Like It Is

Razorbacks' defense closes it out this time

Arkansas defensive end Tevin Beanum sacks Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs during the fourth quarter of a game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Arkansas defensive end Tevin Beanum sacks Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs during the fourth quarter of a game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Both teams came into the fourth quarter with something to prove.

A chance to wash away the memory of previous fourth-quarter losses.

An opportunity to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.

It was Arkansas' defense that made the difference, and the biggest play of the final quarter was when Tevin Beanum dropped Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs for a 6-yard loss on a second-and-5 play from the Arkansas 49.

Dobbs' next two passes were incomplete, and the Hogs came in to run out the clock and pick up an SEC victory on the road, something that had been missing from Bret Bielema's resume at Arkansas.

Twice the Razorbacks offense had a chance to make statements by taking an 11-point lead in the second half, and both times they came away with nothing.

The first time Arkansas was fueled by Hunter Henry, who made a catch down the sideline and somehow stayed in bounds before making a defender miss for a 51-yard completion. But the drive stalled, and the Hogs had a 22-yard field goal blocked.

The other time was when the Hogs lined up and rammed it down the Vols' throats. Brandon Allen threw just one pass on a drive that took Arkansas to the Tennessee 16 and ended up with a fourth-and-4 play from the 10. Adam McFain came out to try what should have been a chip shot, but Bielema rolled the bones.

Maybe he was making a statement to his defense, which allowed only two third-down conversions in the second half .

It was a fake field goal, but McFain managed only 3 yards, giving the Vols the ball on their own 7 with 8:32 to play. The Razorbacks' defense made a mountain out of every yard and stopped Tennessee cold.

Then the Hogs were stopped again. Tennessee started at its own 14 and had moved to the Hogs 49 when Beanum introduced himself to Dobbs in the most unfriendly way he could, by putting him on his back.

It was a game that started out reeking of disaster for the Razorbacks. Just 12 seconds into the game Tennessee was up 7-0 after returning the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

After the Hogs managed just 22 yards on seven plays, the Vols drove 89 yards in 11 plays to go ahead 14-0 with 8:06 left in the first quarter. Rocky Top was reverberating across the Smoky Mountains.

Drew Morgan and Brandon Allen did exactly what they had to do on the next possession. They answered.

On first down Allen ran play action -- something he does very well -- to perfection and found Morgan, who turned a good gain into a great one by making two defenders miss before being hauled down at the Vols 23.

Alex Collins got 11 yards and Morgan 8 on an end-around, setting up Collins' 4-yard touchdown run.

Tennessee shot itself in the foot a few times by missing a 35-yard field goal, losing a fumble at the Arkansas 9 and having a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown called back because of a block in the back.

The Hogs had already tied it at 14-14 by driving 80 yards in four plays, with newcomers Rawleigh Williams and Dominique Reed accounting for 77 yards.

The true freshman Williams had a 44-yard run and the junior-college transfer Reed turned a 12-yard completion into 33-yard touchdown and showed why the coaches were so excited about signing him as he sped by tacklers.

Each team added a field goal, with Arkansas' coming as time ran out in the first half after driving 60 yards in 1:27.

In the end the Hogs did just enough on offense on a night when Allen struggled passing.

Collins and Williams were work horses, each gaining more than a 100 yards rushing, and the defense did exactly what it needed to do to seal the deal and give their head coach a conference victory on the road.

Sports on 10/04/2015

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