What now, Razorbacks?

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks have lost more games in the past 15 days than they did all of the 2011 season.

With 14 starters back from an 11-2 team, led by All-SEC quarterback Tyler Wilson, Arkansas is 1-3 after losing to Rutgers 35-26 on Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“Is it unbelievable? Not as you live it out,” Wilson said. “We just haven’t done things like we need to do.”

Wilson said he probably wouldn’t have believed anyone who told him after last season the Razorbacks would start 1-3.

But that was before Bobby Petrino was fired as coach, before a concussion caused Wilson to miss the second half of a 34-31 overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe in which Arkansas blew a 28-7 lead, and before Wilson remained sidelined in 52-0 loss to No. 1 Alabama.

Wilson started against Rutgers and completed 20 of 40 passes for 419 yards and 3 touchdowns with 2 interceptions, but all that offense wasn’t enough.

“We’re in the situation,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to analyze it and we’ve got to take it between the teeth, and then continue to go forward and improve on our mistakes. They’re not easy for anybody to watch.”

Wilson said he believes there is still time for the Razorbacks, whose next two games are on the road against Texas A&M and Auburn, to turn the season around.

“At this point, it’s about salvaging what we can salvage,” Wilson said.

Wilson, a fifth-year senior from Greenwood, chose to return to Arkansas for a second season as a starter rather than enter the NFL Draft.

“You only get so many games to play here,” he said. “This is my final go here at the University of Arkansas, and so every game I step on that field, I want to leave a little bit of me out there - a lot of me out there.

“I hope everybody can say at the end of this thing that he left everything he had.”

Wilson took every snap against Rutgers after missing the previous six quarters.

“I felt like I came in right where I left off as far as being in the game, because I’ve done it for so long,” he said. “There were some times I think I could’ve stuck in the pocket a little longer and done some things maybe I normally would have done . … But I felt like myself.”

Rutgers sacked Wilson just once - on his first snap - and in the fourth quarter he scrambled for 14 yards, sliding down on the play’s finish.

Wilson said that on the sack, Rutgers showed pressure from the boundary side to which Arkansas had slid its protection, but then he looked at the safety and the Scarlet Knights blitzed from the other side.

“That might have been knocking the rust off for me,” he said. “Everybody said once I get hit, maybe I’ll play a little bit better. So let’s get hit the first play of the game and move on from there.”

Cobi Hamilton caught 10 of Wilson’s passes for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. His receiving yards set SEC and Arkansas records.

“Tyler played great,” Hamilton said. “He’s a competitor, he wants to win so bad. That’s what helps me go out and do what I do.”

Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said Wilson played better as the game went on.

“I thought he battled his butt off,” Petrino said. “He’s our leader, and he gave us a chance to win.”

Wilson said the Razorbacks’ have to stay together and not be discouraged by their record.

“It hits you hard, no question,” he said. “But you’ve got to look in the mirror every day and say, ‘Did I give it everything I had? Yes.’ And you’ve got to continue to preach that to the team.

“I think our guys stuck together this past week. We could’ve just run for the hills and said, ‘Hey, Rutgers, come in here and play us.’ But we fought. That’s what I’m proud of, we gave it a fight.”

YEAR COACH THE LOSSES REC.

2012 John L. Smith La.-Monroe, Alabama, Rutgers TBD

2005 Houston Nutt Vanderbilt, Southern Cal, Alabama 4-7

2001 Houston Nutt Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia 7-5+

1996 Danny Ford SMU, Alabama, Florida 4-7

1994 Danny Ford South Carolina, Alabama, Memphis 4-7

1992 Crowe/Kines The Citadel, Alabama, Memphis 3-7-1

1958 Frank Broyles Baylor, Tulsa, TCU, Rice 4-6++

1953 Bowden Wyatt Oklahoma A&M, Baylor, Texas 3-7

+Arkansas played in the Cotton Bowl, losing to Oklahoma 10-3.

++ Arkansas started 0-4 in 1958, Broyles’ first season.

SOURCE University of Arkansas RESEARCH Jeff Halpern

Arkansas Razorbacks (1-3, 0-1)

DATE OPP. (TV) TIME/RESULT

Sept. 1 Jacksonville State W, 49-24

Sept. 8 La.-Monroe# L, 34-31 (OT)

Sept. 15 Alabama* (CBS) L, 52-0

Sept. 22 Rutgers (ESPNU) L, 35-26

Sept. 29 at Texas A&M* 11:21 a.m.

