FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas Razorbacks arrived at the stadium at 9:00 a.m., just two hours before kickoff.
Traffic was held up and the crowd gathered to see the home team enter the stadium
Each player wore uniforms, most of them dark blue, as part of their preseason contract before Dillard.
Game faces were firmly in place. He doesn’t laugh. No smile. No horseplay.
It was almost time to go to work and the No. 16-ranked Razorbacks did not take South Carolina lightly.
Hog’s chip was in place, on their shoulders.
Their only real mistake in the first half was a penalty kick, but they kicked a 72-yard field goal.
In the second half, it was an injury that could have cost them the game, but they settled down and the game was not as close as the 44-30 score would suggest.
The Razorbacks scored three touchdown runs on their first three possessions, two by Raheem Sanders, and led 21-9. The only time they didn’t score in the first half was a 50-yard field goal.
It was clear the Gamecocks had to do something in the second half to stop Arkansas’ rushing attack, which had 126 of the Hogs’ 241 total yards.
They dropped all the seats on the Hogs and were able to stop on their first two possessions. But this day will not last.
Midway through the third quarter, South Carolina drove 88 yards, highlighted by a 63-yard touchdown pass, to cut the deficit to 21-16.
It made the loud crowd even louder, but the Hogs fired back and the Gamecocks took over at 19…but not for long.
Bumper Poole sacked Spencer Rattler for a 15-yard loss on third down.
Minutes later, Poole would have a moment of hog heaven.
Arkansas was called for possession against South Carolina and had 41 instead of the Gamecocks’ 48.
Sanders carried three straight times for 12 yards, then broke off a 46-yard run to the South Carolina 1. Flag. Holding, Arkansas
Undeterred, the Razorbacks abandoned their game plan and put together a two-pass touchdown drive.
South Carolina tried to pin something down, but Hudson Clarke fumbled, and after four straight Arkansas runs, KJ Jefferson hit Warren Thompson in the back of the end zone and the Gamecocks were caught flat-footed for a 35-16 lead.
The Rattlers were picked off in the end zone by Dwight McGlatter and the Hogs punted to the ground but went three and out.
On first down, Rattler passed for 64 yards and three plays later it was 35-24 with 6:25 to play. The desperate visitors tried to hit the edge.
Part of a team of good hands, the linebacker took the plunge and went full speed to the 9. Two plays later, AJ Green scored a touchdown, and the only thing missing from this workday was someone to turn off the lights.
For the day, Jefferson completed 18 of 21 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, but the Razorbacks never thought it would be Air Arkansas against Gamecocks.
From day one, the plan was run, run, run and then run some more.
The Razorbacks rushed 65 times for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns.
They took about 10 minutes of ball time which was a vital part of their game plan.
He should have improved from game one to two in every way except penalties.
That wasn’t Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn or LSU at Reynolds Razorback Stadium — and no one can shoot themselves in the foot against those teams.
