FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas knew blustery wind, rain and lightning would impact the playing conditions late Saturday, so the Razorbacks created their own kind of storm from the outset against Kentucky.

Freshman Jonathan Williams caught a 74-yard touchdown pass on Arkansas’ first snap, and the Razorbacks scored on their first six possessions and held a 49-7 lead when a second lengthy delay for lightning and heavy rain ended the game late in the third quarter.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, after consulting with Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long and Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart, announced the game’s termination at 10:07 p.m. Arkansas officials said it was the first prematurely concluded game in school history.

“That was old times tonight,” said Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, who passed for a school record-tying five touchdowns and 372 yards. “I thought we finally showed our hand a little bit, what we’ve got in us.”

Arkansas scored on seven of its nine completed possessions, did not have a turnover for the first time this season and out gained the Wildcats 533 yards to 170 in total offense despite losing 20 minutes of playing time with the early conclusion.

“We were rolling on offense just like we should roll,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said.

The victory margin tied the second-largest in an SEC game for the Razorbacks, behind a 52-6 victory over Mississippi State in 2003. Kentucky has been outscored 152-38 in four league games.

“The whole outcome is what you’re disappointed in,” Kentucky Coach Joke Phillips said.

“We got a total beating down today,” Kentucky defensive coordinator Rick Minter said.

Arkansas (3-4, 2-2 SEC) won consecutive games for the first time this season and beat Kentucky (1-6, 0-4) in Fayetteville for the first time in three tries.

Wilson, who completed 23 of 31 passes, came out after his 18-yard touchdown pass to Julian Horton on the first series of the second half. He presented a game ball to Arkansas Coach John L. Smith in the locker room, saying it was the right thing to do.

Williams and tailback Dennis Johnson each scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, and Johnson added another score before halftime as the Razorbacks led 42-0 at the break.

Williams’ second touchdown came on a 77-yard catch and run in the second quarter and made him the first Arkansas freshman with two scores of at least 74 yards in the same game.

Arkansas, which has played three of its four conference games in extreme rain conditions, outscored Auburn and Kentucky 73-14 in winning two weeks in a row.

“They’ve grown by leaps and bounds the last two weeks,” Smith said. “It’s fun to watch.”

Kentucky had 88 yards at halftime and only took three snaps in Arkansas territory.

“This is one of the most embarrassing games I’ve been a part of,” Kentucky center Matt Smith said.

The Wildcats dodged a shutout on freshman quarterback Jalen Whitlow’s 61-yard touchdown pass on a sideline route to La’Rod King, who evaded a tackle attempt on the left edge and sprinted down the Kentucky sideline to score with 6:46 remaining in the third quarter.

By then, hard-core fans remained, as heavy rain continued to pelt the stadium. Moments later, referee David Smith announced the game’s second suspension because of lightning in the area. The game was interrupted by a delay of 1 hour, 5 minutes in the first quarter with Arkansas ahead 14-0.

In a battle between two SEC teams ravaged by injuries, the healthier Razorbacks looked sharp and in command from the opening kickoff. Wilson and the Arkansas offense exploited the decimated Kentucky secondary, which started three freshmen.

Whitlow guided the Wildcats to third-and-3 on the game’s opening series, but nobody accounted for safety Ross Rasner, who crashed into the quarterback for a 5-yard sack.

Williams released down the sideline from his left halfback slot, cut back toward the middle of the field after making the catch and broke two tackles while picking up blocks on his 74-yard catch.

Arkansas followed that up with an 11-play, 75-yard drive which featured Cobi Hamilton’s 14-yard catch on a third-and-10. Johnson got the ball on three consecutive plays from the 12, scoring basically untouched from the 3 with 6:12 left in the first quarter.

Johnson rushed for 82 yards on 12 carries.

“We took control and did what we had to do,” Johnson said.

Arkansas led 21-0 after another Johnson score when it took over at its 23 with four seconds left in the opening quarter. Williams went into motion from his left halfback slot, swung to the sideline, caught Wilson’s pass in stride, juked a defender and went 77 yards untouched for his second score. Williams had three receptions for 150 yards.

Game sketch

RECORDS Kentucky 1-6, 0-4 SEC;

Arkansas 3-4, 2-2 SEC STARS Tyler Wilson threw for an Arkansas record-tying five touchdowns and 372 yards. Jonathan Williams had scoring catches of 74 and 77 yards out of the backfield. Dennis Johnson scored a career-best three touchdowns, including two on the ground.

TURNING POINT Arkansas’ first snap set the tone for the game. Jonathan Williams cut across the field after his catch down the left sideline, dived for the end zone and scored on a 74-yard touchdown catch just 1:42 into the game.

KEY STATS Arkansas went 6 of 7 on third-down conversions in the first half and scored on 6 of 7 possessions while out gaining the Wildcats 444-88.

UP NEXT The Razorbacks have an open date Saturday before hosting Ole Miss on Oct. 27 in Little Rock.

Sports, Pages 21 on 10/14/2012