Hogs' Body Blows too Much for South Carolina
FAYETTEVILLE - In boxing, while big swings make for highlights, it's the ability to work the body along with extreme conditioning that wins fights.
In the case of the Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday, there was plenty of both.
The Hogs ran for 300 yards, although the unnecessary kneel down forced by the refs at the end brought the final total just below the 300 Arkansas had at the time, and dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
The Razorbacks raced out to a 21-3 lead, scoring with ease while chewing up clock. When South Carolina did attempt to make a game of it, any momentum that went the Gamecocks way was usually aided by personal foul penalties and poor tackling.
While the game was never truly in doubt, the Razorback defense definitely struggled with focus after the game felt out of reach. It was a mental lapse that nearly let South Carolina back in the game.
Arkansas now prepares for an explosive Bobby Petrino led Missouri State team that will test a Razorback secondary that looked improved against a less threatening Gamecocks team, but that still has much work to do.
It's been a long time since Arkansas fans have seemed this unenthusiastic about any game, much less a conference game.
FAYETTEVILLE - It's been a long time since Arkansas fans have seemed this unenthusiastic about any game, much less a conference game.
Internet traffic and general social media indicate this game rates somewhere between San Jose State and The Citadel as far being pumped about the other team.
With relatively nice weather in Northwest Arkansas for this time of the year, it might feel more like a company picnic than a typical SEC game.
These two teams used to square off yearly, which should have made for an interesting rivalry. However, best fans can remember, this was a pairing Arkansas dominated with relative ease.
The Hogs won three of their first four SEC match-ups against the Gamecocks, then won 5-of-6 from 1998-2003 under Houston Nutt and 5-of-6 from 2006-2011 under a combination of Nutt and Bobby Petrino.
The two teams have only squared off three times since, all loses under a combination of John L. Smith and Bret Bielema as the football program began its descent into oblivion.
Perhaps part of the lack of enthusiasm stems from South Carolina living a relatively quiet existence in the far reaches of the SEC East. With Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and Georgia making so much noise, it's hard for fans to take notice of a program it rarely sees.
The only big name player Shane Beamer's team brings into the game today is Spencer Rattler. He spent most of his time being buried in 11 a.m. games against the likes of Iowa State, Kansas and Texas while at Oklahoma before fans turned on him and booed him all the way to South Carolina.
Not exactly the description of a star player who puts fans on edge or gets their blood boiling. However, as our live blog reaches the second quarter, that may change.
FIRST QUARTER
1Q 0-0
College Game Day Picks
Just prior to kickoff, the entire College Game Day crew picked Arkansas over South Carolina, citing the advantage at quarterback with KJ Jefferson and also an edge on both sides of the trenches.
Andy Hodges: Pregames notes from the stadium
Spencer Rattler gets 8 yards on first play of the game as pressure breaks down.
Rattler to Brooks for 18 yards puts Gamecocks in Razorback territory.
Chris Paul sacks Rattler after Hogs get pressure along line of scrimmage. Brings up 3rd & 4.
Officials order chain gang to adjust marking to make it 3rd & 2, which has Sam Pittman hot. So are the fans.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the field at Razorback Stadium before his team played the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)
The boos win out. Chains moved back to their original location.
Hogs able to get pressure again on Rattler. Flag thrown for hand to the face applied to Zach Williams. Razorbacks decline the penalty to make it 4th & 19.
Rattler gets pressured up the middle, buys time and hits a receiver, but the footsteps of Bumper Pool were too loud and the pass was dropped.
Linebacker Bumper Pool on the field at Razorback Stadium before playing the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)
BIG PLAY ALERT:
1Q 12:25
South Carolina punt is shanked and goes out of bounds. Hogs take over at their own 37-yard line.
Rocket Sanders bursts through off tackle for a first down and then Jefferson finds Sanders all alone in the flat for a 17-yard gain to push Arkansas to the South Carolina 36.
Arkansas Razorbacks running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders runs through a tackle by South Carolina's Terrell Dawkins on Saturday at Razorback Stadium. (Michael Morrison / allHOGS Images)
Sanders keeps finding holes and pushing the Hogs forward. Quick burst off right tackles on 3rd &5 to get first down and then has violent run on following play where he shoves guys off him and runs through others for a 13-yard run to set up first down at the South Carolina 12.
Jefferson pass to Jadon Haselwood sets up 3rd and 3. Hogs go with end around to Halselwood, but he doesn't turn it up and drive, legitimately coming up two inches short of the first down.
