Right effort, wrong result

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

AUBURN, Ala. -- Houston Nutt's emotionally charged locker room speeches had been tinged with disappointment after the last two SEC games, and was again Saturday.
Only this time Nutt was more disappointed in things largely out of Arkansas' control instead of a litany of mistakes, and he was able to praise the team's effort as its best of the season.
If not for losing quarterback Robby Hampton to an injury and having to use hobbled true freshman Zak Clark in the fourth quarter, Nutt said he believes the Razorbacks would have beaten 25th-ranked Auburn instead of losing 21-19 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"I told them I was very proud of them, and I said I could live [with the loss] as long as you're fighting like Razorbacks, playing like first-class kids like I know they can," Nutt said. "The scoreboard was just a little bit wrong."
Auburn (7-2, 4-2 SEC) grabbed first place in the SEC West by scoring on touchdown drives of 95, 93 and 80 yards and by allowing just three points on the Hogs' five fourth-quarter possessions.
Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) remains in last place but came away with a rejuvenated running game and rediscovered confidence.
Sophomore tailback Fred Talley rushed for 161 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown burst that typified the team's resiliency. Every time adversity struck, Arkansas struck back. Auburn scored on a 37-yard catch-and-run for the game's first touchdown early in the second quarter and Talley responded with his quick-cutting touchdown dash on the next play.
In doing so, Talley upstaged SEC leading rusher Rudi Johnson, who gained 114 yards but was less effective than usual. Johnson entered the game averaging 140.5 yards and defenses had worn down late trying to stop him.
Arkansas' defense forced two turnovers and three punts on Auburn's final six drives. The Tigers took an intentional safety on the last one with three seconds left, then they snuffed the Razorbacks' zig-zagging, desperation kickoff return at midfield to seal the outcome.
A pack of Razorbacks fans tucked into a corner of the stadium gave the players an appreciative ovation as they filed into the tunnel below them.
Arkansas' losing streak in SEC road games increased to eight. But unlike the recent outings, the team arched its back time and again.
"We want to go to a bowl game and fight for the team," said defensive tackle Jermaine Brooks, who forced Johnson to fumble in the fourth quarter. "We kept fighting and pushing and scratching to make the game go all the way."
The offense couldn't go all the way though.
Hampton left with a slight shoulder separation after being squashed on a failed fourth-down pass early in the fourth quarter, and his availability for Saturday's game against Ole Miss is uncertain. Clark had to play the final four series that resulted in a punt, a 24-yard Brennan O'Donohoe field goal and two interceptions.
Clark barely practiced last week because of a high ankle sprain, which limited him to drop-back passes because he was unable to roll out.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we win this game if Robby Hampton's there," Nutt said. "There's no doubt."
Nutt decided against kicking a field goal on fourth-and-2 at the 19 with 12:13 to play, then Hampton was injured. O'Donohoe had missed a 35-yard attempt in the first quarter.
Nutt opted for the field goal with 4:20 to play because he said the defense was playing well enough to recoup the ball. Three plays and a punt later Nutt was right. But Clark followed with his first interception on a deep route, throwing into triple coverage.
"We had lined up wrong and when I saw the ball leave the quarterback's hand I knew I had to make a play to keep them out of the end zone," said Tigers free safety Stanford Simmons, who intercepted the pass intended for Richard Smith.
At once, Arkansas' sideline was still, but almost as quickly it rejoiced when Brooks stripped Johnson and defensive end Carlos Hall recovered the ball with 1:43 to play at the Auburn 34.
First play, interception. Clark said he saw a defender between him and receiver Boo Williams and threw the ball inside hoping Williams could make a play. But Williams had cut outside and cornerback Rodney Crayton made the catch.
Clark said he should have thrown the ball away and refused to use his injury as an excuse.
"I felt fine," Clark said. "I just didn't get it done. They were the same plays we've been running since the spring. It was just bad reads on both [interceptions]."
When Clark entered, Auburn pulled back its blitz and forced him to throw into crowded coverages. Hampton had handled the blitz relatively well, completing 19 of 34 passes for 163 yards, though he overthrew wide-open receivers in the end zone twice in the first half.
"It really hurt them when they lost Hampton," Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said. "It was devastating for them. I think they would have been much more effective in the fourth quarter with him."
With Hampton, Arkansas marched 80 yards in the final 2:26 of the first half to tie the score 14-14. He threw three passes to Sparky Hamilton for 56 yards on the drive, and Brandon Holmes ran 3 yards to the end zone almost untouched.
Hamilton told Hampton that the way the cornerback was playing he could beat him on a fade route but Hampton would have to put the ball over Hamilton's outside shoulder.
"And it was, it was right on the money," Hamilton said.
Auburn went ahead 21-14 with 1:39 left in the third quarter when quarterback Ben Leard lateraled to receiver Clifton Robinson, who ran 13 yards for the touchdown. Rover Corey Harris came within arm's reach of intercepting the lateral and would have had a clear sprint to the end zone.
Auburn receiver Marcel Willis blocked Arkansas cornerback D'Andre Berry inside the 5-yard line to allow Robinson to dive just inside the pylon.
"I thought we were going to intercept it," Nutt said. "We had our chances. We missed two or three touchdown opportunities. ... Boy, we had two or three chances, and our defense keeps giving the ball back to us."
Leard, who had thrown just three interceptions through eight games, threw two Saturday that were picked off by Berry and free safety Ken Hamlin. That gave Arkansas three turnovers for the game after forcing just two in the three previous conference games.
"I think as a defense we gave it our all and as a team we gave a full effort," Brooks said.
Nutt can live with that.

This article was published on Sunday, October 29, 2000

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