This article originally appeared in the December 4, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
Game 1 - Arkansas 34, Louisiana 14
Head coach Bret Bielema’s debut game was probably Arkansas’ best game of its 2013 season. The Razorbacks racked up 522 yards of offense, with over 200 yards on the ground and in the air.
In his first game as the undisputed starting quarterback, sophomore Brandon Allen completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. In the running game, true freshman Alex Collins burst onto the scene with 131 yards on 21 carries and sophomore Jonathan Williams had 151 yards on 18 carries.
True freshman tight end Hunter Henry also had a solid Arkansas debut, catching five passes for 75 yards.
Defensively, the Razorbacks held Louisiana to 14 points and 274 yards of offense, both season-lows for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Not only was it a dominant victory, but it was also a quality victory. Louisiana is 8-3 overall and 5-1 in Sun Belt play, already clinching the Sun Belt Championship.
GRADE: A+
Game 2 - Arkansas 31, Samford 21
The second game of the season turned out to be a lot closer than many Arkansas fans expected.
Playing at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, the Razorbacks held a 17-7 halftime lead, but Samford roared back in the second half, taking a 21-17 lead with a little more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
However, Bielema leaned heavily on the running game and it came through for him. The Razorbacks pounded out 333 yards on the ground, including 172 by Collins and 126 by Williams.
Led by this strong running attack, Arkansas scored a pair of touchdowns and had possession of the ball for 11:25 in the fourth quarter, compared with only 3:35 for Louisiana.
Most would give the Razorbacks a bad grade for this performance, but in this same scenario last season, Arkansas folded and lost to Louisiana-Monroe in overtime. Also, Samford is ranked No. 18 in the FCS and finished the season with an 8-5 record, losing in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
GRADE: B+
Game 3 - Arkansas 24, Southern Miss 3
Allen’s progress as a quarterback took a step back against Southern Miss, as he injured his shoulder diving into the end zone on a first-quarter touchdown run.
The injury forced junior walk-on quarterback AJ Derby into the game. Derby attempted only six passes, completing four for 36 yards, as the Razorbacks gained just 69 yards through the air.
Supplementing the passing game, Arkansas picked up 258 yards on the ground. For the third straight game, Collins and Williams eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Williams ran for 116 yards, while Collins ran for 115 yards. They each had one touchdown, as well.
Collins was the first true freshman in UA and SEC history to rush for at least 100 yards in each of his first three career games. It was the first time anyone in the NCAA had accomplished the feat since Adrian Peterson did it at Oklahoma in 2004.
Although Arkansas played most of the game with a backup quarterback, it probably should have scored more points against a Southern Miss team that finished the season 1-11. The 24 points by the Razorbacks were the second-fewest allowed by the Golden Eagles, who had the sixth-worst scoring defense in the FBS this season.
GRADE: B-
Game 4 - Rutgers 28, Arkansas 24
Arkansas was forced to start Derby at quarterback in its first road game of the season after Allen suffered a shoulder injury against Southern Miss.
The Razorbacks jumped out to a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter. However, the lead quickly evaporated.
Rutgers scored on a 58-yard punt return near the end of the third quarter, then Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova took over, tossing a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Nova finished the game with 346 yards and three touchdowns.
For the first time all season, Collins and Williams were held under 100-yards. They combined for only 102 all-purpose yards.
Even with a backup quarterback, this loss is inexcusable. The Scarlet Knights are 5-6 overall and 2-5 in an extremely weak American Athletic Conference. Last week, Rutgers lost to UConn, which was 1-9 going into the game, by 11 points.
GRADE: D+
Game 5 - Arkansas 33, No. 10 Texas A&M 45
The Razorbacks responded with a valiant effort against No. 10 Texas A&M, but reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Johnny Manziel was too much to handle.
Manziel was 23-for-30 for 261 yards and two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Mike Evans. He also extended plays with his feet and ran for 59 yards.
Every time the Aggies seemed to start to pull away from Arkansas, the Razorbacks would answer. At halftime, Texas A&M led by only four points after Zach Hocker made a 39-yard field goal as time expired. Late in the third quarter, Arkansas pulled within five points, but it could never take the lead.
