Five hundred has never felt better
Swinging for the Fences
Matt Watson
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Sports
Only one word can describe Arkansas's upset of Auburn on Saturday:
"Thank God, I was worried they weren't going to win another game this season."
Okay, that was more than one word.
But single-word descriptions could have included "awesome," "dramatic" or "Petrinoish," coming soon to a dictionary near you.
Once safety Matt Harris picked off another errant pass from Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns, Razorback fans breathed a collective sigh of relief after the team's first conference win in 2008.
Head coach Bobby Petrino made everybody nervous when he called for punter Jeremy Davis to take a safety in the Arkansas end zone, handing the Tigers the ball with a minute left and a three-point deficit.
When "Twinkletoes" Davis shuffled out of the back of the end zone with all the grace of Fred Flintstone, Petrino put his good name on the line. Rather than risk a blocked punt in the end zone, Petrino put the game in the hands of the Auburn offense, which had struggled all night long.
Score one for Petrino.
The Tigers, who fired their offensive coordinator Wednesday, produced exactly one offensive touchdown on the night, when they started at the Arkansas 24-yard line after a Dennis Johnson fumble on a kickoff return. Burns' 3-yard touchdown run capped Auburn's longest scoring drive of the game.
The Razorbacks more than doubled the Tigers' offensive yardage, 416 to 193, led by junior tailback Michael Smith. Smith carried the ball 35 times for 176 yards, including an epic 63-yard touchdown run. He also recorded a 41-yard reception.
For those who haven't been paying attention, Smith has quietly become the ninth-leading rusher in the country, averaging nearly 120 yards per game.
I hate to say I told you so (not really), but I told you so. I wrote in the Sept. 5, 2007, edition of Swinging for the Fences that Smith "[gives] Arkansas fans assurance that the football program is moving in the right direction" and "he has the ability to turn in a big play at any time."
"Thank God, I was worried they weren't going to win another game this season."
Okay, that was more than one word.
But single-word descriptions could have included "awesome," "dramatic" or "Petrinoish," coming soon to a dictionary near you.
Once safety Matt Harris picked off another errant pass from Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns, Razorback fans breathed a collective sigh of relief after the team's first conference win in 2008.
Head coach Bobby Petrino made everybody nervous when he called for punter Jeremy Davis to take a safety in the Arkansas end zone, handing the Tigers the ball with a minute left and a three-point deficit.
When "Twinkletoes" Davis shuffled out of the back of the end zone with all the grace of Fred Flintstone, Petrino put his good name on the line. Rather than risk a blocked punt in the end zone, Petrino put the game in the hands of the Auburn offense, which had struggled all night long.
Score one for Petrino.
The Tigers, who fired their offensive coordinator Wednesday, produced exactly one offensive touchdown on the night, when they started at the Arkansas 24-yard line after a Dennis Johnson fumble on a kickoff return. Burns' 3-yard touchdown run capped Auburn's longest scoring drive of the game.
The Razorbacks more than doubled the Tigers' offensive yardage, 416 to 193, led by junior tailback Michael Smith. Smith carried the ball 35 times for 176 yards, including an epic 63-yard touchdown run. He also recorded a 41-yard reception.
For those who haven't been paying attention, Smith has quietly become the ninth-leading rusher in the country, averaging nearly 120 yards per game.
I hate to say I told you so (not really), but I told you so. I wrote in the Sept. 5, 2007, edition of Swinging for the Fences that Smith "[gives] Arkansas fans assurance that the football program is moving in the right direction" and "he has the ability to turn in a big play at any time."
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