Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Arkansas Razorbacks look for their first SEC win today against Ole Miss.
Rebels, Hogs hit doldrums after ’15
OXFORD, Miss. — Two years ago at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Arkansas and Ole Miss staged one of the wildest college football games — highlighted by a play dubbed the “Henry Heave” — in recent memory.
The SEC West rivals meet again here today at 11 a.m. with far less fanfare. The Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) and the Rebels (3-4, 1-3) are at the bottom of the SEC West, battling to reach a .500 record with coaches on hot seats.
It has been a dizzying 24 months for these longtime rivals, who electrified college football on Nov. 7, 2015, with an offensive shootout capped by Coach Bret Bielema’s successful two-point conversion gamble in overtime.
The Razorbacks’ 53-52 victory is celebrated as one of the greatest games in University of Arkansas, Fayetteville history. It ranked No. 5 in polling last summer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s list of the 25 most memorable games during the Razorbacks’ 25-year run in the SEC.
The riveting finish is etched in the memory of Arkansas fans, punctuated by Hunter Henry’s lateral to Alex Collins for a 29-yard gain on fourth and 25 in overtime and Brandon Allen’s game-winning two-point conversion run, after he was grabbed by the face mask on a would-be game-winning sack by Marquis Haynes on the first twopoint try.
Arkansas was on the rise at the end of 2015. The Razorbacks won six of seven games to close the season 8-5, including a 45-23 Liberty Bowl romp over Kansas State, and their fortunes under Bielema seemed pointed firmly upward.
Today, both programs are in the doldrums.
Arkansas is the only SEC West team without a conference win after losing its past three games by a combined score of 141-51. The Razorbacks have not beaten a Power 5 opponent since a 58-42 victory at Mississippi State on Nov. 18.
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze resigned in July after an investigation of his phone records led to the revelation that he made calls to a female escort service.
Ole Miss also imposed a bowl ban on itself for 2017, along with other financial and recruiting penalties, based on its ongoing NCAA infractions case. The Rebels expect a resolution in that case in the next few months.
None of the six Arkansas players who touched the ball on the Henry Heave — center Frank Ragnow, the quarterback Allen, Henry, offensive tackle Dan Skipper, Collins and receiver Dominique Reed, who grabbed the ball after Collins’ intentional fumble — will play today. Ragnow is still on the roster, but he was lost last Saturday to a season-ending ankle injury, joining a long list of key Razorbacks who have gone down with injuries in 2017.
Senior quarterback Austin Allen practiced this week and is much closer to game condition after injuring his right shoulder Oct. 7, but freshman Cole Kelley is expected to make his third consecutive start at quarterback.
The Razorbacks will be aiming for their fourth consecutive victory in the series, which would be the team’s longest against any opponent since a nine-game winning streak against Mississippi State came to an end in 2008.
“I think each year has been its own entity, and for whatever reason, whatever’s happened happened,” Arkansas linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said. “There’s probably been times they should have won the ballgame and we’ve found a way, like the [2015 game]. This one will be no different. It’ll have it’s own ending and hopefully it’ll turn out good for us.”
Ole Miss contributed to its current state due to its ongoing NCAA infractions case before Freeze was summarily fired this summer for violating the personal conduct conditions of his contract.
Ole Miss’ injuries have not risen to the level of Arkansas’, though they are significant. Quarterback Shea Patterson, the SEC passing leader with 2,259 yards, was lost for the season last Saturday after tearing a knee ligament on a noncontact play.
Junior transfer Jordan Ta’amu is scheduled to start in his place.
The Razorbacks understand the heat has been turned up on Bielema, who will carry a 27-31 overall record and a 10-26 mark in the SEC into the game.
“We have great players on this team, and we have a good coaching staff,” Kelley said when asked last Saturday what he would say to Arkansas fans. “We have talent over here. They shouldn’t lose faith in us and we don’t lose faith in them. … They can’t just give up on us. We’re going to be all right in the future. We’ll be just fine.”
Senior cornerback Henre Toliver said the coaching staff and players have worked hard at staying positive through the tribulations the team has faced with injuries and mounting losses. He was asked what a victory would mean for the Hogs.
“It would be huge,” Toliver said. “We need a W, man. This
team, right now, we just can’t point fingers. Everybody has to do their job.”
A victory today would be hard-pressed to match the one from two years ago.
That finish seemed like an apt wrap for a game in which neither team led by more than seven points before reaching a 45-45 tie at the end of regulation.
“As far as my coaching career, that was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever been a part of,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos said. “When you’re on the winning side, they become one of the best experiences … That’s a great memory. To me, it was like the ultimate team win.”
Bielema was asked about his memory of the game Monday.
“Maybe when I’m retired and sit back I’ll think about those things,” Bielema said. “But it was just one of those moments.”
Bielema said the Razorbacks practice last-play scenarios where you have to keep the ball alive, but he also mentioned at the time that “divine intervention” played a role.
“You’ve got to keep the ball alive. You can’t go down,” Bielema said. “I can’t say we practiced Hunter throwing it over his head and it gets tipped by Dan Skipper into the hands of Alex Collins, who falls down and fumbles to Dominique Reed. I mean that would’ve been hard to simulate. But it was pretty neat how it happened.”
Matt Luke, the interim coach at Ole Miss after Freeze’s resignation, was the Rebels’ co-offensive coordinator for that game.
“I’ve tried to forget it,” Luke said. “It was a very hardfought game. They were able to move the ball on us. We had a good game offensively and it was just back and forth. It was fourth and 25 basically from us going to Atlanta.”
Arkansas’ upset victory over the No. 18 Rebels was a major bummer for Freeze and the Ole Miss faithful. The loss prevented Ole Miss from playing in its first SEC Championship Game. The Rebels had been on track to reach the title game in Atlanta after upsetting Alabama, but their loss sent the Crimson Tide to face Florida.
“We need a W, man. This team, right now, we just can’t point fingers. Everybody has to do their job.” — Arkansas senior cornerback Henre Toliver