The Razorbacks had the ball with the opportunity to take the lead three times in the second half, but failed to get a first down each time. In his first game back after his shoulder injury, Allen finished with 282 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
GRADE: C+
Game 6 - No. 18 Florida 30, Arkansas 10
Florida has traditionally played well against Arkansas, and 2013 was no different.
The Gators came into the game allowing only 53.5 rushing yards per game, the fewest in the NCAA, but the Razorbacks passed that mark in the first quarter, as Williams scored on a four-yard run to give Arkansas a 7-0 lead.
After Florida kicked a field goal, Allen threw a pick-six for the second consecutive week and the Razorbacks never saw the lead again.
Arkansas appeared to recover a muffed punt inside the red zone late in the second quarter, but it was penalized for kick catching interference and did not get the ball. The play would have put the Razorbacks in position to take the lead or tie the game.
Instead, the Gators scored 24 unanswered before Hocker made a 30-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
At the time, the loss did not seem that bad, as Florida was a ranked opponent and was 4-1. However, they finished the season on a seven-game losing streak, including an embarrassing 26-20 loss to an FCS school, Georgia Southern, that gashed the Gators for 429 rushing yards.
GRADE: D
Game 7 - Arkansas 7, No. 14 South Carolina 52
Arkansas returned to Fayetteville only to extend its losing streak to four games, with a 45-point loss to South Carolina.
Again, the Razorbacks got out to an early 7-0 lead on a 6-yard touchdown run by Collins, but the lead did not last.
The Gamecocks responded by scoring 52 unanswered points, including a 15-yard touchdown reception by former Razorback Kane Whitehurst, who transferred to South Carolina after the 2011 season.
The Razorbacks’ defense gave up 537 yards of offense and Arkansas was minus-two in turnover margin.
South Carolina finished second in the SEC East with a 10-2 record, so they are a quality opponent, but the loss was the second-worst loss by the Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
GRADE: F
Game 8 - No. 1 Alabama 52, Arkansas 0
Many fans worried that Arkansas’ trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., would be worse than its 52-0 loss to the Crimson Tide in Fayetteville last season, but they were wrong. It was the same.
The Razorbacks got into Alabama territory only four times. One trip resulted in a blocked field goal attempt, while another stalled out inside the red zone near the end of the game.
Alabama’s scoring was capped with an 80-yard touchdown run by its third-string running back, freshman Derrick Henry. The Crimson Tide averaged 9.5 yards per carry and had two running backs with more than 100 rushing yards. Another running back had 88 yards.
Allen completed only 28 percent of his passes for 91 yards and two interceptions.
The Crimson Tide was ranked No. 1 until suffering its first loss Saturday, but again, a 52-point loss is inexcusable.
GRADE: F-
Game 9 - Arkansas 17, No. 8 Auburn 35
For the first time in UA history, Arkansas was playing its fifth consecutive ranked opponent.
The Tigers scored on an 88-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to increase their lead to 28-3, but the Razorbacks did not go away. Freshman Korliss Marshall returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards to set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Allen to sophomore Keon Hatcher.
Arkansas used a fourth-down conversion out of the swinging gate formation on its next drive to score another touchdown and pull within 11 points.
On Auburn’s next offensive play, quarterback Nick Marshall broke free on a 28-yard run, but fumbled the ball. Despite Arkansas having three players around the ball, Marshall recovered his own fumble and Auburn eventually scored a touchdown on the drive.
It ended up being an 18-point loss for the Razorbacks, but if they had recovered that fumble, Arkansas would have kept the momentum and potentially could have pulled off the upset. Instead, the Tigers finished the season 11-1 and won the SEC West.
GRADE: C+
Game 10 - Ole Miss 34, Arkansas 24
Arkansas tied a school record with its seventh consecutive loss Nov. 9. The only other time the Razorbacks had lost seven games in a row was in 1990.
Hocker got the Razorbacks on the board first with a 51-yard field goal, but Ole Miss responded with two field goals and a touchdown of its own to take a 10-point lead early in the second quarter.