Oct. 6 at Auburn* TBA

Oct. 13 * TBA

DATE OPP. (TV) TIME/RESULT

Oct. 27 Mississippi*# TBA

Nov. 3 Tulsa TBA

Nov. 10 at South Carolina* TBA

Nov. 17 at Mississippi State* TBA

Nov. 23 LSU* (CBS) 1:30 p.m.

*SEC game #at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock

Tom Murphy’s ballot

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette writer Tom Murphy is a voter in the Associated Press college football top 25 poll. Here are his selections in the latest poll:

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. South Carolina
4. Georgia
5. LSU
6. Florida State
7. Kansas State
8. West Virginia
9. Stanford
10. Florida
11. USC
12. Texas
13. Notre Dame
14. Clemson
15. TCU
16. Oregon State
17. Nebraska
18. Oklahoma
19. Miss. St.
20. Ohio State
21. Baylor
22. Rutgers
23. Louisville
24. Cincinnati
25. La. Tech

FELL OUT Arizona, UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State

AP Top 25 poll

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 22, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

REC. PTS PVS

1. Alabama (59) 4-0 1,499 1
2. Oregon 4-0 1,414 3
3. LSU (1) 4-0 1,346 2
4. Florida St. 4-0 1,340 4
5. Georgia 4-0 1,245 5
6. South Carolina 4-0 1,147 7
7. Kansas St. 4-0 1,067 15
8. Stanford 3-0 1,055 9
9. West Virginia 3-0 1,045 8
10. Notre Dame 4-0 1,003 11
11. Florida 4-0 864 14
12. Texas 3-0 856 12
13. Southern Cal 3-1 801 13
14. Ohio St. 4-0 633 16
15. TCU 3-0 616 17
16. Oklahoma 2-1 611 6
17. Clemson 3-1 588 10
18. Oregon St. 2-0 451 NR
19. Louisville 4-0 414 20
20. Michigan St. 3-1 348 21
21. Mississippi St. 4-0 246 23
22. Nebraska 3-1 179 25
23. Rutgers 4-0 128 NR
24. Boise St. 2-1 114 24
25. Baylor 3-0 92 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES Northwestern 89, UCLA 79, Michigan 44, Ohio 40, Virginia Tech 26, Arizona 17, Iowa St. 16, Wisconsin 13, Oklahoma St. 12, Texas A&M 11, Cincinnati 10, Tennessee 10, Texas Tech 10, Arizona St. 8, Louisiana Tech 7, Purdue 5, Miami 1.

USA Today Top 25 poll

The USA Today Top 25 football coaches poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 22, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th, and previous ranking:

REC. PTS PVS

1. Alabama (57) 4-0 1,473 1
2. Oregon 4-0 1,371 3
3. LSU (1) 4-0 1,361 2
4. Florida St. (1) 4-0 1,306 4
5. Georgia 4-0 1,224 6
6. South Carolina 4-0 1,149 8
7. West Virginia 3-0 1,137 7
8. Kansas St. 4-0 1,000 13
9. Stanford 3-0 949 11
10. Texas 3-0 924 10
11. Notre Dame 4-0 836 15
12. Florida 4-0 817 14
13. USC 3-1 813 12
14. TCU 3-0 705 16
15. Oklahoma 2-1 699 5
16. Clemson 3-1 560 9
17. Louisville 4-0 493 18
18. Michigan St. 3-1 404 20
19. Mississippi St. 4-0 349 23
20. Nebraska 3-1 327 22
21. Oregon St. 2-0 220 NR
22. Oklahoma St. 2-1 154 25
23. Wisconsin 3-1 102 24
24. Baylor 3-0 101 NR
25. Rutgers 4-0 98 NR

25.) Virginia Tech 3-1 98 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES Northwestern 96; Boise St. 69; Michigan 57; Iowa St. 45; Cincinnati 42; UCLA 33; Texas A&M 31; La. Tech 28; Arizona St. 22; Texas Tech 17; Arizona 16; Ohio 13; Minnesota 11; Tennessee 6; W. Kentucky 5; La.-Monroe 4; Purdue 4; Miami (Fla.) 2; San Jose St. 2; Washington 2.