Pittman doesn't hesitate. Hogs will go for it.
Jefferson punches it through, but the referees blew the whistle as the ball was snapped. This set the fans off as they have lost it on the officials.
Big Play Alert
Jefferson gets second push to get yardage needed on 4th down at the Gamecocks 2-yard line. Rocket Sanders grabbed by leg from behind and dragged back at 1-inch line.
Scoring Play
Rocket Sanders gets that final inch to put Razorbacks up 7-0. The Hogs went 63 yards on 13 plays, eating up nearly six minutes of clock.
Arkansas 7, South Carolina 0, (1Q, 6:42)
Arkansas recovers after being beat on deep ball by Rattler to knock it away, but Cameron Ball gets 15-yard penalty for hands to the face to move Gamecocks to the 40.
Big Play Alert
Rattler hits Marshawn Lloyd on screen underneath the coverage over the middle. Lloyd then hits the jets and breaks several tackles for 43 yards to the Arkansas 15.
Tackling issue
Arkansas is missing a lot of tackles. It is now 3rd & 5 at the Arkansas 10. However, one guy who hasn't been missing tackles is Drew Sanders who has been brining the wood today. He delivers his second massive hit today while jarring a pass loose to force a field goal.
Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders sacks South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Gunner Rathbun / Arkansas Communications
Arkansas 7, South Carolina 3 (1Q, 3:32)
Arkansas offensive line is dominating as the Hogs are simply running up the middle over and over as they cross the Arkansas 40-yard line.
Warren Thompson is in the stat sheet as a catch along the right side gives Arkansas just enough yardage to allow Haselwood to get exactly enough yards to get the first down near midfield.
Rocket Sanders for 12 more yards keeps the chains moving and a Jefferson pass to the left sideline for Matt Landers tacks on 16 more yards to the South Carolina 14-yard line.
2nd Quarter
7-3
Big Play Alert
South Carolina inexplicably forgets Rocket Sanders is in the game and he runs untouched for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 14-3 with 14:28 left in the quarter. The drive was 12 plays on 75 yards that ate up over four minutes of clock.
Arkansas 14, South Carolina 3 (2Q, 14:28)
This is Drew Sanders's world and we're just living in it. Two big tackles, including a huge sack of Rattler and Pool knocks the ball away in coverage to make it 4th & 19 from deep in Arkansas territory.
(2Q, 13:06)
Arkansas gets good return on the punt, but it is negated by a facemask penalty. Hogs will take over at their own 39-yard line.
Hornsby Alert
Malik Hornsby gets the ball on the first two plays of this drive. His first carry goes for 7-yards around the right end, and then 9-yards around the left end.
Multiple times Arkansas used Hornsby as a decoy that worked to perfection, but when he touched the ball it generated strong gains.
(Gunnar Rathbun / Arkansas Communications)
4th Down
Jefferson tries to get a push on 3rd & 2, but comes up short. Hogs go for it on 4th and Jefferson gets just enough drive to give the Razorbacks a first down at the South Carolina 34-yard line.
Luck on Hogs' side
Jefferson gets wrapped up by two defenders but breaks free and throws a deep pass along the right sideline. The ball is picked off, but Darius Rush lands hard out of bounds for Jefferson's first incompletion of the game.
Jefferson is getting comfortable with Matt Landers. Jefferson for 12 to the sure-handed receiver down to the South Carolina 22. That sets up a big 14-yard run by AJ Green.
Hornsby lines up in the offset I with Rashaad Dubinion in a fullback. Hornsby serves as eye candy while Jefferson hands it off to Dubinion as he walks in for the touchdown.
Everyone is in on the action now as this looks easy. Drive took up almost five minues as the Hogs used 12 plays to go 61 yards.
Arkansas 21, South Carolina 3 (2Q, 8:13)
Defensive pressure again a problem for South Carolina. Hogs are in Rattlers face every time he throws.
For some reason Beamer refuses to go back to Lloyd who is the only Gamecock to show he can compete with the Hogs.
Dwight McGlothern gets hand around neck of South Carolina receiver on an uncatchable ball, but gets called for pass interference to keep Carolina's drive alive.
Gamecocks finally realize the running game is the only thing that will work today and is now moving. 1st and 10 at the Hogs 33 after a pair of big runs by McDowell and a scramble by Rattler that puts South Carolina near the Arkansas 25-yard line.
