Arkansas hands South Carolina 33-16 loss
Photo by William Moore
Arkansas' Joe Adams dives into the end zone past South Carolina's Devin Taylor on Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas came into what coaches and players had called a crucial game and made some crucial plays to defeat South Carolina 33-16 in Fayetteville on Saturday.
What had been an evenly matched game in the first half with a tie at 10 became all about Arkansas beginning midway through the third quarter.
Arkansas picked up steam with Jerell Norton's interception.
Quaterback Ryan Mallett went 23 of 27 for 329 yards. He also rushed for a touchdown.
Mallett was 12 of 13 in the second half, and the Razorbacks scored 23 unanswered points to finish the game. Arkansas (5-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) needs only one more win to become bowl eligible.
D.J. Williams caught seven passes for 137 yards for the Razorbacks, including a 69-yard reception near the end of the first half that set up an important field goal.
Stephen Garcia passed for 327 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4), who have lost three of four and are in danger of a third straight late-season fade. Mallett and Garcia entered the game ranked 1-2 in the SEC in passing.
Norton intercepted Garcia in the end zone on South Carolina’s next possession, and Broderick Green put Arkansas ahead by eight with a 2-yard touchdown run. Less than 90 seconds later, the Razorbacks added a safety on a play that began at the South Carolina 32. A shotgun snap sailed past Garcia, and although the quarterback tried to fall on the ball near his own 5, it skipped into the end zone. South Carolina recovered, but the two points gave Arkansas a 26-16 advantage.
With the Razorbacks trailing 10-7 and 22 seconds remaining in the first half, Williams took a short pass, eluded a couple defenders and ran all the way to the South Carolina 7 for a 69-yard gain. Mallett nearly threw an interception on the next play, but Arkansas was able to tie it with a field goal on the half’s final play.
The Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3) were ranked in the top 25 until tumbling out of the polls after their loss to Tennessee last week.
Stay with WholeHogSports.com for more coverage of the game.
This article was published November 7, 2009 at 2:30 p.m.Information for this article was contributed by Noah Trister of The Associated Press.
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Ran2133 says...
Great win for the Razorbacks. They played well; a complete game.
November 7, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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