It was tough to watch a Saturday afternoon slaughter with Arkansas getting crushed by No. 22 Notre Dame, 56-13, in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. There was not a lot to take away from the second half of the game with how little the Razorbacks did on both sides of the ball, but there were still a couple of good moments Hogs fans can enjoy from the first quarter and half of the second quarter.
Arkansas football vs. Notre Dame: 3 likes and dislikes
I liked the big man touchdown!
Arkansas was trailing, 14-3, with 11:19 remaining in the second quarter. The Razorbacks were facing 3rd & Goal at the one-yard line after failing the first two times to punch the ball into the end zone. Offensive lineman Shaq McRoy lined up in the fullback position and took the handoff from QB Taylen Green. McRoy was able to get the ball across the goal line for a “Big Man Touchdown” to cut the lead to four, 14-10.
It is always fun to see a big guy like 344-pound McRoy score a touchdown. At the time, this looked to be a momentum-boosting moment for the Hogs to get back into the game.
Big man TD 😤 pic.twitter.com/9IHWKZ6lO8
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 27, 2025
But there was one huge barrier that kept Arkansas from getting back into the game…
I disliked the defense.
The Arkansas defense is a continuing issue.
It is bad enough that the Hogs allowed 56 points on Saturday, but they also allowed a staggering 641 total yards. Notre Dame was 6 of 10 on third down and 2 of 3 on fourth down. There were no turnovers forced, and the Fighting Irish never punted the ball. All of Notre Dame’s drives either ended with eight touchdowns or two turnovers on downs. The last drive of the game was the Fighting Irish burning the last 5:19 of the contest to wrap it up.
There has been no improvement over the past three weeks. Arkansas has allowed an average of 43 points and an average of 535 yards over its last three games. Things need to change.
I liked that O’Mega Blake was still looking solid.
WR O’Mega Blake has continued to impress me. He did not have a huge day with six catches for 73 yards, but he led the team in receiving and is consistently making plays. He is just another weapon in the Razorback offense that is supplied with a good wideout room.
I disliked that we still have a turnover problem on offense.
With how good the offense has looked all season, turnovers are becoming the killer for the Razorbacks. It is even worse when the turnovers lead to points or decide a game, like they have done against Ole Miss and Memphis.
It was not looking too bright for the Hogs after allowing their fifth straight touchdown of the game to trail by 22, 35-13, with 35 seconds left in the first half. Arkansas tried to get some points before halftime to head into the locker room with some spark of hope. On the first play, Green fired a strike to WR Raylen Sharpe for 20 yards to the Razorback 45-yard line. Sharpe fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by the Fighting Irish defense with 24 seconds to go. QB CJ Carr completed a 10-yard pass to WR Jordan Faison and a 35-yard touchdown to RB Jadarian Price to put Notre Dame up, 42-13, going into the break.
This pretty much killed the rest of the game for Arkansas. The Razorbacks were unable to score at all in the second half after the knockout blow that sealed their fate early. This team has to start taking better care of the ball.
I liked how the Notre Dame fans were very nice.
All of my interactions with Notre Dame fans on Saturday were very good. They were a very respectful fanbase that was very hospitable. They are the coolest opposing fanbase I have interacted with. It feels like such a hard thing to come by in sports when everyone is passionate about their teams.
I disliked the last part of the first half and the rest of the game.
Arkansas was trailing by 15, 28-13, with 3:48 left in the first half after K Scott Starzyk kicked a 49-yard field goal. On the ensuing drive, Notre Dame torched the Razorback defense in over three minutes to push the lead to 22. The Hogs came back out on offense and turned over the ball on a fumble that led to another score for the Fighting Irish, as previously mentioned.
The final 3:48 of the first half paved the way for the rest of the game as Notre Dame scored two easy touchdowns, and Arkansas could not find anything working on offense. The final moments of the first half deflated the team as they could not find much hope. Only time will tell if things will change as the Razorbacks head into the bye week.
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