Big Play Alert
Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool wraps up Lloyd on 3rd & 2 and drags him down a yard short of the first down. However, Lloyd gets a head of steam and gains the yard for a fresh set of downs just outside the Arkansas 21 with 3:51 left in the half.
Hogs Hurting Themselves
South Carolina is moved back with a penalty and Arkansas gets good pressure on Rattler while making the tackle to keep the clock running. However, a hands to the face call on Landon Jackson that replay showed was hands to the jersey instead, keeps the drive alive for South Carolina.
Cursed Position?
Latavious Brini, who is filling in for the injured Jalen Catalon, is now down with a possible injury. Much like the defense against the dark arts position at Hogwarts in Harry Potter, it feels like someone has put a curse on the safety position at Arkansas.
Big Play Alert
Lloyd continues to prove he can run against Arkansas with a 7-yard touchdown run off right tackle. However, the Gamecocks try to get cute on the extra point an end up with a bad snap that causes Mitch Jeter's extra point to go wide right.
Arkansas 21, South Carolina 9 (2Q, 2:56)
Arkansas gets big run on shovel pass to Sanders. Jefferson then tries to go deep to Matt Landers and draws the pass interference to get the driving going.
Jefferson then answers with a 9-yard run followed by one of the most powerful runs every by a quarterback as Jefferson drug players left and right while taking a hard shot to the helmet that is being reviewed for targeting. Review determines no targeting to set up a 1st down at the South Carolina 29-yard line.
Arkansas gets hit with holding an a solid run by Landers where he had to reverse field on a sweep. That give the Hogs 1st & 20 with only 1:30 left to finish the drive before the half.
However, the Gamecocks front line finally gets to Jefferson as he is sacked for an 8-yard loss that definitely takes the Hogs out of field goal range for now.
Jefferson should have been sacked again and almost Clint Stoernered on the play, but is able to flip a pass to Landers while falling to the ground to give the Hogs a chance to convert a 3rd down into good field goal range from the South Carolina 32.
Jefferson had a player open in the flat, but tries to force it into tight coverage to force a 50-yard long field goal. That was just enough to make things too difficult for Cam Little as the field goal attempt drifts wide right to give the Gamecocks a chance to score before the half.
Rattler scrambles and has a receiver wide open near the end zone, but overthrows him.
McGlothern made the play of the half with an open field tackle Lloyd on the screen that kept him inbounds to drain the clock and keep South Carolina out of field goal range.
Halftime
21-9
Andy Hodges 1st half breakdown
THIRD QUARTER
ARKANSAS 21, SOUTH CAROLINA 9
Arkansas put up 241 yards of offense while holding South Carolina to nearly half that in a balanced effort in both the run game and passing game.
Arkansas comes out with the first possession and immediately returns to the run game that set the tone in the first half. The Gamecock defense is going to see Jefferson and Sanders in their sleep as Arkansas moves near mid-field.
Briles calls for a run from AJ Green on 2nd & 14 to push Arkansas into an obvious passing down.
South Carolina brought the house and Jefferson flipped the ball up along the sideline with pressure in his face. Landers was all alone and the ball was placed perfectly.
However, Jefferson's most trusted receiver simply dropped what would have been an easy touchdown after not adjusting well to the pass. Hogs will be forced to punt.
Rattler continues to miss wide open receivers and the Arkansas defense continues to befuddle the Gamecocks. South Carolina faces 3rd & 10 on their own 29 and have already had to burn a timeout.
Big Play Alert
On 3rd & 10 Juice Wells sprang free for 16 yards to give the Gamecocks hope to get back in the game near midfield. Drew Sanders strips the ball loose on the sack when he comes from behind and twists his body to knock it free.
A penalty immediately follows and now that it's 3rd & 17, the momentum has shifted dramatically as the crowd is all in.
Big Play Alert
Rattler finally hits a big pass as he finds Wells all alone over the middle for a 62-yard touchdown and now we're on upset alert here in Fayetteville.
Arkansas 21, South Carolina 16 (3Q, 8:51)
Rocket Sanders is literally carrying Arkansas on his back. He bursts through for a 47-yard run to put Arkansas well into South Carolina territory.
Sanders tacks on four more. However, with a 4th & 1, Briles opts to put the ball in the hands of Jefferson again and comes up two inches short.
The Hogs defense is putting extreme pressure again, but can't quite catch Rattler.
