Hogs failing to get kick out of endings
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Late-game field goals have not been kind for the University of Arkansas.
One game after having a late, potential game-tying field goal blocked in a 2724 loss to LSU, the Razorbacks fell on Missouri’s 32-yard field goal on the final play of a 50-48 loss Saturday for the Battle Line Rivalry trophy.
Throw in Auburn’s ill-gained field goal in the waning seconds of a 30-28 decision on the Plains and a pattern emerges.
The Razorbacks (3-6) have improved in season one under coach Sam Pittman
to the point their record could be
6-3 heading into their season finale if they’d been on the good foot in the kicking game against three annual Southeastern Conference rivals.
Reverse those three decisions and Arkansas has the fifth-best record in the SEC, behind only top
10 teams Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia.
No. 1 is undisputed. Alabama
(9-0) has rebounded with a vengeance after falling behind national champion LSU in 2019.
The Tide are the only team left for the Razorbacks in the regular season with a Saturday matchup. Alabama throttled LSU 55-17 late
Saturday in Baton Rouge.
The Razorbacks will have a different look the rest of the way, with one team captain (running back Rakeem Boyd) opting out and two more — quarterback Feleipe Franks and linebacker Grant Morgan — sidelined by injuries in the last week that will leave them questionable for the Alabama game.
Still, there are bright spots. Redshirt freshman quarterback KJ Jefferson took the reins from Franks at Faurot Field and turned in a doozy of a start.
The 6-3, 236-pounder completed 18 of 33 passes for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown against the Tigers.
Jefferson was at the controls of the Kendal Briles’ offense that produced season highs of 566 total yards and 292 rushing yards. Improved offensive line play helped Jefferson and unleashed career days for Treylon Burks (206 receiving yards, 1 touchdown) and Trelon Smith (172 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns).
Jefferson was cool under pressure in leading the Razorbacks down the field in the last four minutes when they had to score a touchdown facing a 47-40 deficit. He threw a perfect strike to Mike Woods for a 14-yard score with 43 seconds remaining. Though his two-point conversion pass was not on the mark, it caromed kindly off a defender to Woods for the go-ahead points and a 48-47 Arkansas lead.
Franks dressed out and warmed up against the Tigers, but his rib injury would not allow him to take the field. The SEC Network cameras showed Franks encouraging and guiding Jefferson on the sidelines Saturday.
“I think it was big,” Pittman said. “I think KJ wanted to make Feleipe proud. I mean, I do. I think he wanted to say, ‘Hey look, I’ve learned from you. I can play as well.’
“I think he wanted to make him proud of him, and by golly, he had to have. He made me proud.”
Jefferson got most of the firstteam reps in practice last week and clearly impressed his teammates.
“KJ, man, he’s always been … an athlete,” Smith said. “KJ, I felt like he did an excellent job preparing for this moment, and when his opportunity came, he took full advantage of it. As you guys can see, he came out here today and he balled out.”
The defense for coordinator Barry Odom was a letdown in his return to Faurot Field after serving his alma mater for four seasons as head coach.
The Razorbacks allowed 653 total yards, the fourth most in school history, including 380 passing yards to Connor Bazelak, and 9 of 15 third-down conversions. The defense also accounted for nine accepted penalties for 85 yards.
“We’ve got to be more physical,” Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool said. “We’ve got to execute better. At the end of the day, it’s about who makes the least amount of mistakes, and today we made the most. It just kills me for a game to end like that, especially with the emotions of the two-point play and how well the offense played.”