Hogs' defense close to turning corner
Harold McIlvain II
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Sports
Junior defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard knows how embarrassing it can be playing on the wrong side of a blow out.
Sheppard said recent losses against Alabama and Texas were devastating.
In his first college game, Arkansas lost to USC 50-14. But the team turned things around to win 10 straight games.
And after a 38-7 loss against Florida Saturday, Sheppard said the team could find a similar spark after a performance that breathes hope for the next game.
"I don't feel down like I did last week," Sheppard said. "The team feels good about going into next weekend. I think we turned a corner today. In my freshman year, we got blown out by Southern California, and that was my first game. But I could tell on the senior's faces that it was a turning game."
Sheppard said he is no psychic, but he does know that the defense is going to play hard and put everything on the line next week.
The defense allowed 21 fourth-quarter points but otherwise played very well, Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino said.
Petrino said the team scaled back on overall schemes, and it appeared to pay dividends, he said.
"In the Texas game with young players, you see something but really don't believe it and don't go full speed," Petrino said. "Cutting back shortened up our game plan with things we believe in and let us see if we can play faster and tackle. The first three quarters our defense played well. But certainly we don't like giving up those touchdowns at the end."
Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said the approach helped the defense.
"There is no doubt," Robinson said. "We played so much faster. And it was good. That was our plan coming in, but I looked at the plan and I wanted to think of what else we had as the game was going on. But we stuck with our plan, and we executed. We just need to learn how to finish in the fourth quarter."
Arkansas forced Florida into fourth down on six occasions, three of which were punts. Florida was 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions, including a 10-yard gain on a fake punt.
Sheppard said recent losses against Alabama and Texas were devastating.
In his first college game, Arkansas lost to USC 50-14. But the team turned things around to win 10 straight games.
And after a 38-7 loss against Florida Saturday, Sheppard said the team could find a similar spark after a performance that breathes hope for the next game.
"I don't feel down like I did last week," Sheppard said. "The team feels good about going into next weekend. I think we turned a corner today. In my freshman year, we got blown out by Southern California, and that was my first game. But I could tell on the senior's faces that it was a turning game."
Sheppard said he is no psychic, but he does know that the defense is going to play hard and put everything on the line next week.
The defense allowed 21 fourth-quarter points but otherwise played very well, Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino said.
Petrino said the team scaled back on overall schemes, and it appeared to pay dividends, he said.
"In the Texas game with young players, you see something but really don't believe it and don't go full speed," Petrino said. "Cutting back shortened up our game plan with things we believe in and let us see if we can play faster and tackle. The first three quarters our defense played well. But certainly we don't like giving up those touchdowns at the end."
Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said the approach helped the defense.
"There is no doubt," Robinson said. "We played so much faster. And it was good. That was our plan coming in, but I looked at the plan and I wanted to think of what else we had as the game was going on. But we stuck with our plan, and we executed. We just need to learn how to finish in the fourth quarter."
Arkansas forced Florida into fourth down on six occasions, three of which were punts. Florida was 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions, including a 10-yard gain on a fake punt.
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