UP NEXT ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS VS. RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS

Adversity quells Hogs defense’s drive

Arkansas linebacker Alonzo Highsmith (right), shown tackling Alabama’s T.J.Yeldon during last Saturday’s 52-0 loss to the Crimson Tide, helped tear down a season schedule in the Razorbacks’ weight room, leaving only Saturday’s game against Rutgers.
Arkansas linebacker Alonzo Highsmith (right), shown tackling Alabama’s T.J.Yeldon during last Saturday’s 52-0 loss to the Crimson Tide, helped tear down a season schedule in the Razorbacks’ weight room, leaving only Saturday’s game against Rutgers.

— Arkansas’ defense got off to a promising start against No. 1 Alabama Saturday before collapsing under an avalanche of turnovers and special teams miscues that repeatedly gave the Crimson Tide a short field as they rolled to a 52-0 victory at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“I know early in this football game, we felt we had a good plan to stop the run, and it looked that way,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said. “But the bottom line is, we’ve got to keep them out of the end zone when things happen.

“Regardless of where they get the ball, we’ve got to keep them out of the end zone, and we didn’t do that, and that’s how it got out of hand.”

The Razorbacks held Alabama to 3 yards on three plays on the Tide’s first possession and forced a punt.

Alabama then got possession at the Arkansas 6 after a snap sailed over Razorbacks punter Dylan Breeding’s head, and the Tide scored on Eddie Lacy’s 6-yard touchdown run.

Arkansas’ defense forced another three-and-out, yielding 5 yards, and giving the Razorbacks and their fans some hope.

But Arkansas suffered five turnovers from there - two interceptions and three lost fumbles, including one on a kickoff return - and the Tide scored touchdowns after each takeaway on drives of 67, 3, 27, 80 and 28 yards.

Alabama’s average starting field position on 14 possessions was its 41.

“There’s nobody pointing any fingers,” Arkansas senior defensive tackle and team captain Alfred Davis said. “We played a bad football game. We lost. You’ve got to give the credit to Alabama because they played a great football game.

“We just didn’t execute on offense, defense or special teams.”

Alabama had 183 yards in total offense at halftime and led 24-0 before finishing with 436 yards.

“I think defensively they play with a lot of toughness and a lot of effort,” Tide Coach Nick Saban said of the Razorbacks. “I think they got worn down a little bit today.”

Haynes said it was disappointing when the defense suffered breakdowns in technique and fundamentals after playing well early.

“We’ve just got to make sure we continue to compete, we’ve got to make sure we’re doing the right things,” Haynes said. “That falls on me. I’ve got to get them playing right.”

Alabama rushed 45 times for 225 yards, a 5.0-yard average per attempt.

“It’s all gap control,” Haynes said. “We’ve got to make sure our guys understand that they’ve got to be in that gap, and if you’re not in that gap, then bad things happen.

“We’ve got to be more disciplined, try to keep it as simple as possible so we can do those things. We’ve just got to do it for however many times we’re out there.”

Missed tackles, a point of emphasis in practice, again were a problem for the Razorbacks.

“It’s just the same thing, making sure guys wrap up,” Haynes said. “We’ve got to keep pounding it and pounding it until they get it, trust that this is the way to do it. It’s not going to work when you don’t wrap up ... It just comes down to, again, fundamentals and technique.”

Arkansas Coach John L. Smith said after the game he wasn’t sure what to say to the players.

“I’m kind of the same way, especially when you start off so good, you feel like you’ve got a good plan,” Haynes said. “It still comes down to just going out there and executing, and at times we did, and at times we didn’t.

“And with a good football team like Alabama, when you don’t execute, it’s going to hurt you.”

Haynes was asked about how coaches can keep the season from unraveling with the Razorbacks at 1-2 after being ranked No. 8 nationally prior to a 34-31 overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe.

“We go to work,” Haynes said. “You get back and you go to work and find out who’s all in and get going and put those guys out on the field.”

SATURDAY’S GAMES Auburn 31, La.-Monroe 28, OT Vanderbilt 58, Presbyterian 0 Alabama at Arkansas, (n) Texas A&M at SMU, (n) Florida at Tennessee, (n) Ala.-Birmingham at South Carolina, (n) Arizona State at Missouri, (n) Mississippi State at Troy, (n) W. Kentucky at Kentucky, (n) Florida Atlantic at Georgia, (n) Idaho at LSU, (n) Texas at Mississippi, (n)

Sports, Pages 13 on 09/17/2012

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