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The Arkansas Razorbacks are 1-0. That’s about all we really know about the Hogs after their runaway 70-0 victory over the UAPB Golden Lions. The stats were impressive, but it’s hard to know what it means when compiled against such an inferior opponent.
The competition escalates greatly on Sept. 7 when the Razorbacks travel to Stillwater to face Mike Gundy’s No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys in an early course-setting contest for both programs.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman was business-like early in his post-game press conference before becoming more congratulatory to his players as he went along. We have to tackle better,” Pittman said. “I think we cleaned up the penalties in the second half. We had five in the first half… too many penalties on special teams. We have to get better at that. But it’s hard to shut someone out. I thought our [backups] played extremely hard.”
Arkansas had two touchdowns called back on a holding penalty on a touchdown pass from Taylen Green to Isaiah Sategna and a holding call on Sategna’s punt-return touchdown. But the Hogs rolled up 687 yards of total offense in Bobby Petrino’s first game back as the Hogs’ offensive coordinator, scoring touchdowns on all 10 of their possessions. Defensive coordinator Travis Williams’ squad shut out the Golden Lions, holding them to just 130 yards in the game that was shortened to 10-minute quarters in the second half.
Arkansas’ sore spot a season ago was the running game, but the Razorbacks dominated the line of scrimmage Thursday with 282 yards rushing.
“It speaks volumes to the O-line and the communication that they have,” quarterback Taylen Green said of his offensive front. “There’s a lot that goes into it. There’s a lot of preparation, and praise goes to the O-line and how they handled it and the communication that they had. And praise to the running backs, because it’s different footwork and different looks and different schemes. I mean, just having them, it’s a luxury.”
Photo: Courtesy, ArkansasRazorbacks.com
Play and Player of the Game
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green scrambled and rambled 36 yards for a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the first half to give the Razorbacks a 49-0 lead at the half.
“I knew it was the two-minute [drill], and at first I was going to throw it away, but then I decided to run,” Green said. “Of course the clock keeps rolling if I get tackled, so I was like, ‘I better score.’ I crossed the field and saw the green grass and, you know, let my speed do the rest.”
Green completed 16 of 23 passes for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns to receiver Tyrone Broden and tight end Ty Washington. Green also rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns in his outstanding debut as the Razorbacks’ signal caller.
Quotes of the Game
Arkansas: “The O-line did great tonight. I had 100 [yards] in the first half. Couldn’t ask for nothing better. — Arkansas running back Ja’Quinden Johnson
Pine Bluff: “I’m disappointed, but I’ll say this: They scored 70, but they [aren’t] going to take any of those 70 into the SEC.” — Golden Lions coach Alonzo Hampton
Defensive Player of the Game
Junior defensive end Nico Davillier played like a wrecking ball all night with his defensive line teammates, who dominated the game, holding Pine Bluff to just 7 yards rushing and 123 yards passing. Davillier had five tackles, two solos and 1 in the backfield.
Offensive Player of the Game
Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson set the tone for the game with his violent, hard-nosed running style, gashing Pine Bluff for 101 yards and two touchdowns on just 8 carries. The rushing dominance by the Razorbacks was good to see. The Hogs were ineffective running the football last year. The Razorbacks had more yards rushing at halftime than they compiled in 10 of their 12 games last season with 215 yards on 19 carries.
Stats of the Game
The Hogs had 10 possessions in the football game and scored touchdowns on all 10 of them. According to ESPN, no team has accomplished that feat in the last 20 years.
It was the most lopsided victory in program history since 1928 when the Razorbacks upended Texas Southwestern, 73-0. The Hogs accomplished that with quarters shortened from 15 to 10 minutes in the second half.
Neither starting quarterback Taylen Green, a transfer from Boise State, nor starting running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, a transfer from Utah, played in the second half.
The Razorbacks compiled all that offense without the benefit of any turnovers, but the Hogs held Pine Bluff to just ten first downs, most after the score was already out of hand.
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