found Omar Black on a 7-yard touchdown pass to knot the game at 7-7.
After forcing an Arkansas punt, Coastal Carolina put together another lengthy drive and capped it off with a 6-yard touchdown rush to make it a 14-7 lead.
T.J. Hammonds finally made his first touch of the game at around the 11-minute mark of the second quarter. After a 10-yard carry, the sophomore caught a screen pass and took it 60 yards for a game-tying touchdown, 14-14. The Hogs would push it to 17-14 at half with a 46-yard field goal from Connor Limpert with 1:06 left in the second quarter.
The Razorback defense continued its third down struggles in a big way to start the second half.
Coastal Carolina faced 3rd and 9 from its own 48 when Kilton Anderson, who had replaced an injured Kearne, hit Malcolm Williams for a 40-yard completion. Williams would score on a 16-yard pass two plays later to give the Chanticleers a 21-17 lead.
