Another Dark Night

Knights turn out lights on defenseless Hogs

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (right) is brought down by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene in the fourth quarter of the Scarlet Knights’ 35-26 victory Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Wilson passed for 419 yards but threw two interceptions.
Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (right) is brought down by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene in the fourth quarter of the Scarlet Knights’ 35-26 victory Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Wilson passed for 419 yards but threw two interceptions.

Arkansas’ season of anguish took another bitter turn Saturday night in front of 72,543 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

On a night when senior wide receiver Cobi Hamilton smashed an SEC record with 303 receiving yards in Tyler Wilson’s return to the lineup, the Razorbacks (1-3) could not match Rutgers’ firepower in a 35-26 loss.

Arkansas, No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 after a season-opening victory against Jacksonville State, has lost three in a row, and has back-to-back road trips to Texas A&M and Auburn on the immediate schedule.

Rutgers improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2006 and became the only team in the nation to win three road games in the season’s first month by racking up a 525-yard performance. Arkansas’ defense produced no takeaways and no sacks for the second consecutive week.

“We are going to hang together and will fight, and I thought we did fight to the end,” said Arkansas Coach John L. Smith, whose difficult week coming off a 52-point loss to Alabama included attending his younger brother Bart’s funeral on Friday.

Arkansas fought back from a 28-13 fourth-quarter deficit with Wilson-to-Hamilton touchdown passes of 10 and 80 yards to pull within 28-26, but Rutgers responded with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Gary Nova to Mark Harrison two plays later.

“There were so many big plays in the game on both sides,” Rutgers Coach Kyle Flood said. “We were fortunate to make a couple more.”

Arkansas, sparked by Wilson’s return from a concussion that caused him to miss the second half against Louisiana-Monroe in Little Rock and all of the Alabama game, jumped to a 10-0 lead on a Zach Hocker field goal and Hamilton’s 57-yard slant pass touchdown strike with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.

But Rutgers outscored the Hogs 35-16 the rest of the way, seizing command with its previously unheralded passing game.

“It’s tough,” Wilson said. “It hits your heart, no question.”

Nova, a sophomore whose pass efficiency ranked No. 88 nationally entering the game, torched the Arkansas secondary without risk after the Razorbacks ganged up on tailback Jawan Jamison and the Rutgers run game early.

Nova completed 25 of 35 passes for 397 yards and 5 touchdowns while experiencing little pass-rush pressure. He completed scoring passes to four receivers.

Nova said he had no idea he’d engage in a shootout with Wilson, who completed 20 of 40 passes for 419 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“I wasn’t expecting that coming in,” Nova said. “That’s a quarterback’s dream, going back and forth like that. It’s funny how it worked out like that.”

Arkansas’ run of injuries continued as it lost tight end Chris Gragg to a lower-leg injury in the first quarter and had receiver Javontee Herndon knocked out for a long stretch after taking a hit on the sideline in the second-quarter.

Wilson passed for more than 400 yards for the second time at Arkansas, but he also threw two second-half interceptions that proved costly.

“Physically I feel pretty good,” Wilson said. “Deep down inside, not so good.”

Arkansas blew a couple of touchdown-scoring opportunities late in the third quarter, after Rutgers took a 21-10 lead. Freshman receiver Mekale McKay dropped what would have been a touchdown pass in the end zone, forcing the Hogs to settle for a Zach Hocker field goal.

On Arkansas next sequence, Wilson threw under pressure from the Rutgers 9 into the end zone and was intercepted by Logan Ryan with the Hogs trailing 28-13.

“If we convert like we need to convert in the red zone, we put 45 points on the board easy,” Wilson said.

“If we had just played better in the red zone we would have won the game,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Arkansas’ last-gasp hopes expired when Wilson’s throw caromed off falling receiver Demetrius Wilson and into the arms of Duron Harmon with 3:29 remaining.

A segment of Arkansas fans booed with about 6:20 remaining and Rutgers ahead 35-26, when Smith elected to punt, reasoning that the Hogs still had time to rally.

The move looked smart for a moment, when Dylan Breeding’s punt rolled out of bounds at the 1. But Jamison, who was bottled up most of the night, bounced off a wall of Razorbacks in the end zone and ran for 24 yards to get Rutgers out of danger. Jamison finished with 118 yards on 33 carries for his fifth consecutive 100-yard game.

The game’s first snap created an uh-oh moment as two Rutgers defenders charged unblocked toward Wilson, who was thrown for a 7-yard sack by Jamal Merrell and Steve Beauharnais. The Razorbacks overcame a third-and-13 when Wilson connected with Hamilton against double coverage for a 54-yard catch and run. The drive fizzled at the Rutgers 20, however, and Hocker kicked a 37-yard field goal.

The Razorbacks went for it on fourth-and-2 at the Rutgers 24 on their next possession, but the Scarlet Knights were ready for Knile Davis’ off-tackle run as Scott Vallone and Khaseem Greene stopped him for a 1-yard gain.

Wilson caught Rutgers in a heavy blitz on a seconddown snap late in the second quarter and Hamilton eluded diving cornerback Ryan on a slant for a 57-yard touchdown catch and a 10-0 Arkansas lead.

The Razorbacks gained 18 yards in the second quarter, however, as Rutgers locked down their short passing game.

Rutgers trailed 10-0 when it rolled the dice on a fourthand-2 from its 33 with a fake punt by Jeremy Deering, who converted with a 14-yard run. The trickery, plus a pass interference call on Rohan Gaines put the Knights into the red zone. They were forced into a field-goal try after Alonzo Highsmith threw Jamison for a 4-yard loss on third-and-1, but Arkansas’ Byran Jones was offside on the field goal, giving Rutgers new downs at the 10.

Nova hit Jamison down the right sideline on the next snap.

Nova got hot late in the half, going 5 for 5 on a 60-yard scoring drive on which the Scarlet Knights never faced third down. Brandon Coleman, a 6-6, 220-pounder, got behind freshman cornerback Will Hines for a 19-yard scoring pass as Rutgers took a 14-10 lead with 1:30 left in the half.

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