Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

FAYETTEVILLE — It will still go down as a loss, the third in a row this season, and a black eye for a team from the powerful Southeastern Conference against a Big East foe. Plenty of stumbles, defensively and offensively, contributed to Arkansas’ 35-26 defeat at the hands of Rutgers on Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

But after a miserable second quarter — no first downs, 18 yards of offense, 14 points by the visitors — in which it appeared the entire team seemed to sag the way it had in a 52-0 drubbing at the hands of Alabama here last week, Arkansas may have found itself in the second half in fighting back from a 15-point deficit to trail 28-26 with 8:19 to play.

The inability to make a play at the most crucial of times reared its ugly head again just two plays later for the Hogs, and a chance to maybe turn around this disappointing start to a season quickly vanished.

But senior quarterback Tyler Wilson, who couldn’t play last Saturday against Alabama because of concussion yet took some of his teammates to task for a perceived lack of effort at times against the Crimson Tide, refused to see this loss as anything but progress over the past week for the Hogs.

That might be hard to accept for fans expecting Arkansas to return to the win column with Wilson back in the saddle for the Hogs. Even a UA record 303 receiving yards by senior Cobi Hamilton and 419 passing yards from Wilson could not overcome a 4-0 Rutgers team that burned Arkansas’ pass defense for 397 yards and five touchdowns.

However, if Arkansas had continued to play the way it performed in the second quarter, Rutgers might have laughed its away back to New Jersey.

“We battled,” Arkansas Coach John L. Smith said.

He thanked the Hog supporters — nearly every seat was filled by 72,543 fans on a spectacular evening — for sticking it out.

“The fans deserve better,” Smith said of the 1-3 start.

“Give Rutgers some credit,” he said. “We just have to make plays when they have to be made.”

Rutgers made two plays late that ended the Hogs’ frantic comeback from a 28-13 deficit. After Hamilton had finished an 80-yard touchdown catch and run to pull the Hogs to within 28-26 — Arkansas’ two-point try to tie never had a chance — Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova, who completed 25 of 35 passes, led Mark Harrison in stride perfectly and Harrison had a good step on little walk-on Kaelon Kelleybrew down the right sideline. Harrison broke away at the 30-yard line from the defender, maintained his balance, and finished a backbreaking 60-yard scoring play.

Still, Arkansas had plenty of time, even when Smith chose to punt the Scarlet Knights back to their 1 with 6:13 to play.