Ugly defense sinks Razorbacks in clash with Ole Miss

Arkansas’ first loss of the season came in a heartbreaker on the road in Oxford, Ms., in a 41-35 shootout against Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night. The Rebels' offense proved to be much more than what the Razorback defense could handle, with the Hogs having to play catch-up the entire way.

Arkansas football vs Ole Miss: The good, bad, ugly

The Good

Arkansas found itself down, 7-0, with 7:14 left in the opening quarter. QB Taylen Green opened up the team’s second drive of the game with an 11-yard run to the Razorback 36-yard line. One play later, Green struck WR Jalen Brown for 15 yards for a first down to the Ole Miss 49. On 3rd & 10, Green scampered for a 10-yard gain to pick up a fresh set of downs.

RB Braylen Russell ran the ball three straight times for 15 yards to keep the sticks moving. A couple plays later, Arkansas was faced with a 3rd & 16 at the 30-yard line. Green stepped up and fired a touchdown pass to WR O’Mega Blake to tie the game with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

Arkansas’ offense was right back out on the field after Ole Miss retook the lead, 14-7, with 14:16 left in the second quarter. Green completed a seven-yard pass to Jalen Brown to begin the drive and broke off a 21-yard run to the Rebels’ 47-yard line. One player later, RB Mike Washington Jr. powered through with a 47-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game right back up. The drive only took 54 seconds.

The Hogs were right back on offense after Ole Miss scored another quick touchdown to retake the lead, 21-14, with 11:31 left in the first half. Green started out by dotting up TE Jaden Platt for 13 yards and ran for nine on the next play. After Washington picked up the first down on a six-yard run, Green connected with CJ Brown for 26 yards to the Ole Miss 47-yard line. Green ran for a 12-yard gain to set up a 1st & Goal at the nine. On 3rd & Goal at the eight-yard line, a defensive holding penalty on Ole Miss reset the downs for Arkansas at the four. Russell ran the ball for a yard and again for a three-yard score to tie the game for the third time, 21-21, with 7:01 left to play in the first half.

After yet another touchdown by the Rebels to take the lead back, the Razorbacks continued to power through on offense. On 2nd & 10 at the Arkansas 25-yard line, Washington came through with a big 35-yard reception to the Ole Miss 40. Green followed up with a 15-yard run to the 25. After the two-minute timeout, Green threw back-to-back incompletions but made up for it by bursting for a 20-yard run. He followed it up by running into the end zone for a five-yard touchdown to tie the game, 28-28, with 1:18 left in the first half.

After a field goal extended Ole Miss’ lead to 13 in the fourth quarter, 41-28, the Arkansas offense began to spark a rally with 10:58 remaining. Russell ran the ball for an eight-yard gain on 2nd & 9 to the Razorbacks' 34-yard line and ran for another two yards to pick up the first down. One play later, Green picked up a first down on a four-yard run, and 15 yards were added onto the play after Ole Miss was flagged for hands to the face. Green slung an 18-yard completion to WR Raylen Sharpe to put the Hogs on the 20-yard line. After Russell gained eight yards on two running plays, Washington picked up the first down on a three-yard run to the nine. Green connected with Platt for six yards, and Washington capped off the drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown to pull the Razorbacks within six, 41-35, with 4:56 left in the game.

The Bad

Arkansas elected to receive to begin the game. Green set a fire with a 34-yard pass to Platt to get to the Ole Miss 41-yard line to begin the drive. The drive was slowed down quickly with a two-yard run by Washington, an incomplete pass, and a six-yard reception by WR O’Mega Blake to set up 4th & 2 on the 33-yard line. The Razorbacks decided to kick a 51-yard field goal instead of going for it. Scott Starzyk’s kick had the distance, but it was a little off to the left, letting Ole Miss set up shop on offense.

The Rebels went right back to work when Arkansas tied the game again, 28-28, with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter. Ole Miss picked up a first down to its own 35-yard line on two plays. One play later, Chambliss completed a 15-yard pass to Wallace at the 50 and a 13-yard pass to Diggs at the Arkansas 37. DB Miguel Mitchell picked up a two-yard sack to momentarily make the Ole Miss offense stumble, but Chambliss fired a 21-yard pass to Alexander at the 18.

The Ugly

After Starzyk missed his 51-yard field goal attempt, Ole Miss was on the move with backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at the Rebels’ 33-yard line. Chambliss ran for a five- and four-yard gain to begin the drive, with RB Kewan Lacy following with a five-yard run to pick up the first down. Chambliss then connected with Lacy for a 13-yard pass and hit WR Cayden Lee for nine yards to the Arkansas 31-yard line.

Ole Miss found its way to the Arkansas 10-yard line but was facing 4th & 1. Chambliss rolled to the right on a play-action pass to WR Harrison Wallace III. The pass was incomplete, but Razorback DB Kani Walker was flagged for pass interference that moved the ball to the two-yard line. Lacy ran up the middle for a touchdown to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead with 7:14 left in the opening quarter.

