Arkansas Routs Texas In Texas Bowl

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HOUSTON — Finishing with a winning record was important to Arkansas.

Getting there at the expense of an old rival was a bonus.

The Razorbacks completed their first winning season in three years by Texas 31-7 Monday night in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium.

Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen, the game’s Most Valuable Player, passed for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Jonathan Williams ran for 105 yards and another score. The Razorbacks never trailed in the game.

After two difficult seasons, Arkansas finished 7-6 by winning three of its last four in coach Bret Bielema’s second season since leaving Wisconsin. The only late-season loss was by seven points to Southeastern Conference East champion Missouri.

“Tonight didn’t happen by chance,” said Bielema, well aware of the Arkansas rivalry with Texas. “I had a feeling that this was very, very special. When we got off that bus today and did that Hog Walk, it was a frenzy.”

Although most of the Razorbacks players are too young to know much about the Texas-Arkansas series, their fans made sure they were cognizant of the old days.

“When we found we were playing Texas, I got information from the fans how big this rivalry is,” Arkansas defensive end Trey Flowers said.

Bielema knew Monday’s win would help Arkansas, which recruits heavily in Texas, in the long run.

“It will be astronomical,” he said. “It was ‘Monday Night Football.’ It’s national

exposure. We have a lot of guys coming back.”

Texas ended 6-7 in coach Charlie Strong’s first year in Austin. Strong made no excuses for his team’s poor performance, particularly an offense that collected just 59 yards on 43 plays.

“You would have thought we would have come out better prepared,” Strong said. “You don’t expect to go out there and get hammered 31-7 when you’ve had a month to prepare.

“The name Texas used to mean something. Right now it doesn’t mean much. What happened was an embarrassment to this program. We have a long ways to go.”

Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes passed for just 57 yards and threw an interception. He scored the Longhorns’ only touchdown with a 9-yard run in the second quarter after Arkansas already led 17-0.

“We know we have to get better at that position,” Strong said. “It’s not only him. There’s no playmakers.”

Swoopes missed a handoff to running back Johnathan Gray in the second quarter that gave Arkansas a touchdown when the Razorbacks defensive tackle Taiwan Johnson recovered the fumble in the end zone.

“Me and J. Gray weren’t on the same page,” Swoopes said. “We knew (Arkansas) would be physical, and we didn’t match that.”

The Arkansas defense dominated the whole game.

“Defensively, we’ve been playing very well,” said Bielema, whose Razorbacks shut out Mississippi and LSU back-to-back late in the season. Arkansas gave up only 28 points in its last four games.

Arkansas built a 24-7 halftime lead against its former Southwest Conference foe behind a diving 36-touchdown catch by wide receiver Demetrius Wilson early in the second quarter and Johnson’s fumble-recovery score.

The Razorbacks put the game away in the second half with a 13-play, 57-yard touchdown drive that ate up 8 minutes, 39 seconds. Williams scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter for a 31-7 lead.

Arkansas collected 351 yards of total offense.

The Razorbacks led by 17 points at halftime behind a solid running game and a key Texas turnover. Arkansas outrushed the Longhorns 110 yards to 16 in the half and outgained them 217 yards to 46.

Arkansas scored first on a 32-yard field goal by Adam McFain, finishing off a 10-play, 33-yard drive. The key play occurred on third-and-10 from the Texas 37-yard line when Allen connected with wide receiver Jared Cornelius for an 11-yard gain. Cornelius fumbled, but tight end Hunter Henry recovered and advanced the ball 8 yards to the Texas 17 to set up the field goal.

The Razorbacks stretched their lead to 10-0 on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Wilson, who made a diving catch in the end zone on the second play of the second quarter.

Texas took over on its 4-yard line midway through the second quarter following an Arkansas punt. Longhorns tailback Johnathan Gray fumbled on the first play, without being hit, and Johnson recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead.

“It’s huge anytime our defense is playing as well as it is,” Allen said. “If we stall out, our defense is going to pick us up.”

The Longhorns finally got on the scoreboard with 3:57 left in the half. Swoopes led Texas down the field, then completed the 44-yard drive with a touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-7.

Arkansas finished off the first half with a 61-yard drive, climaxed by Allen’s 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keon Hatcher with 24 seconds remaining.

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