So far, this game has gone according to plan. Arkansas has discovered its passing game, and running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones have each rushed for more than 100 yards while the defense has held its own.

Not surprisingly, the Razorbacks lead 45-7 at halftime. This is exactly what Arkansas' coaches had hoped for after back-to-back losses to Alabama and Kentucky.

Quarterback Casey Dick has given Arkansas' offense some much needed balance, passing for 191 yards and two touchdowns. The Razorbacks amassed 507 yards - unofficially - in the first half, and McFadden and Jones have had big games as expected.

Arkansas' defense, meanwhile, has held North Texas to just 168 yards of total offense, 49 of that on the ground.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 06:44 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas fans are walking into Reynolds Razorback Stadium as I write. About half of the student section is filled - yes, some, but not nearly a majority in black T-shirts - and they are basking in the sun, taking in the beautiful weather. Eighty degrees, barely a cloud in the sky here in Fayetteville, as Arkansas gets ready for North Texas. And, oh, by the way, a "Fire Nutt" banner did not appear on an airplane as expected. Apparently, the banner was ripped on the way to the plane.
Well, don't expect the winless Mean Green to just roll over and accept a $425,000 defeat tonight. This North Texas offense under first-year coach Todd Dodge, the four-time Texas high school champ, can rack up points and yards in a hurry. North Texas's QB, Daniel Meager, threw for 601 yards against SMU.
Only problem for North Texas tonight - and it's a HUGE problem - is that the Mean Green defense does not stop the run. Actually, the Mean Green has had trouble stopping anyone this season.
The points should fly onto the scoreboard tonight. Expect big games out of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, but keep an eye on the Razorback passing game. David Lee needs to use this contest as a way to get Casey Dick and the Hog receivers some confidence.
Forty-five minutes until kickoff ...

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:15 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Crosby Tuck was just seen walking to the Arkansas locker room with his right arm in a sling. It was just announced that he suffered a broken arm. Kentucky outscored Arkansas 7-0 in the third quarter.

Arkansas is danger of losing its second straight game. Fifteen minutes to go.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 06:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas running back Darren McFadden went to the locker room at the end of halftime. Kevin Trainor, Arkansas' sports information director, said both McFadden and Felix Jones are suffering from heat exhaustion, and that Jones was throwing up on the sideline during the first half.

Trainor said both are expected to be available in the second half.

McFadden suffered a slight concussion in last Saturday's 41-38 loss at Alabama, but he didn't show any effects of it during the first half of the Kentucky game. He rushed 17 times for 122 yards, and he scored a 56-yard touchdown on his final carry of the first half.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 05:57 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

T-minus 10 minutes to "the shootout."

Points are sure to fly onto the scoreboard today in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

One-and-a-half sections of bleachers were full with students an hour before the game as the teams warmed up and music blared on the stadium's sound system. The sources of the pending offensive explosions geared up on the field below us here in the RRS press box.

Andre' Woodson, Kentucky's 6-foot-5 quarterback, floated passes to receivers running fade patterns into the south end zone. Darren McFadden stretched with his teammates, seated on the yard lines of the north side of the stadium as the Arkansas marching band circles the field.

The consensus here among the media is that the last team with the ball last could win this game. Now, you never know, the defenses could come out on a mission and give us a 17-14 contest to watch. Anything can happen in college football. No one saw Appalachian State coming, after all.

Don't count on it, though. Woodson and McFadden should put up enough numbers to land them on SportsCenter plenty tonight.

Kickoff in about 10 minutes on ESPN2.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 03:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Razorbacks answered Alabama's explosive first quarter with a bounce-back second quarter.
Arkansas took over on its own 16 with 8:10 left in the first half. Up until that point, on five drives, the Hogs hadn't even reached Alabama territory. But they strung together a 6-play, 84-yard drive. Casey Dick hit Darren McFadden for 9 yards, Peyton Hillis for 21 yards and then nailed true freshman Crosby Tuck for a 40-yard score.
The Razorback defense then made a crucial, momentum-changing play. Matterral Richardson stepped in front of a John Parker Wilson pass, picked it off and ran 10 yards. McFadden ripped off a 23-yard run to get the Hogs onto the Alabama side of the field, and the Razorbacks ended up settling for a 22-yard field goal by Alex Tejada.
McFadden, at halftime, has 88 yards on 16 carries. Alabama to receive ...

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 06:31 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Simply put, Alabama dominated every aspect of the first quarter - offense, defense and special teams - and it appears there is nothing Arkansas can do to slow it down.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 21-0 lead, thanks to running back Terry Grant's ability to run at will and wide receiver DJ Hall to get open. Hall beat Arkansas cornerback Jerell Norton on several long completions, and the receiver gained a 118 yards in the first quarter alone.

