LIKE IT IS

Hocker’s foot, favorable bounces lift Hogs

— On a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon, the Arkansas Razorbacks had to have some luck. Again.

Perhaps it would have been wise if they had bought a team lottery ticket after they escaped Vanderbilt 31-28.

An ugly victory is always better than a pretty loss, and that’s not to say the Razorbacks are lucky instead of good. But when you trail 28-17 in the third quarter and come back to take a 31-28 lead on Zach Hocker’s foot and get a missed Vanderbilt field goal with eight seconds remaining to avoid overtime on the road, you have been blessed with good fortune.

Crisp fall winds swirled around Vanderbilt Stadium throughout the game, but all three times Hocker came on to kick field goals the winds shifted to his back, and whether that was lucky or not, he hit second-half field goals of 36, 50 and 42 yards.

The last one was the game winner.

The Hogs got lucky when Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy dropped the ball as the Commodores were inside the Razorbacks 5 and Jerry Franklin scooped and scored, going 94 yards for the Hogs’ only second-half touchdown.

Instead of 35-20 Vanderbilt, it was 28-28 after Tyler Wilson escaped a sack and Jarius Wright managed to keep a foot in the end zone for a two-point conversion with more luck kisses.

There was luck on five of Wilson’s throws that could have - and four definitely should have - been intercepted.

Granted, it wasn’t lucky for the Hogs that Dennis Johnson fumbled on what probably would have been a touchdown drive.

Or that they continue to rack up brain-freeze penalties.

At this point in the season no one should be ejected for a flagrant foul.

Still, when the defense starts as slow as Arkansas’ seems determined to do - have the Hogs not heard of 5-hour Energy or Red Bull? - and gives up three first-half touchdowns and 236 yards, you have to have some luck to end up in the win column.

They made some luck in the third quarter when the offense dominated everything but the end zone.

Admittedly, they are 7-1, ranked No. 8 in the human polls and No. 10 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, but those could slip this week.

It is difficult enough to move up when you beat a quality opponent, but no poll voter is impressed when you come from behind to beat the likes of Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

It wasn’t all luck.

Jarius Wright had an incredible game with 10 catches for 135 yards, but none of his receptions was more important than the three he made on the Hogs’ final possession of the first half.

He made a 3-yard catch, then caught a pass on fourth and-10 and turned it into a 30-yard gain when he cut back and left two defenders searching for their jock straps.

That set up a 11-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Wright that cut it to 21-14 going into halftime.

That 15-minute break might have seemed like three days of hard time in the visiting locker room without that touchdown, which seemed laced with luck.

It also gave the Hogs a much-needed shot of confidence to open the second half against a hard-hitting, well coached and well-prepared Vanderbilt team.

The Commodores did not lack confidence either, and there was more barking between the teams than on a Jerry Springer special.

In the end, though, the Razorbacks needed some luck, but all teams do.

What they can’t do now, after so many slow starts, is count on luck and halftime adjustments.

Top 10 teams eventually have to dominate someone. If they don’t, they don’t stay at the top, with or without luck.

Sports, Pages 27 on 10/30/2011

Upcoming Events