Fourth-down call comes back to haunt Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE — If only Chad Morris had taught psychology instead of math.

Maybe then, the mathematical logic that Arkansas’ first-year head football coach and former high school math teacher invoked, and indeed added up, would have been scrapped for keeping the Razorbacks’ psyche toward aggressively winning a football game instead of fearing to lose it.

Peak leading the Colorado State Rams, 27-9, during Saturday night’s third quarter in Fort Collins, Colo., and up 27-17 at the quarter’s finish, Arkansas commenced the fourth quarter pondering fourth-and-inches at the 50.

CBS Sports Network analyst Aaron Taylor on the telecast immediately second-guessed Morris employing Arkansas’ punt team.

Taylor’s logic: Razorbacks running backs Devwah Whaley, Rakeem Boyd, Chase Hayden and T.J. Hammonds had run positive yards every play. They would finish that way.

Inches for a quarterback sneak seemed an easy reach for 6-foot-7, 256-pound Cole Kelley behind a dominating Arkansas line.

But what if the Rams stacked Arkansas short?

Better to punt CSU back nearly the length of the field instead of starting midfield, Morris reasoned.

It worked. First-time, first-team punter Reid Bauer punted the Rams back to their eight. A Rams penalty subtracted four to the four. Perfect, it appeared. Except the Arkansas defense holding CSU to three long firsthalf field goals couldn’t stop Rams quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels from completing passes to receivers Preston Williams and Olabisi Johnson. After a rare, and typically failed, CSU run (23 carries for 40 yards) Carta-Samuels threw incomplete on second and 10.

Still a first down. Cornerback Chevin Calloway was penalized for a hands to the face personal foul. CSU’s air show resurged. When Carta-Samuels and Williams connected for a 10-yard touchdown at 11:07 only down 2724, the Razorbacks unraveled, a panicky team more running scared than running to win. A consecutive false start penalty and dropped pass preceded Connor Limpert’s missed 48-yard field goal attempt.

Of their 299 rushing yards, the Razorbacks only netted eight in the fourth quarter.

CSU tied it, 27-27 on Bryan Watts’ fourth field goal at 5:08.

The Rams won, 34-27 on Izzy Matthews’ 1-yard touchdown with eight seconds left.

Morris constantly consults on the headset with up in the press box play-calling offensive coordinator Joe Craddock.

Ultimately the head coach decides on going for it or punting.

“Looking back on it, you almost wish I would have went for it on fourth down,” Morris was quoted postgame. “We were back and forth on the headsets. Because they were creating some momentum didn’t want to give them a short field.”

Do the math and it worked. But with the resilient Rams on a roll, their mind over math summed an upset.

So for now new coach Morris gets message boards fans equated with old coach Bret Bielema

Second halves lost cost Bielema’s Razorbacks games they appeared to have won, closing 2016 mired in meltdowns against Missouri and Virginia Tech.

At least Morris anguishes just a week instead of eight months before his next chance.