Meanwhile, Arkansas' offense is one-dimensional. It's Darren McFadden and that's all. Quarterback Casey Dick is having a rough start.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 05:47 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It’s just before game time inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, and the place is packed. As both teams go through warmups on the field, Alabama’s starters are being introduced to a crowd that is going crazy and waving Crimson colored pom-poms.
Rap music is blaring as Andre Smith, Alabama’s fierce offensive tackle, sternly introduces himself on the three big screens inside the stadium. Few seats in the upper deck are unoccupied. The bars on University Boulevard, as we drove to the stadium, were hopping.
Just now, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt, dressed in khaki pants and a Razorback red shirt, pointed to the part of the stadium filled with Hog fans as “Sweet Home Alabama” came on the sound system.
The clock reads 23:20 and counting ...
This is college football.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It was close early. And surely, for a while, many of the 73,926 in Reynolds Razorback Stadium must of had thoughts of Appalachian State in their minds.

But Arkansas dominated the second half and prevailed 46-26.

The recipe for victory was quite similar to that of last year's Arkansas team. Running, running and running a little more. Darren McFadden rushed for more than 100 yards (151, to be exact). So did Felix Jones (129 yards). Michael Smith even got into the act with a 49-yard burst in the fourth quarter, followed by a 2-yard scoring plunge.

The Razorback defense, after giving up 17 points in the first half, pulled a complete "180" in the second half. The defensive Hogs gave up just nine points after halftime and made life downright miserable for Troy QB Omar Haugabook.

And, hey, backup QB Nathan Emert even got some playing time.

Now, it's a week off and some rest before traveling to Tuscaloosa for what's sure to be an intense evening showdown with Nick Saban's bunch.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 08:18 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The third quarter actually didn't get off to a promising start. Arkansas held Troy to three plays and out on the Trojans' first drive. Then, on Arkansas' first drive, the Hogs came out and ran five straight plays in the WildHog formation. Darren McFadden and Felix Jones bobbled attempted handoffs on the last two, and then Casey Dick's pass on third down was dropped by Robert Johnson.

The Hogs had to punt. But then, Arkansas' defense held and Felix Jones capped a 7-play drive with a 44-yard scamper off right tackle. The Razorbacks scored on the first play of their next drive when McFadden nailed a wide-open Crosby Tuck for a 42-yard touchdown pass.

Arkansas' defense held again, but Michael Smith fumbled the punt and Troy recovered. The punt-return tandem of Smith and Reggie Fish hasn't looked comfortable all evening.

Troy settled for a field goal after the Arkansas secondary again clamped down. The Hogs were torched by Omar Haugabook in the second quarter but he has really settled down since.

Arkansas 37, Troy 20. Fifteen minutes to go.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 07:48 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

As many expected, Troy has been able to hang with Arkansas. The Razorbacks are leading 23-17 at halftime, but they missed several opportunities in the red zone to score touchdowns. Instead, they had to settle for three Alex Tejada field goals.

Arkansas running back Darren McFadden has gained 100 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries, and he’s added another two catches for 30 yards. But quarterback Casey Dick has cooled off after getting on a role early on.

Arkansas’ secondary struggled in the first half, committing too many penalties and giving up too many long catches.

The second half is about to begin.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 06:55 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas leads Troy 6-0 after the first quarter, and hasn't been nearly that close. Arkansas has six first downs. Troy has only one, and that came on after a late-hit penalty on third down by Razorback linebacker Freddie Fairchild. Unfortunately for Arkansas, its two substantial first-quarter drives stalled.

But that allowed true freshman kicker Alex Tejada to showcase his right leg early on. He converted on field goals of 35 and 23 yards, both attempted from the right hash-mark.

Otherwise, the Arkansas defense has looked pretty tough, pressuring Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook on most pass plays. Whoops ... never mind, Darren McFadden just scampered in from 13 yards to start the second quarter.

13-0 Hogs.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 05:40 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So, the season opener has finally arrived. Kickoff is less than 20 minutes away and Reynolds Razorback Stadium is starting to fill up. The band has just taken the field.

As expected, fans crowded the parking lots in the hours leading up to the game. And the most popular item seemed to be Darren McFadden replica No. 5 jerseys. Apparently, they're selling well.

The only change to Arkansas' depth chart involved backup right guard DeMarcus Love. He is dressed out, but he won't play because he's still bothered by the dislocated kneecap he suffered in practice. This move was not a surprise.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 04:44 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)