Like it is

Third and fourth looks show Auburn's biggest advantage

WALLY HALL
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Early in the second quarter Saturday, Auburn was just trying to get a first down.
The Tigers had only three in the first quarter and they needed to get something going against nine-point underdog Arkansas.
Auburn was gambling on a fourth-and-2 from the Razorbacks 37.
Tommy Tuberville will intervene with the play-calling and roll the bones when he feels it is necessary.
It was already obvious the Razorbacks defense -- especially Carlos Hall, Randy Garner, J.J. Jones and Quinton Caver -- was ready for Rudi Johnson.
Tuberville knew his team needed a shot of confidence, and he was giving it the chance to get it.
Four missed tackles later, receiver Tim Carter had the first down and the Tigers' first touchdown.
It was a sign of what was to come.
On the Tigers' second touchdown, the Razorbacks defense twice put Auburn in third-and-6 situations. Both times, completed passes kept the drive alive.
The final touchdown drive was faced with a third-and-10. Pass good for 25 yards.
That's what a senior quarterback does for you. He converts on critical downs.
Ben Leard is not a great quarterback, but he is experienced, poised and confident, and that was the difference in Saturday's game.
Plus, at least twice, the receivers did an Anthony Lucas, making tough catches against good coverage.
John Thompson hasn't had a lot of experience to work with in the secondary, but each week those guys have improved.
In fact, a few weeks ago those big catches for first downs would have probably been touchdowns.
A lot of folks noticed freshman Ken Hamlin early, but when the light goes on and he realizes he really can play, Eddie Jackson is going to get a lot of attention too. Of course, both need to get stronger.
The Tigers were not the better team on that day, but they had a healthy senior quarterback and their receivers responded.
Take those three scoring drives out and the Razorbacks held Auburn to 85 yards of total offense. The longest drive Auburn had other than the three that resulted in touchdowns was 31 yards.
The most overlooked statistic of the game was that Arkansas held Auburn to zero first downs in the final period.
On the other hand, Arkansas had two inexperienced quarterbacks, and there were two plays in the first half that could have given the Hogs such an advantage they might have won easily.
In the first quarter, the Razorbacks drove to the Auburn 18 where on first-and-10 Robby Hampton overthrew wide-open Adam Daily in the end zone. After two more incompletions, a very nervous freshman, Brennan O'Donohoe, missed a 35-yard field goal. No points.
Auburn took over and immediately drove 80 yards for its first touchdown.
In the second quarter, Hampton drove the Hogs to the Auburn 30 where on first down he overthrew wide-open Michael Snowden in the end zone.
Again the Razorbacks ended up with no points and again Auburn immediately drove for a touchdown.
Call it momentum.
If the Hogs had converted those two plays, they'd have gone into the dressing room with a 28-14 lead.
It was just a game of close calls for the Hogs, who did some obvious growing up.
Twice Corey Harris has interceptions for touchdowns if he uses his body to pull the ball in instead of trying to Deion Sanders it (using only his hands).
Overall Hampton had a good game. He make quicker decisions and got rid of the ball faster than any time this season. As the game progressed he seemed to get some much needed confidence.
When he got knocked out, Zak Clark came in. But with a tender ankle he wasn't able to plant his feet like he needed. The ball soared on him once and another time he threw to the right spot, but no receiver was there.
Both of those throws went for interceptions.
Still, the game wasn't the roadhouse blues for the Razorbacks that many had suspected.
They were in it to the very end and when the final horn sounded, Auburn had survived, mainly because it had the experienced quarterback converting the critical downs.

This article was published on Tuesday, October 31, 2000

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