Like it is: Hogs have no answers for Rebels' quarterback

WALLY HALL
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

LAS VEGAS -- Arkansas found you can lose here without gambling.
Down to one tailback, who is durable but without the breakaway speed of Ced or Fred, the Razorbacks were as predictable as this city's tourist attraction.
There were no bones to roll. No sleight of hands to create an illusion.
The Hogs didn't have the risk capital to play with on offense, and even though they scored as much as it would have taken to beat Mississippi State or LSU, the defense just simply could not get a handle on quarterback Jason Thomas.
When Thomas fired a 54-yard pass -- all in the air -- between two defenders to Troy Mason for a touchdown and the Rebels' first lead of the game, 21-14, it was obvious to the 25,000-plus crowd that UNLV was the better team because it had the better quarterback.
And that was the biggest difference.
Although the two tons of missed tackles and poor play on unspecial teams certainly took a toll on the Hogs' hopes of finishing 7-5.
By the half, Thomas had made it clear it was going to be an uphill battle the final 30 minutes for the Razorbacks.
Yes, the Hogs had 182 yards of offense at the break, but other than the first drive of the game, when they went 69 yards on 14 plays, there was no consistency.
Big plays, two passes to Boo Williams for 33 and 25 yards -- the second one for a touchdown -- and another to Sparky Hamilton for 26 yards, helped the Hogs get the statistical numbers, but those numbers aren't posted on the scoreboard.
The offensive line gave Hampton tons of time to throw, but the receivers either didn't get open or Hampton overthrew or underthrew them on key plays, which cost the Hogs at least one touchdown.
Yet, the O-line didn't seem able to give Brandon Holmes a crack of daylight as the freshman running back's first 20 carries netted 38 yards.
What had bailed out the Razorbacks the past two games, the defense, especially the secondary, played as if there was somewhere else they would rather be, like at home.
After going 10 quarters without giving up a touchdown, the Razorbacks' defense was picked apart in the second quarter through the air and on the ground.
The inability to put pressure on the scrambling Thomas made him look like Michael Vick, who was a Heisman Trophy candidate until he was injured.
Thomas completed four consecutive passes on the Rebels' third drive, including a 19-yarder that tied it at 7-7.
On the next possession, he started scrambling for huge gains, including one for 19 that was cut by 10 after he was flagged for spitting in Kenny Sandlin's face after they collided on the sideline.
With Arkansas' offense plainer than unspiked egg nog, the Rebels got an extra possession in the final minutes of the first half, and they used it with reckless abandon.
On first down, Thomas hit Nate Turner for 45 yards to the Arkansas 3 as Orlando Green, somehow, managed to not knock the ball away.
Turner was flat on his back when he made the catch. Green was just flat-footed.
Three plays later, Thomas drilled it to Turner in the end zone to tie it at 14.
After being held to 49 yards in the first quarter, the Rebels had 165 yards of offense in the second quarter and a total of 313 after three quarters, to 220 for the Hogs.
It really looked like it might be their night when they fumbled three times in the first half and recovered them, and then the one they lost was called no fumble, although the replay proved that was a bad call.
Nonetheless, by intermission, there was no doubt which was the better team, and it was because of Thomas, who was considered one of the best quarterbacks to come out of the Los Angeles area when he originally signed with Southern California.
Transferring to UNLV may make him the most significant football player ever for the Rebels' program.
And what the sophomore did to the Razorbacks he did with a limp. He sprained an ankle several weeks ago and it hasn't healed totally.
Thomas, like Vick at Virginia Tech, is the prototype of what coaches are looking for in a quarterback.
The only mistake he made, the only thing he could be criticized for, was the spitting incident, but you can bet the Rebels fans won't ever think about that again.

This article was published on Friday, December 22, 2000

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