Arkansas comes up short in the Sugar Bowl

“Man, we ought to burn down that stadium.”- Corey Smith

It had all the makings of a comeback win, but in the end the Razorbacks couldn’t get the job done. After blocking a punt, the Hogs had about a minute to try and score from Ohio State’s 20 yard line. Then it finally happened; Mallett threw an interception.

Yes, Arkansas played a great game to be sure. They just didn’t do enough to win. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why Arkansas couldn’t snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the Sugar Bowl.

• Jarius Wright just couldn’t hang on to key passes. He dropped one at the start of the game and continued to do it throughout the night. He did end up with 4 catches for 70 yards and a score. It could have been much more though.
• Penalties hurt the Hogs. Although they only had 6 flags for 48 yards, that was 33 more than the Buckeyes. They came at the worst times too. A holding call after Knile Davis rushed for 4 yards in Ohio State territory ultimately cost them points as they punted near midfield on 4th and 16 or 17.
• Ryan Mallet played a good game, but his decision making still needs work. There is little to no chance he goes in the first 10 picks of the NFL Draft. He is most likely gone, but another year could do wonders for the big time passer. In this game he failed to step up in the pocket and made a few errant throws. By and large he played a good game though.
• The defense really stepped their game up in the second half and nearly shut Ohio State down. The blocked punt put them in a great position to win the game and they also looked magnificent forcing the turnover on downs just a few minutes prior to that. The blame for them comes in the second half. Herron and Pryor ran all over them. If they hadn’t needed a punch to the face in order to get going the Hogs would have won their first BCS game.

All in all Bobby Petrino and the entire Razorback nation has to be satisfied with this year. They won 10 games and beat Texas A&M, South Carolina, Mississippi State and LSU along the way. A great recruiting class is headed to Fayettville, AR and things are looking up. If Mallett goes a sharp replacement in Tyler Wilson is laying in wait. If he stays then thats all the better. Stayed tuned to SEC Football Fanatic for our preview of the BCS Championship. In the mean time, feel free to discuss the Sugar Bowl and Arkansas football by leaving a comment.