Like It Is

Arkansas pound-for-pound best in Lubbock

Arkansas running back Alex Collins (far right) celebrates after an 84-yard touchdown run with teammates Dan Skipper (from left), Brandon Allen and Cody Hollister during the fourth quarter of a game at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday on Sept. 13, 2014.
Arkansas running back Alex Collins (far right) celebrates after an 84-yard touchdown run with teammates Dan Skipper (from left), Brandon Allen and Cody Hollister during the fourth quarter of a game at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday on Sept. 13, 2014.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Pound the ground.

Finally, Razorbacks Nation saw what Bret Bielema football is all about. Arkansas has run 137 times for 1,068 yards in three games, and 14 of its 20 touchdowns have been rushing touchdowns.

It's about lining up and slobber-knocking your opponent on every play and giving 100 percent to win more downs than you lose.

Saturday, against a small but scrappy Texas Tech team, Arkansas claimed enough west Texas yardage to build a nice-sized apartment complex, a convenience store with 12 gas pumps and a library.

When Arkansas opened the second half by driving 75 yards on 13 plays -- 12 on the ground -- to take 7:03 off the clock, it was the first time in more than two years it looked like the Razorbacks could win against an opponent that plays in one of the Big 5 conferences.

That touchdown showed how shell-shocked and perplexed the Red Raiders were by Arkansas' offense. On third and goal from the 5, Brandon Allen dropped back to pass, but the pocket collapsed and he scrambled left. Freshman receiver Jared Cornelius saw it and raced to the left sideline in the end zone, taking both defenders with him. Allen calmly cut against the grain and went into the end zone untouched.

It took a half for the Razorbacks to establish their game plan, but when they did, all the Red Raiders needed were bows because the Hogs wrapped up their going-away present in the third quarter when they dominated the line of scrimmage, time of possession and the game.

Before getting too excited, remember that Texas Tech had been lucky to survive Central Arkansas and Texas El-Paso in its first two games. Last year the Red Raiders were on the national radar after they ran out to a 7-0 record, only to lose their final five regular-season games.

Before playing Arkansas Saturday the Red Raiders had developed a reputation this season for committing penalties and giving up rushing yards. They actually cut down on penalties, committing 5 after 25 the first two games, but they were all costly.

The Red Raiders came into the game ranked 107th in rushing defense out of 124 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, allowing an average of 227.5 yards per game.

The Hogs probably knocked them into dead last on Saturday.

Arkansas had 438 yards of mostly bone-bruising yards on the ground and dominated time of possession, 40:39 to 19:21. Tech knew the questions but had no answers.

In the second half, the Hogs allowed the Red Raiders to keep the ball only 6:05 while possessing it 23:55 for themselves. That is how you spell domination.

In the second half, the Hogs executed 42 plays, and 40 of them were runs that accounted for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

Alex Collins ran 27 times for 228 yards, including an 84-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. He scored two touchdowns.

Jonathan Williams added 147 yards on 22 carries and got in the end zone four times to equal his touchdown total of last season.

To further illustrate how effective and dominating Arkansas' ground attack was, Allen led the team in yards per carry (9.0) by rushing 3 times for 27 yards and 1 touchdown.

All seven touchdowns were on the ground, and Arkansas' had five drives of at least 11 plays.

The Razorbacks had 32 first downs, with 24 of them on the ground.

As much as it was a feel-good day for Razorbacks fans, players and the staff, there is more work to do. But there is no doubt there has been improvement, not just from last year to this year but from the first game to the second game and the third.

The Hogs return home to take on Northern Illinois on Saturday, and the Huskies will spend every minute of every practice and film session working on stopping what the Razorbacks do.

It's all about pound the ground.

Sports on 09/14/2014

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