Indians help make the call: It's Snowden

ROBERT TURBEVILLE
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- The play of the game was the coin toss. Or at least that was the joke going around before Arkansas faced Louisiana-Monroe, its homecoming punching bag that had lost to Tennessee 70-3 two weeks earlier.
It actually came with 12:15 left in the first quarter on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Robby Hampton to Michael Snowden, but it wasn't too long after the coin toss. The play, Double Post X-7 Bend, helped set the tempo for the Razorbacks' 52-6 victory over the Indians.
Arkansas wasted no time in attacking a team that had given up an average of 38.6 points a game.
"I wanted to get on the board," Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt said.
After Arkansas' first possession netted 19 yards, Louisiana-Monroe took over following a punt at its 28-yard line. Quarterback Ryan Corcoran ran for 15 yards on first down to the 43. But on second down, Sacha Lancaster forced a fumble by running back Mark Henderson, a former Razorback, that Quinton Caver recovered at the Louisiana-Monroe 44.
On their next play from scrimmage, the Razorbacks lined up in an I formation with Boo Williams wide right and Snowden just inside Williams.
Hampton took the snap and faked a handoff to tailback Alvin Ray. Hampton had two reads. If the free safety, Seneca Lee, bit on the play action and moved up, he was to throw to Snowden, who ran a post route to the middle. If Lee stayed back, he was to throw to Williams, who was running a comeback route down the right sideline.
Lee bit, and Hampton hit Snowden around the Indians' 15, where he raced to the left corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
"Snowden just ran right across his [Lee's] face," Arkansas receivers coach Fitz Hill said. "The run actually pulled the defense up. That's why Snowden was so wide-open."
Williams, Arkansas' biggest receiving threat, was the primary receiver, but Hampton "took a peek over and saw Scoop [Snowden] was running free over the middle," Hill said.
The Razorbacks worked a lot during the week on plays designed to capitalize on the free safety buying the run fake.
"They expect the run," Snowden said. "That was the biggest thing going into this game, how they were expecting us to run a lot and were biting down.
"Robby did a real good job of looking off to one side and saw me on the other side. It was something that had been open a long time."
Arkansas' next two possessions ended in lost fumbles, but the Razorbacks scored 17 points in the second quarter for a 24-0 halftime lead, showing why the outcome was never really in doubt.
"We talked about not to be waiting on someone to make the play," Snowden said. "If you're in position to make the play, go ahead and do it. If my number's called, I'm going to bust my tail getting across the field, and hopefully the ball's coming in my hand."

This article was published on Sunday, October 8, 2000

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