Like it is

WALLY HALL: Appetizer victory won't sate fans' cravings

FAYETTEVILLE -- It was a no-excuses game.

Thanks to the first and fourth quarters, the University of Arkansas didn't have to make any.

The Razorbacks scored 45 of their 55 points in those periods to beat Colorado State 55-34 on Saturday.

One boon for the Razorbacks was the play of Nick Starkel at quarterback. He was very solid. Certainly not perfect, but good enough to win.

He threw for three touchdowns, matching the entire offense's output in the first two games, and completed 20 of 35 passes for 305 yards.

And two true freshman receivers stood out.

Trey Knox had 6 catches for 90 yards, and Treylon Burks grabbed 4 passes for 92 yards.

Unfortunately the defense, which came into the game ranked 65th in yards allowed, hasn't found its Nick Starkel, although the unit came up with a couple of huge plays down the stretch.

With Arkansas leading 41-34 and no reason to believe that would be enough points, the Hogs' defense held the tiring Rams to set up a play to remember.

Starkel passed to Cheyenne O'Grady at the CSU 35, and he was immediately swarmed by five green jerseys. He fought for a yard, then another, and suddenly he ducked out of the mass of bodies and raced into the end zone for 62-yard touchdown for a 48-34 lead.

The fireworks were not over as the ball returned to the Rams.

Gabe Richardson sacked Patrick O'Brien for a 10-yard loss on second and 11. On the next down, O'Brien completed a short pass that turned into a fumble when Hayden Henry made contact. Redshirt freshman Ladarrius Bishop scooped it up at the 25 and sprinted into the end zone to set the final score.

The Hogs came out playing like their hair was on fire, scoring 24 points in the first quarter. Then they moved from the left lane with the hammer down to the middle lane with the cruise control on.

Starkel's long passes to Knox and Burks turned into runs up the middle by Rakeem Boyd and Devwah Whaley. The running backs responded well, but the predictability allowed the Rams to jam the middle on third downs.

Boyd finished with 122 hard-fought yards and 2 touchdowns, and Whaley gained 81 yards on 9 carries with a touchdown.

The concern should be the 425 yards the defense allowed. The unit gave up too many big plays while allowing 220 rushing yards.

The defense was helped out by the heat and humidity that took its toll on the Rams in the final quarter.

Optimists are going to say a win is a win. There is no such thing as a bad win. No one apologizes for a win.

However, this wasn't a team from the SEC, let alone one from the SEC West.

Colorado State trailed 24-10 after the first quarter, but it tied the game 34-34 going into the final quarter. The Rams also were forced to use the backup quarterback O'Brien after starter Collin Hill was knocked out of the game midway through the third quarter.

Pessimists are going to say the Hogs were lucky, but most teams need luck. Even high-and-mighty Alabama has had to get lucky a few times.

A realist will say it was a definite improvement over the previous week and season.

The Razorbacks have equaled last year's total of two wins with nine games to go, but a win over Colorado State goes only so far.

The announced attendance was 55,583, but that definitely was not scanned tickets. And the Razorback Riviera, the $60 million addition of 3,000 seats, was less than a third full.

Fans are starving for wins, and Saturday counted, just not as much as one that will end the 12-game SEC losing streak.

Sports on 09/15/2019

Upcoming Events