Third time's the charm! Pool zips around the right end and gets just enough of Rattler to force a South Carolina punt out of its own end zone.
Hogs take over near midfield with 5:12. Penalty on Arkansas pushes starting position back to the Arkansas 41.
Sanders opens the drive with three big runs that would have given the Razorbacks 1st & Goal at the 1-yard line, but a holding call brings it back.
Hogs run it seven straight times to push it to the Gamecocks' 34-yard line.
Jefferson then hits a pass to Ketron Jackson for seven yards, Jadon Haselwood for 9 yards, and then rips off a pair of runs to the 1-yard line.
Hogs unable to get the blocks needed as Sanders is dropped for a loss of a yard and a half. Pittman content to send his team into the fourth quarter with 3rd & Goal from roughly the 3-yard line.
Fourth Quarter
ARKANSAS 21, SOUTH CAROLINA 16
Big Play Alert:
Jefferson will not be denied again. He powers forward out of the shotgun into the end zone for a touchdown to give the Hogs a bit of breathing room.
Hogs used up over five minutes as they took 14 plays to go 59 yards.
Arkansas 28, South Carolina 16 (4Q, 14:55)
Drew Sanders forces another fumble, but Rattler recovers it for South Carolina. That could have been a game ender had Arkansas been able to jump on it.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Lloyd get sandwiched between Pool and Brini.
Brini's shoulder pounds into the ball, knocking the ball into the air where it is recovered by Hudson Clark. Hogs take over just shy of the South Carolina 40 with 14 minutes remaining.
Jefferson unsure about whether to pull the ball on the RPO and Sanders gathers himself and powers forward for a difficult three yards to get the first down.
Warren Thompson slips into the end zone all alone and Jefferson hits him for a 23-yard touchdown. Thompson took a big hit at the last second, but is able to get his foot down and hangs onto the ball as he falls out of bounds.
For those who have been impatient about the steady diet of running and RPO, this is the set-up Briles has been waiting to unleash. The momentum has swung all the way back to Arkansas.
Arkansas 35, South Carolina 16 (4Q, 12:09)
The Arkansas defense clearly smells blood in the water now. The Hogs are hunting Rattler on every play with immense pressure.
Unfortunately, Rattler finds Juice Wells for 39 yards on 3rd & 10 to dig out of a hole.
Rattler then throws a deep pass for the front pylon of the end zone. Kareem Johnson is called for pass interference.
It appears the only reason the penalty was called was because Johnson didn't turn his head at the last second. Rattler almost came up with another huge play that would have put the Gamecocks near the goal line, but the receiver couldn't get his foot down.
Big Play Alert:
We knew it was going to happen eventually. When Rattler starts feeling his oats he tends to get sloppy.
When Rattler tried to force a throw into tight coverage in the end zone, McGlothern stepped in front of the receiver and snatched the pass away for a momentum killing interception.
Arkansas takes over at the 20-yard line and immediately begins testing manhood as AJ Green powers his way for eight yards on what should have been a 3-yard gain at most.
Dubinion and Green, who have had highlight moments in their own right, are in with fresh legs in hopes of running this thing out. However, the offensive line is unable to hold its ground an Arkansas is forced into a 4th & 4 with just over seven minutes left to play.
Beamer takes a timeout to save clock, but also to discuss at attempt at a punt block. The Gamecocks get good pressure up the middle, but Max Fletcher gets it away and flips the field.
With Arkansas averaging roughly five minutes per drive, the Gamecocks will need to score quickly to have a shot at coming back.
Rattler goes to the Wells again. Hudson Clark has the open field tackle handles, but wells twists loose and kicks his way free for 64 yards to the Arkansas 12-yard line.
McDowell then runs through several missed tackles and is only stopped from scoring because his own teammate, Jalen Brooks, tackled him out of bounds.
McDowell then runs it down to within a few inches of the goal. The play is now under review to see if he got in.
If so, this will take a bit as time will need to be put back on the clock.
The review is overturned as McDowell's knee barely avoided the turf . South Carolina goes for two and makes it a game late.
Arkansas 35, South Carolina 24 (4Q, 6:25)
Big Play Alert
In another dramatic shift in momentum, Bumper Pool fields an onside kick like a shortstop in baseball and takes off. Doing his best to audition for a running back job, Pool sprinted into open field and then stiff-armed his way inside the 10-yard line.
