Like it is: Shaky Hogs survive, and that's what matters

FAYETTEVILLE -- It almost wasn't a good day to be in Fayetteville, or for that matter, driving to arrive here.

The morning started with the aftershock of an Oklahoma earthquake, then a wreck in the tunnel on I-49 between Alma and Fayetteville gridlocked fans for hours who were headed to the season opener for their Arkansas Razorbacks.

Many of the faithful U-turned and crept their way up the old Scenic Highway 71, which is still old and not scenic when you are running two hours behind schedule.

The biggest shock of all seemed to be rumbling when Louisiana Tech took a 20-14 lead late in the third quarter, and the Razorbacks offense was struggling.

Tech missed a chance at a third field goal, which bounced off the goalpost with 14:14 left in the game, and that was like a wake-up call for the Hogs.

They put their knuckles on the ground and did what they do best -- run the football.

The linemen held their blocks and opened holes, Rawleigh Williams struck for 7, 13, 10 and 7 yards to the Louisiana Tech 40, and suddenly the blitz-happy Bulldogs were on their heels and crowding the box.

Another run yielded nothing but set up a flip pass for 5 yards to Drew Morgan for a first down. A play later on second and 13, Austin Allen escaped a blitz and hit Keon Hatcher in the flat 7 yards from the line of scrimmage, but the senior kept his balance and added 11 more yards. After three more runs, Hatcher pulled the same improbable move and didn't go down for 13 yards, but the Hogs faced third and goal from the 7.

Enter tight end Jeremy Sprinkle, who spent most of the afternoon trying to keep the Bulldogs off of Allen as a blocker. The senior had one catch for 12 yards to that point but Allen looked his way twice in crunch time. First, Sprinkle caught a 3-yard pass. Then, on a day when the Razorbacks were magical on fourth down, converting three of three, Sprinkle caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 6:37 to play to put the Hogs ahead 21-20.

Tech came out firing, but Razorback cornerback Ryan Pulley turned what look like a completion into third and 10. That's when Jeremiah Ledbetter and Deatrich Wise sacked Tech quarterback J'Mar Smith so hard they be-helmeted him.

The Hogs took over at a short punt and ground the clock to less than two minutes but were staring at fourth and 1 on their own 37. They took a timeout and went for it, and Kody Walker's 3-yard run clinched the victory.

A day that started with a rumble ended with a humble victory, which is more than a lot of teams can say today, including No. 5 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma.

At Razorback Stadium, both teams had quarterbacks making their first collegiate starts, and the jitters were obvious.

Twice Allen thought he was across campus at Fayetteville High and trusted his arm too much, leading to two interceptions. Tech turned both into their only touchdowns of the afternoon.

If not for those two mistakes, people would be singing Allen's praises. Overall, he played well, completing 20 of 29 passes for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was sacked four times, and Tech came so hard on those he was a sitting target.

Smith had a very good game for the visitors, but the overall lack of a running attack hurt the upset-minded Bulldogs.

Because Allen was sacked and lost a total of 26 yards, the Hogs ran for only 106 yards. Williams -- who was carted off the field a year ago not knowing whether he would ever play again -- rushed for 96 yards, proving he was an every-down back with his 24 carries.

On a day when Fayetteville shook, traffic stopped and the Razorbacks struggled, it ended with the only thing anyone will remember: a victory and no one shaking their head saying, "Holy Toledo."

Sports on 09/04/2016