FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino has prided his offense for being strong on third down, so it’s no surprise the Razorbacks’ performance in that area has been eating at him all season.
Game after game, the Razorbacks struggled to move the chains this season. Arkansas was converting 29 percent of the time on third down, which ranked at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference and was one of the worst performances in the nation.
Petrino didn’t have to face the problem after the 33-16 win against South Carolina, though. His offense finally was at its best in a critical game.
Arkansas (5-4, 2-4 SEC) beat the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4) thanks largely to its productivity on third down. The Hogs were a season-best 10-for-16 in the win. That included 8-for-10 in the second half.
“I thought that was the difference in the game and the difference in the long drives,” Petrino said. “In the first half, I was a little nervous because it didn’t seem like we had many possessions. (South Carolina) did a nice job of being patient. But in the second half, it was just the opposite. We did a good job of being patient: running the ball, getting to third-and-short, third-and-medium.”
Arkansas has spent much of the season trying to correct the problems that led to its struggles.
The Razorbacks stressed success on earlier downs to stay out of third-and-long situations. The offensive line had to improve in pass protection and quarterback Ryan Mallett on his accuracy.
Fixing the run game, which has been inconsistent in short-yardage situations most of the year, was emphasized, too. So was finding one of Arkansas’ best third-down weapons — tight end D.J. Wiliams.
Every area was much improved Saturday.
“That was huge,” said Williams, who had four of his seven catches on third down. “Everybody was talking about how we were one of the worst teams in the country converting on third down. It’s a big confidence booster when we get that third down.”
Arkansas had at least one third-down conversion on its four touchdown drives Saturday. It started with running back Broderick Green’s 39-yard reception on a third-and-7 screen pass in the first quarter. And it ended with Green’s 3-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal with 4:31 left in the game.
The Razorbacks seized control of a tight game because of their work on third down in the second half. Arkansas — which had thrived on being a quick-strike bunch most of the season — put together 11-, 7-, and 9-play touchdown drives.
The Hogs were 7-for-7 on third down (four run plays, three passes) on those three drives.
“The fourth quarter when we converted those third downs, we had third-and-9, third-and-6, third-and-3, where we ran it in for a touchdown,” Petrino said. “That’s how’d you like to play. Keep (South Carolina’s) offense on the sideline.”
Arkansas is hoping the success will continue when the Hogs play Troy on Saturday.
The Razorbacks still rank 100th in the nation in third-down conversions (33.3 percent), but know how important the improvement was in Saturday’s win.
“(Saturday) was probably our best day on third down conversions on the season and we needed it,” Mallett said. “The score reflected that.”
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