The date: October 1st; the setting: the materialization of a billion dollars. As the shouts of Aggie fans reverberate off the walls of the Dallas Cowboys Dome and eerily fill the vastness of space contained within the great building, the hearts of many Razorback fans sink. It's the Southwest Classic, and Texas A&M has just scored one of its 5 first-half touchdowns. Arkansas hangs around, but is playing dismal defense and faces an 18 point deficit at the half. Their last points were a field goal that followed two dropped balls in the end zone with 3:10 left in the half. The Aggies marched down field and scored another TD to extend the lead. The Razorback half of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium is quiet, and many think it's over.
(The field just before opening kick-off)
But not all have given up hope. It may be hard to believe, and maybe traveling to Arlington out of Fayetteville, or my brand new Razorbacks t-shirt had something to do with it, but I wasn't worried for a minute. It wasn't just the excitement in the air that made me so confident - it was something much more concrete: a 17 point halftime lead blown by the Aggies at home just a week ago. The Oklahoma State Cowboys overcame the deficit in College Station with their high-flying passing attack, and the all-star squad of Arkansas receivers was in position to do the same. In order to win the game, it was pretty simple what the Razorbacks had to do: play perfectly in the second half. And that's exactly what they did.
(A&M fans eager for their defense to hold Arkansas to 3 and out on the first possession of the game)
Before I get into details, first let me pay my due respects to the wonder that is the Cowboys Stadium. Upon entry I felt like a farm boy entering the city for the first time. I took four escalators to my seat. The temperature was high outside, but perfect in the dome. The screen, oh, the screen! The gigantic screen that hangs down in the middle of the dome was crystal clear high definition on every inch of its glorious 60 yards. But even from the top where we were sitting I could see everything going on the field and spot Wilson's open receivers just as he did.
And spot open receivers he did indeed. Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson played one of the most fundamentally sound and impressive games I have ever seen from a quarterback. He finished the day smashing Ryan Mallet's single game passing yard record at 510. Admittedly Arkansas could not move the ball on the ground to save their lives until their very last drive of the game, but 510 yards is still impressive even if the run is abandoned entirely. Wilson looked poised as he hit receiver after receiver. He shook off the negative momentum of a few dropped balls and kept firing away. But the most impressive aspect of his game was his football intelligence. He had zero turnovers and only one close call. When under pressure he threw the ball away, never forcing a single pass. He got out of bounds or slid down when a sack was inevitable. Wilson led his team valiantly, easily fulfilling his role required for a victory.
(Wilson ready for the snap)
It would take more than excellent quarterback play for the Razorbacks to earn a win, however. The number one area of improvement that I'm sure Bobby Petrino was talking about at the half was defense. Arkansas' defense looked terrible in the first half. A&M running backs Gray and Michael made them look silly, turning what should have been 1 to 2 yard runs into first downs time and again. Though Arkansas doesn't fit the usual SEC mold of tough defense and, well, slightly weaker offense, they were letting their conference mates down. But the Razorback D improved in every way, tackling better and moving faster to the ball, holding A&M to only a field goal in the second half.
(Arkansas band at halftime)
But before A&M's last score of the game came in the 4th quarter, Wilson led his team to tie the game at 35. The defense came up big time and again to get the ball in his hands, and he slowly chipped away at the 18 point lead. The scoring started off with a field goal to make it 20 35, then one of Wilson's 3 TD passes to make it 27 35. When the defense got another stop and Wilson took the field, the momentum had more than completely shifted to the Razorbacks. None in the stadium had any doubts that Arkansas would score again. And score they did, but in quite an unconventional way. Receiver Cobi Hamilton fumbled as he was hit from behind on the A&M 5 yard line, and fellow receiver Wright jumped on the ball just as it rolled into the end zone. All of a sudden it was 33 35. The offense took the field to attempt the 2 point conversion.
The play that followed was one of the most brilliant coaching calls I have ever seen. It was obvious that Arkansas would pass, that's their bread and butter to begin with, and they were still sitting around 13 rushing yards for the day. The ball was snapped… and pure pocket passer Tyler Wilson charged ahead into the end zone. One half of the stadium roared with pleasure while the other fell silent. I certainly wasn't expecting this call, and neither was the Aggie defense. All game long Wilson would throw the ball away at any sign of pressure. When he had opportunities to run, he looked like a kid who didn't want to go to the dentist and didn’t dare even tiptoe over the line of scrimmage. He would slide to avoid even the slightest tackles. But all of sudden he put his pads down and charged forward as soon as the ball hit his hands. The game was tied.
The Arkansas D came up big one last time by holding the Aggies to their only points of the half to reclaim the lead 38 35 with 4:22 to play. And at no better time than when the Razorbacks needed to run down the clock and put up one last score, the running game got going. They capped off their first lead of the game with a 3 yard score by running back Green. The defense held A&M on 4th and 2 at midfield, and Wilson took the field in victory formation.
(Victory formation)
Arkansas had completed a nearly perfect second half to erase an 18 point deficit. They won despite the lopsided halftime score and giving up 112 penalty yards, including 5 personal fouls. The lack of discipline is disturbing, but the Razorbacks took care of the ball with 0 turnovers to A&M's 2. (One forced fumble, and a Tannehill interception that led to Arkansas' first score after A&M's 14 0 lead. The interception led to a 68 yard TD pass on 3rd and long, and both plays were some of the most exciting).
As I left that fantastic place, adrenaline still running through my veins, voice hoarse from shouting, the only echoes heard were the calls of "Woo Pig Sooie!" Texas A&M, welcome to the SEC.
(All photos taken by Z. Lynn)
(All photos taken by Z. Lynn)
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