In another possible game changing moment, Jefferson runs to the 2-yard line and for some reason stretches for the end zone. He steps out of bounds almost simultaneous to the ball starting to come out of his hand and appears to have narrowly grazed the top of the pylon.
If it's ruled the ball came loose before Jefferson's foot officially hit, Arkansas stands a good chance of losing the ball.
After review the ruling on the field stands. It was too close to call.
Arkansas runs a similar play with Hornsby as the running back that scored earlier, but this time it's Green who lines up at fullback and runs it in. Five touchdowns today by four Razorbacks in a game where Arkansas should finish with over 300 yards rushing.
Arkansas 42, South Carolina 24 (4Q, 6:00)
South Carolina takes over with no timeouts left.
Arkansas has done a good job of tackling players short of first downs in the middle of the field to keep the clock moving.
Clark narrowly misses an interception. The Hogs are popping the pads, but more personal fouls are keeping this game from being over.
Rattler makes Arkansas pay for the second chance by hitting Stogner at the 1-yard line to set up 1st & Goal.
Jaheim Bell is able to get across the goal line before fumbling.
Arkansas 42, South Carolina 30 (4Q, 3:23)
The onside kick goes to Bumper Pool again who had a chance to make another big run, but he instead opts to simply lay down this time and give the offense a chance to put the game away.
The Razorbacks are especially away of South Carolina's need to force a fumble as they are extra protective of the ball.
Dubinion's 2-yard run puts Arkansas over the 300-yard rushing mark today. If Sanders doesn't come back out, he will finish the day with 157 yards.
Arkansas has 4th & 6 and will milk as much clock as possible before what should be a punt that pins Beamer's team back deep barring a blocked punt.
In a confusing special teams move, the Gamecocks not only don't come after the punt, the returner calls for a fair catch with 20 yards of open field in front of him.
Spencer Rattler gets pressured in the end zone and tries to throw it away while in the end zone. The poorly thrown pass fluttered out of his hands and is almost picked off at the 5-yard line.
In what appears to be a bad call by an officiating crew that has struggled throughout the day, Rattler gets called for intentional grounding. Because he was in the end zone when it happened, a safety was called and South Carolina will now kick off from the 20.
Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30 (4Q, 1:33)
Rocket Sanders makes a huge mistake on special teams by touching an onside kick that hasn't gone 10 yards. Had he let it go, it would have gone out of bounds without going to full 10 yards or been illegally touched.
Instead, he drops it and South Carolina recovers.
After putting together a solid drive, Chris Paul, who has been in on Rattler multiple times, sacks Rattler. He then scoops up a Rattler fumble on the the next play officially put the game away.
Paul returned the fumble for a touchdown, but it appears his knee was down when he picked it up. With no time on the clock, the officials are reviewing to determine whether to allow the touchdown.
It was ruled Paul's knee was definitely down and Arkansas will need to return to the field to run off the final six seconds.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW HEADING INTO SOUTH CAROLINA; TIME TO GET PAST PETRINO'S AWKWARD EXIT
PITTMAN TOLD JEFFERSON IT WAS HIS LAST SHOT, HOW JEFFERSON RESPONDED
CAN HOGS RUN THROUGH AND AROUND REST OF THE SEC?
BAMA'S WEAKNESSES OPEN DOOR IN SEC WEST THIS YEAR
EXPECTATIONS FOR HOGS' BASKETBALL THROUGH THE ROOF
WHAT RAZORBACK FANS CAN LEARN THIS WEEKEND ABOUT NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
INJURIES MAKE SEC OPENER WITH GAMECOCKS TRICKY
RAZORBACKS MADE GOOD MOVE NOT REALLY CONSIDERING GOING TO BIG 12
WATCH-LISTEN TO RAZORBACKS-GAMECOCKS ON SATURDAY
SEC ROUNDUP: MIKE LEACH OFFERS MARRIAGE ADVICE, FISHER HINTS AT EXIT PLAN
WHO WILL MAKE THE CALL ON RB DOMINIQUE JOHNSON'S RETURN?
WATCH SAM PITTMAN'S PRESS CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
BIGGEST GAME FOR FANS IN RAZORBACKS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE WILL BE AT END OF SEASON
RAZORBACKS COACH DAVE VAN HORN PREVIEWS FALL PRACTICE STARTING
BEAMER'S TALES OF KJ JEFFERSON HARKEN BACK TO OLD SNL SKIT FEATURING WILL FERRELL, JOHN GOODMAN
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