The Rebels took the 10-point lead into halftime after they exchanged touchdowns with the Razorbacks. Ole Miss looked to extend its lead after receiving the kickoff in the second half, but an interception by junior Alan Turner led to an Arkansas touchdown and gave the Razorbacks momentum.
Arkansas’ defense forced a three-and-out on Ole Miss’ next possession, but its offense couldn’t keep the momentum going. The Rebels scored touchdowns on their next two possessions to put the game out of reach.
Ole Miss ended the regular season with a 7-5 record and spent a few weeks ranked in the top 25. Plus, it was a road game, so it wasn’t a terrible loss, but it is one Bielema must learn how to win in order to be successful in the SEC.
GRADE: C-
Game 11 - Arkansas 17, Mississippi State 24 (OT)
After suffering seven straight losses, the Razorbacks seemed primed to end the losing streak with a win against Mississippi State.
Arkansas stormed to a 10-0 lead before the Bulldogs kicked a field goal in the second quarter. The Razorbacks would have held a seven-point lead going into the half, but a failed fake punt gave Mississippi State good field position, which it capitalized on by scoring a touchdown.
The teams traded touchdowns to make the score 17-17 before Arkansas got into the red zone with under six minutes remaining. Points were imminent for the Razorbacks until Collins fumbled at the nine-yard line and the Bulldogs recovered.
Mississippi State marched down the field and attempted a game-winning 42-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining, but it missed wide right and the game went into overtime.
Freshman quarterback Damian Williams gave the Bulldogs the lead with a 25-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime. The Razorbacks could not force a second overtime period, as Allen’s pass on fourth down was intercepted.
Coming into the game, Mississippi State was 1-5 in SEC play and the loser of the game would likely finish last in the SEC West. To make the overtime loss worse, only 45,198 fans attended the game at War Memorial Stadium.
GRADE: D
Game 12 - No. 15 LSU 31, Arkansas 27
When LSU and Arkansas meet for the Battle for the Golden Boot every Thanksgiving weekend, records can be tossed out the window. The Razorbacks were already eliminated from bowl eligibility, while the Tigers were 8-3 and coming off of a commanding victory over Texas A&M.
Despite being a heavy underdog, Arkansas led 17-14 at the half, thanks to a 20-yard field goal by Hocker as time expired.
LSU regained the lead midway through the third quarter, but the Razorbacks answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive ending on a two-yard touchdown reception by Henry to give them a 27-21 lead.
A 37-yard field goal pulled the Tigers within three points, but senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger was knocked out of the game with a knee injury.
Mettenberger’s injury forced freshman Anthony Jennings, who had attempted only three passes in his career before Friday, into the game. After junior Sam Irwin-Hill’s punt was downed at the LSU 1-yard line, Jennings had just over three minutes to lead the Tigers 99 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
He needed only two.
The freshman backup quarterback ran the ball twice for 23 yards and completed four passes for 76 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to Travin Dural.
Although the game ended in a loss, it gave many Arkansas fans hope for the future. The Razorbacks came into Death Valley as 24-point underdogs, but left with a four-point loss and were minutes away from a victory.
GRADE: B-
The Season as a Whole
Bielema’s first season at Arkansas will always be remembered for the school record nine-game losing streak. However, it wasn’t as bad as the record shows.
Most people agree that if Allen was not injured during the Rutgers game, Arkansas would have won. The Razorbacks were also a fumble away from winning the Mississippi State game and a few minutes away from a signature upset over LSU.
Fans should also remember that Bielema accomplished all of that with players mostly recruited by the previous coaching staff, which was suited for a completely different offensive scheme.
It would be unfair to grade Bielema and the Razorbacks for what they failed to accomplish. Instead, you should look at what they were able to do and the improvements they made late in the season.
That said, Arkansas still went 0-8 in SEC play for the first time in school history. It was the first time the Razorbacks went winless in conference play since 1942, when Arkansas was 0-6 in Southwest Conference play.
GRADE: D+
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