Williams, Talley shine slightly through gloom

TIM COOPER
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Both Fred Talley and Boo Williams compiled worthy statistics Saturday in a game that the Arkansas Razorbacks found virtually impossible to keep respectable.
Talley rushed for 142 yards and Williams hauled in two touchdown passes in the second quarter in the Razorbacks' 63-20 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Most of the Razorbacks' heroics, however, came after the Volunteers had built a 35-0 advantage 14 minutes into the contest.
"This is becoming real hard to deal with," said Williams, a senior from Tallahassee, Fla., who tied a season-high with eight receptions for 97 yards. "It's hard to come back from 35-0. We made a run at them, but Tennessee is just too good of a team to let them jump on you like that."
For Talley, a 5-9 sophomore from Longview, Texas, the game produced mixed results. He rushed for more than 140 yards and scored at least one touchdown for the third consecutive week, but he also fumbled twice. One of the fumbles came inside the Tennessee 5-yard line and the other was returned 34 yards for a Tennessee touchdown by senior left end DeAngelo Lloyd.
"We didn't do a very good job of protecting the football," Talley said. "I fumbled twice, and you can't do that against a team like Tennessee. When you don't protect the ball, you don't have a chance at winning."
Talley finished with 142 yards on 27 carries, including a 30-yard scoring run in the third quarter. While his numbers were good, they paled in comparison to Tennessee tailback Travis Henry, who gained 214 yards on 25 carries.
Henry compiled his numbers in less than three quarters worth of action. The Volunteers' senior did not re-enter the game after scoring on a 16-yard run with 7:01 remaining in the third quarter.
Tennessee, which entered Saturday's game having scored only 66 points in its last four games, broke a school record for points in a quarter with its five-touchdown, first-quarter effort on Saturday.
Arkansas' offense did its part in helping the Vols set the new mark by committing two of its four turnovers in the first quarter.
"I've never been involved in any quarter like that, nothing even comes close," Talley said. "I couldn't believe it was happening. It was just turnover after turnover after turnover."
"That was real frustrating," Williams said. "All you can do is try to keep every one on the sideline upbeat."
Williams attempted to get Arkansas back into the game in the second quarter. He outjumped Tennessee cornerback Teddy Gaines to pull in a 15-yard touchdown pass with 11:40 left before halftime.
On the Razorbacks' next possession -- an eight-play, 77-yard scoring drive -- Williams caught four passes for 60 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass. Williams had been shoved out of bounds by Gaines at the 6, but came back in bounds to catch his seventh touchdown of the season.
"Boo has caught a lot of passes in one-on-one situations," Talley said. "He's been doing that all year."
Williams credited quarterback Robbie Hampton for placing the ball in the right spots for him to come down with the touchdowns.
"When you're down like that, you try to show some senior leadership and try to make some plays," Williams said. "On that first touchdown, Robbie put the right height on the ball, and I was able to jump up and get it."
The loss, which was Arkansas' fourth in a row, dimmed the Razorbacks' chances at a shot at a December bowl game. Arkansas must defeat Mississippi State on the road on Saturday and LSU at home on the day after Thanksgiving to qualify for postseason play.
"This was a big game today, and I thought we had a good week of practice and were ready to play," Talley said. "We've still got a chance to play in a bowl game. We just need to be more ball conscious. We're not the type of team that can turn the ball over and expect to win."

This article was published on Sunday, November 12, 2000

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