Saturday’s win against Samford was not a pretty one. For the first time this season the Razorbacks had to play from behind.
“It wasn’t a physical problem,” said Offensive Guard Brey Cook. “It was a mental problem. We overcame it and really learned a lot last week.”
“I know we got criticized a lot for giving up and we are not one of those teams this year,” said Wide Receiver Javontee Herndon.
Arkansas showed plenty of ways to lose a game. Two of the biggest mistakes, a pair of turnovers and six penalties costing the team 65 yards.
“That’s one of the major things coach Bielema talked about when he first got here,” said Running Back Jonathan Williams. “Not beating ourselves and that’s exactly what we did. We gave the recipe to losing the game.”
“We watched all of the film,” said Cook. “We watched exactly what happened and it won’t happen again. That’s something we put a lot of emphasis on here. We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot. We can’t beat ourselves.”
The Razorbacks found a way to come through when it mattered most. In the fourth quarter all of the offensive production came on the ground. Arkansas ran the ball 21 straight times for 163 yards and two scores.
“We had a little talk during half time and everybody played a little more aggressive and played a little bit harder,” said Running Back Alex Collins.
“We were really able to establish a run game behind the offensive line,” said Quarterback Brandon Allen. “They did a great job opening holes. We kept pounding the ball and getting first downs so there wasn’t much need to do anything different.”
The Razorbacks’ comeback victory over the Bulldogs came nearly a year after Arkansas did not close out Louisiana Monroe in a 34-31 overtime loss.
