Report Card: Florida 23, Arkansas 20

FLORIDA 23, ARKANSAS 20
REPORT CARD

OFFENSE: B+
HIGHLIGHTS: Even without key playmakers in the lineup because of injury, the Razorbacks were able to score more points on Florida than any team this season. Nobody had scored both a running and passing touchdown. Arkansas did. Dennis Johnson ran for 107 yards on 14 carries, while Broderick Green added 40 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries. Ryan Mallett wasn't as sharp as usual, but he did not throw an interception in tossing for 224 yards and1 touchdown. Few receivers in the SEC are playing as well as Greg Childs, who finished with 135 yards and 1 touchdown on 4 catches.
LOWLIGHTS: Arkansas moved the ball like nobody else has done against Florida. But the Razorbacks could have done so much more. Twice they had to settle for field goals, including one inside the red zone. Arkansas didn't convert on third down until the fourth quarter and finished 2 of 12. Greg Childs and London Crawford each had early drops that could have aided drives. That has to stop.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Scoring only seven points against Alabama last month was probably a fluke. This team can score even against good defenses. Should the Razorbacks continue to improve and get healthier on offense, they'll be putting up eye-popping numbers as the schedule begins to get more favorable.

DEFENSE: A-
HIGHLIGHTS: There were times against Florida the Arkansas defense made Tim Tebow look human. They sacked him six times for 45 yards in losses. Jake Bequette and D.D. Jones each finished with two sacks. Also, the Razorbacks secondary played well enough at times that Tebow simply ran out of time to throw because no receivers were open. That meant he either took a sack or had to throw the ball away. Florida's vaunted running game was stuffed and beyond Jeff Demps' 6.0 yards per carry, the Razorbacks gave up little on the ground. Linebacker Wendel Davis probably doesn't get enough credit because he's been so consistent. David finished with 6 tackles, including a sack. Arkansas forced five turnovers.
LOWLIGHTS: Once again an opponent managed to get a huge play off. Arkansas allowed a 77-yard touchdown pass to Deonte Thomas. It appeared that Ramon Broadway read the play wrong and Tramain Thomas couldn't get over to defend Broadyway's man in time. Beyond that, it's hard to find much fault in what Arkansas did.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Crazy as it sounds this defense might be good enough to win games for the Razorbacks now. Had the offense done its usual scoring frenzy and had special teams not had a predictable meltdown, Arkansas' defense played well enough to win. Willy Robinson seems to have figured out who goes where and how to rotate players effectively.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D
HIGHLIGHTS: Besides being a focal point of the offense on Saturday Dennis Johnson also did his usual thing at kick returner. Johnson was slightly below his average, but returned 5 kicks for 124 yards. Punter Dylan Breeding landed three of his punts inside the 20 and although he wasn't spectacular, he seems to have eliminated the single-digit-yard punts he was putting up earlier this year. Wide receiver Lucas Miller was active on coverage teams, finishing with a couple tackles. Arkansas was able to hold Florida return man Brandon James without a backbreaking return on punts or kickoffs. Twice Alex Tejada bailed the offense out with field goals, hitting from 22 and 31 yards.
LOWLIGHTS: Much of the blame for this loss will inevitably fall on kicker Alex Tejada. He didn't handle the pressure of the game being on his shoulders, missing two field goals late that would have been huge for the Razorbacks. He missed from 40 and 38 yards.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Guess the lack of special teams meltdowns was too good to be true. Arkansas has to completely eliminate mistakes on offense and defense so it does not have to win or lose games on special teams play.

OVERALL: A
WHAT WE LEARNED: This team has improved tremendously since the Alabama game, including attitude and on-field play. Opponents should be wary of the Razorbacks from this point forward. Is this team good enough to win out? It doesn't sound as crazy as it might have going into last week.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME
OFFENSE: Who else but Dennis Johnson? Johnson ran for 107 yards on 14 carries to help keep the offense moving. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry, including a 42 yarder against what was supposed to be the nation's most stingy defense. Oh, and by the way, he did all that while continuing his kick return duties.
DEFENSE: How about dual players of the game? Defensive linemen Jake Bequette and D.D. Jones helped the team rack up six sacks against Tim Tebow. Bequette and Jones had two sacks each and combined for eight tackles
SPECIAL TEAMS: Who else but Dennis Johnson? Johnson returned five kicks for 125 yards, including a long of 33 yards. Oh, and by the way, he did that while being the teams' primary running back and carrying 14 times for 107 yards.