Third down improvement, takeaways put Hogs back above .500
Since Sept. 17, when Missouri State nearly escaped Fayetteville with a win, the Razorback defense has struggled in the worst way to get off the field. The FCS Bears exposed what was about to plague Arkansas for the next few weeks — the inabilities to force turnovers and get off the field on third down.
The Hogs rolled past BYU in a three-possession game Saturday, in large part because they were able to flip that script. They forced three turnovers — two more than they did in the past four games combined — and were the better team on third down.
Defensive back Latavious Brini’s fumble recovery in the second quarter proved to be the most important play in the game, as it swung momentum to the visitors’ sideline. The Razorbacks drove 34 yards in 99 seconds to take the lead, which they did not surrender.
“That was a big turning point in the game, because let's face the facts, we hadn't been able to stop them,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said after the game.
To that point, the Cougars were 2-4 on third down, and both conversions eventually gave way to touchdowns. The play before the fumble, officials determined BYU quarterback Jaren Hall had reached the line to gain on third-and-12, but replay showed he was short. Had they gone 3-5 or not botched the snap on the next play, Arkansas probably would not have enjoyed a lead at halftime.
Another critical step in the advantage was defensive back Hudson Clark’s first interception in two years on the next drive. The pick also marked the Hogs’ first of the season by someone other than Dwight McGlothern.
“It’s kind of a relief getting one for the first time since 2020,” Clark said. “I’ve had my hands on a few. Just coming down with it was big.”
Sixty-eight yards and 1:42 later, the Hogs led by 10 points.
While the Cougars’ third down conversion rate, 7-13, was still favorable, the Razorbacks’ 12-15 blew it out of the water. It was the fourth time in seven games that Arkansas prevailed in that department, and it was instrumental during the stretch of eight consecutive scoring drives.
“There's so many times that I'm going, ‘OK, (Kendal Briles), you've got two here,’” Pittman said. “‘Or if you don't get it, I'll punt or whatever.’ I try to tell him before the play what's going on, before he calls the third down play. By golly, they got it almost every time.”
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson thrived when the home fans cranked the noise to 11, completing 10 of 12 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps his most impressive play in a Razorback uniform came on third-and-11 near the end of the second quarter, when he managed to shake off at least three sacks and find a waiting Trey Knox to pick up 36 yards.
“I was just watching it just then and I was like, ‘I didn't know I broke that many tackles,’” Jefferson said. “But I mean, we knew it was third down. I knew it was third down, so I knew I had to make a play.”
Unsurprisingly, that drive ended with a touchdown, and yes, the down marker was set to three.
The Hogs began the second half 5-5 on third downs, and the only failure to convert came at the end of a 10-minute drive when the margin was 17 points. That drive came to be because of a third down stop followed by a fumble, which McGlothern forced and Clark recovered. It featured two third down conversions, took 16 plays and drained about 96% of the remaining time.
“That was pretty phenomenal,” Pittman said.
After a nightmarish three-game stretch that spilled into October, the Razorbacks can enter their bye week with a sense of relief. They are back over .500 on the year, and they got there by improving two of the things that were so detrimental during the losing skid.
Their opportunity to prove Saturday was not a fluke will come Oct. 29 in Auburn, Alabama, where they will take on the 3-4 Tigers.