Arkansas Mean Green with embarrassment
FAYETTEVILLE — Defeated. Plundered. Fooled. Most of all embarrassed.
All the above described the seven-point favored Arkansas Razorbacks
(1-2) Saturday routed, 44-17, by North Texas before 44,306 fans at their Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Arkansas, of the mighty Southeastern Conference trailed the Mean Green, of Conference USA, 34-10 at half.
Losing 34-27 as 14-point favorites the previous Saturday at Colorado State (1-3) in Fort Collins, Colo,. new coach Chad Morris’ Razorbacks stand are 0-2 against teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
After throwing six picks, one for a North Texas pick-six, they start an SEC murderer’s row with defending SEC West champion Auburn (2-1), in Auburn, Ala.; Texas A&M (1-1) at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and No. 1 reigning national champion Alabama (3-0) in Fayetteville the next three Saturdays.
Coach Seth Littrell’s Mean Green start 3-0, routing Arkansas like they routed SMU (0-3), Morris’ old team,
46-23; and lower division Incarnate Word (0-2), 58-16 the previous two Saturdays.
Arkansas ignominiously lost a 27-9 third quarter lead to Colorado State. No threat of that repeat Saturday in Fayetteville.
North Texas led every minute after scoring its first touchdown with 9:36 left in the first quarter. The visitors plundered Arkansas in the first half, mounting scoring drives off each of the three Cole Kelley passes that the Mean Green thieved for first-half interceptions.
The Razorbacks were fooled when it appeared North Texas punt returner Keegan Brewer called for a fair catch standing motionless upon fielding a punt at his 10-yard line. Grant Morgan, the nearest Razorback to Brewer, and Nate Dalton, the next nearest, presumed it, too. They pulled up, stopping in front of Brewer lest they be penalized for a late hit or interference.
But the officials noticed Brewer had not formally signaled for a fair catch. So when he suddenly ran by the startled Morgan and Dalton, they allowed him to keep right on running for a 90-yard touchdown.
A replay review confirmed Brewer did not signal for a fair catch, officials ruled.
By then, 6:49 of the first quarter, the Mean Green led, 14-0.
Defensive back Nate Brooks intercepted a Kelley pass at the Arkansas 44 at 11:26. Nine plays later,quarter-
back Mason fine rushed for a twoyard touchdown at 9:36.
Cole Hedlund, Arkansas’ placekicker for the starts of the past three seasons before beaten out and moving to North Texas as an immediately eligible graduate transfer, kicked the first of his three first-half PAT’s and also kicked 24- and 26-yard first-half field goals. The first followed Kelley throwing an interception. The last came with 10 seconds left in the half.
Loren Easly, three-yard run, and Rico Bussey, seven-yard pass, scored North Texas’ other firsthalf touchdowns.
Fine, the nation’s passing leader going into the game, completed 16 of 29 for 196 first-half yards without an interception.
Kelley quarterbacking the entire half, was 14 of 23 without a touchdown against his three picks, but he did amass 161 yards, while Arkansas’ rushing attack netted but 40 first-half yards.
With his 68-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds remaining, Razorbacks running Maleek Williams one one carry outrushed all other Arkansas ball carriers combined.
Kelley did account for Arkansas’ first-half touchdown on a five-yard run capping a 61-yard drive that included his 25-yard pass to freshman receiver Michael Woods.
Connor Limpert kicked a career long 54-yard field goal at 9:27 of the second quarter but missed wide right from 37 with 5:47 left before intermission. Limpert beat out Hedlund as a walk-on three games into 2017 and was put on scholarship this preseason.
Fine responded to the Limpert miss with a first-play 36 yard pass. It launched an 80-yard touchdown drive.
North Texas forced an Arkansas punt before tallying Hedlund’s field goal with 10 seconds left for the 34-10 halftime lead. Hedlund made it 37-10 with a 20-yard field goal at 9:26 of the third quarter after the Mean Green from the second-half kickoff launched a 14play, 72-yard drive.
Kelley threw his fourth interception off a third-quarter flea flicker after the Hedlund 20-yard field goal.
Splitting quarterback time the previous games with junior Ty Storey, who did not play Saturday, Kelley heard boos during his opening the third quarter as fans clamored for freshman Connor Noland, of Greenwood.
Morris eventually obliged. Noland heard cheers upon his entrance and roars with a 13-yard scramble on third-and-six.
However, the Mean Green indoctrinated the rookie with successive sacks and pressured him into a six-yard pass on thirdand-23 with no chance for a first down.
Arkansas defensive end Gabe Richardson stopped North Texas from a fourth-quarter scoring drive. Richardson recovered a Mean Green fumble at the Arkansas 8-yard line for the defense’s lone turnover.
Arkansas’ other true freshman quarterback, John Stephen Jones, quarterbacked after Noland and was deprived of a long run by a Razorbacks holding penalty.
Jones then threw an interception returned by the Mean Green’s Kemon Hall for a 24-yard yard touchdown at 7:42.
Under new NCAA rules, true freshmen like Noland and Jones can play up to four games and still retain their freshman eligibility as a redshirt the following season. Noland returned and threw a pick with 6:45 left to safety Khairi Muhammed.
Averaging 431 passing yards his previous two games, Fine could have padded his stats but Littrell pulled him by the fourth quarter after he completed 24 for 45 and 281 yards with a touchdown against no picks.
Aside from throwing six interceptions, the Hogs found their ground game run aground. Netting 299 yards rushing against Colorado State, Arkansas mounted a meager 56 yards rushing until Williams’ 68-yard touchdown with 53 seconds left after Arkansas had stopped North Texas on fourth-and-three.