After Arkansas’ response to tie the game, Ole Miss closed out the quarter with a huge 62-yard reception by Lee to put the Rebels at the Razorback 13-yard line. After a two-yard run by Chambliss and a nine-yard reception by Wallace, Chambliss ran the ball in for a two-yard score to put Ole Miss back on top, 14-7, with 14:16 left in the second quarter. The drive went four plays on 75 yards in 54 seconds.

After Arkansas’ quick response to tie the game, Ole Miss responded even quicker to retake the lead. The Rebels set up shop at their own 25-yard line and picked up 10 yards after DL Justus Boone was flagged for defensive holding. Two plays later, Ole Miss was facing 3rd & 10 with the Arkansas defense looking to get the offense back on the field. Chambliss dotted up with WR Dae’Quan Wright for 64 yards all the way to the one-yard line to set up 1st & Goal. Chambliss ran the ball in for a touchdown to put the Rebels back on top, 21-14, with 11:31 left in the first half.

After the Hogs tied up the game with 7:01 left in the second quarter, Ole Miss was right back to their dominant schedule on offense. Chambliss began the drive by dotting up Lacy for 22 yards to the Rebels’ 47-yard line. Arkansas forced two incompletions to set up 3rd & 10, but a pass interference on DB Keshawn Davila kept the drive alive at the Arkansas 30-yard line. Lacy ran the ball for eight yards, and Chambliss completed a one-yard pass to Alexander, with 15 yards being added on thanks to a face mask penalty. QB Austin Simmons was put into the game after Chambliss cut his hand. Simmons worked the Rebels' offense to the four-yard line. On 2nd & Goal, Simmons threw a touchdown to Wallace to put Ole Miss back in front again, 28-21, with 3:17 left in the first half.

On their second drive of the third quarter, the Rebels set up shop at their own seven-yard line after Devin Bale’s 46-yard punt. Lacy started with a nine-yard run and later picked up the first down on 3rd & 1. Chambliss and Wallace continued to torch the Arkansas defense with a seven-yard completion and a 40-yard bomb to the Razorback 36-yard line.

Chambliss then completed a pass to Alexander for 13 yards and showed off more of his dual-threat ability with an eight-yard run. Lacy picked up the first down on a six-yard gain to the Arkansas nine-yard line. Facing 2nd & Goal, Ole Miss was flagged for holding that pushed the offense back to the 18, but Chambliss found Wallace for 17 yards. After a false start, Chambliss threw a six-yard touchdown pass to WR De'Zhaun Stribling to hand the Rebels a 10-point lead, 38-28, with 4:56 left in the third quarter.

The Arkansas offense attempted to respond and mount a comeback by gaining 30 yards on four plays to the Ole Miss 45-yard line on a two-run by Washington, a seven- and 10-yard reception by Blake, and an 11-yard run by Green. One play later, Green connected with Washington for an 18-yard pass to the 27. Washington was met up at the line for no gain, and Green lost four yards on a designed run. After an incompletion, Starzyk came out for a 49-yard field goal attempt. Like his first field goal attempt, it had the distance but went off to the side. With 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Hogs were still trailing by 10.

After a five-yard run by Lacy to close out the third quarter, Chambliss fired a 35-yard strike to Alexander to set up a first down at the Arkansas 29-yard line. DB Kani Walker was injured on the play and had to be carted off the field. As he was being driven off in the golf cart, he gave a thumbs-up to the crowd to signal that he was okay.

Arkansas was ready to take the lead after the defense forced just its second three-and-out of the game. Trailing by six, 41-35, the Razorbacks began their drive at their own 23-yard line with 3:53 left in regulation. On the second play of the drive, Green completed a 15-yard pass to Jalen Brown to the 38. Another play later, Green threw a perfect strike to Blake for 18 yards to the Ole Miss 44-yard line and followed it up with an 11-yard QB draw to the 33.

Green completed a six-yard pass to WR Kam Shanks to the 27, leading into the two-minute timeout. On the next play, Green completed a screen pass to Jalen Brown for three yards, but Brown fumbled. DB Wydett Williams Jr. recovered the ball to put the Rebels back on offense at their own 24-yard line with 1:49 remaining.

Chambliss ran the ball up the middle for a seven-yard gain and again for two, making Arkansas burn its final two timeouts. Lacy shut the door by running for three yards to pick up the first down.

Conclusion

The defense allowed 357 yards passing and 118 rushing yards. Ole Miss scored seven of the 10 times it was on offense, with the last drive being the end of the game. Despite making the Rebels go three-and-out two times, the Razorbacks never forced a turnover and allowed a 66.7% conversion rate on third down.

The Arkansas offense still looked good with 305 passing yards from Green and a whopping 221 team rushing yards. Washington had a two-touchdown game with 65 yards on 13 rushes. Green was also a menace on the run with 115 yards on 14 carries with a score.

The Hogs will be on the road again next week, taking on the Memphis Tigers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the game will either be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

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