Arkansas is 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play after the 44-30 win over South Carolina on Saturday. This is the first time that Arkansas has started 1-0 in SEC play in back-to-back seasons since 2003 and 2004.Overall, Arkansas played a great game.The final score makes the game seem a lot closer than it actually was.
South Carolina had the ball only trailing 21-16 at the end of the third quarter, but the Arkansas defense came up big forcing a three-and-out. The game wasn’t really in jeopardy after that, but a sloppy fourth quarter led to the margin of victory only being two scores. It’s still only the second week of the season, and Arkansas has another week to get things cleaned up before a brutal five-game stretch in their schedule. The Arkansas offense has been great all-around two games into the season, but the running game was on another level Saturday. Arkansas finished with 295 rushing yards and FIVE touchdowns on Saturday.
Rocket Sanders led the way with 156 yards and two touchdowns and had the best game of his Arkansas career so far. Arkansas was able to run the ball almost at-will on Saturday. They also had the ball for almost ten minutes more than South Carolina. Having that kind of dominance over an SEC team is a great sign going forward. Sam Pittman is not shy about what he wants his team to do. Control the line of scrimmage, control the clock and wear the opponent down for four quarters. Over the first two weeks, Arkansas has been able to do exactly that.
Building off of those first two games is going to be key for the rest of the season. If Arkansas is able to replicate that success against more SEC competition, this season could be special. This one is definitely just a minor issue I noticed Saturday, but it’s worth pointing out. Arkansas came out of the locker room at halftime up 21-9. The first drive ended after eight plays and the only passing attempt came on third and long. South Carolina got the ball and scored a touchdown to make it a one-possession game.
After getting the ball back, Sanders busted a run for 47 yards, but the drive stalled, and Arkansas failed to convert a fourth and inches. Thankfully, as I mentioned earlier, the defense forced a three-and-out, Arkansas scored a touchdown on the next drive, and South Carolina was never within one score again. Arkansas got the win. That’s the most important part. However, if this football team is going to take another step and compete with the likes of Alabama and Georgia, they’re going to have to start putting teams away early when they have the chance. That’s where being aggressive comes into play.
