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Razorbacks Report: Robinson remembers UA, barely

When you've been involved in almost 500 games as an assistant or head coach, some of the details might blend together.
    So forgive UNLV Coach John Robinson if he doesn't recall a lot about the three games he worked as Southern California's offensive coordinator against Arkansas in the early 1970s. At least he can nail the highlights.
    "I remember the '74 game," Robinson said. "We went back down there and got the hell kicked out of his. Pat Haden was the quarterback, and it was an awful night for us. But we ended up winning the national championship."
    Arkansas beat USC 22-7 in the 1974 season opener before a War Memorial Stadium crowd of 54,622, which was a school record at the time.
    Haden threw four interceptions. Arkansas' Ike Forte outrushed USC's Anthony Davis 90 yards to 74. Arkansas linebacker Dennis Winston made 19 tackles.
    Yet, the play that sticks with Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles, the coach at the time, was Davis' 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after the Razorbacks' first score.
    "We were lucky to come back," Broyles said. "That was demoralizing."
    Arkansas' two other games against USC were losses, 17-0 in Los Angeles in 1973 and 31-10 in Little Rock in 1972.
    Led by Davis, USC rolled up 309 yards rushing and 143 passing in the 1973 victory. In the 1972 victory, the Trojans rushed for 208 yards anchored by Sam Cunningham and threw for 269 with a Mike Rae-to-Lynn Swann combination doing part of the damage.
    "All I remember is they were going to run the football and run the football and run the football and play-action pass you," Broyles said.
    As an analyst for ABC's college football broadcasts for nine years, Broyles worked several USC games when Robinson was the head coach. Broyles gives the same commentary on Robinson's current team as he did on his former ones and compliments them by referring to the Rebels as an SEC team.
    "They're just a typical Southeastern Conference team in that they're going to run and play defense," Broyles said. "They're going to try to stop the run and they're going to run the football, except they do run the option play, which is very rarely run in the SEC today."
    USC was the unanimous national championship in 1972. In 1974, United Press International and the Football Writers Association voted the Trojans No. 1, with most other organizations awarding the title to Oklahoma.
   
BOO SCORES RARE FEAT
    Usually a kicker leads the team in scoring, and if not a kicker then a running back.
    Boo Williams led Arkansas in scoring this season, the first receiver to do so since end Aubrey Fowler led the team in 1946 with 29 points scored by three touchdowns and 11 extra points. Williams scored 44 points on seven touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
    Fowler was one of several ends who led Arkansas in scoring more than 50 years ago, including Alton Baldwin (1943-45) and Jim Benton (1936-37).
    Williams probably would have been edged out if Arkansas had used the same kicker from start to finish. Matt Swartz began the season kicking field goals and extra points and Brennan O'Donohoe took over after the third game, finishing with 32 points.
   
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING
    Arkansas is 6-0 all-time against teams that form the Mountain West Conference, of which UNLV is a member. The results:
    ARKANSAS
    OPPONENT RECORD
    Colorado State 3-0
    New Mexico 2-0
    Air Force 1-0
   
FAST COMPANY
    Almost every week was a bowl game for Arkansas this season.
    Arkansas, along with Florida, played eight regular-season opponents that are headed to bowl games, the most of any team in the country.
    The Razorbacks' bowl-bound opponents are Boise State (Humanitarian), Auburn (Citrus), Georgia (Oahu), LSU (Peach), Ole Miss (Music City), Mississippi State (Independence), South Carolina (Outback) and Tennessee (Cotton).
    Technically, the number will be nine after Arkansas plays UNLV, which is the other half of the Las Vegas Bowl.
   
MEET THE REBELS
    Random notes on some of UNLV's notable and not-so-notable players:
    AHMAD BRIGGS, SO., DL His middle name is Rashad and that's no coincidence. He's named (first and middle) after former Minnesota Vikings receiver Ahmad Rashad.
    AMAR BRISCO, SR., DB One of the team's fastest players who received a sixth year of eligibility because of a medical hardship. His aunt, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, won three gold medals in sprints at the 1984 Olympic Summer Games.
    JR DAVIES, SO., QB Florida's Jesse Palmer isn't the only Canadian quarterback playing at a major U.S. college. Davies is from Port Moody, British Columbia.
    WYATT POOLE, FR., WR His brother Keith plays for the New Orleans Saints.
    JEREMI RUDOLPH, SR. RB Originally signed with Florida State out of Apopka, Fla., but detoured, playing two years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league organization after being drafted in the seventh round. Only Emmitt Smith scored more touchdowns in Florida high school history than Rudolph, who finished runner up to Dante Culpepper for the state's Mr. Football award six years ago. Made official visits to Florida State, Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
    ANTHONY SUGGS, SR., DL He's from this neck of the woods. Suggs was born in Memphis and graduated from high school in Oxford, Miss., where he returned with the Rebels to play against Ole Miss this season.
    JASON VAUGHN, SR., QB This is his fourth team in five years, one of them being Ole Miss. He's from Suwanee, Ga., and went to Ole Miss in 1996, redshirted and spent time at Middle Georgia (a junior college) and Valdosta State before going to UNLV. He started in three UNLV victories last year.
   

This article was published on Sunday, December 17, 2000