From dormant to dominant
Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008
AUBURN, Ala. — An Arkansas defense ranking last or next-to-last in the SEC in nine statistical categories wanted to make a statement at 20 th-ranked Auburn.
After free safety Matt Harris sealed the Razorbacks’ 25-22 upset of the Tigers with a last-minute interception, though, defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was practically speechless.
“I’m taken aback, to be honest with you,” Robinson said. “We did a great job.”
What Arkansas did was turn in easily its best defensive performance of the season, stifling an ailing Auburn offense almost from start to finish. Auburn’s 193 yards of total offense are the fewest gained by an Arkansas opponent this season, and the Tigers managed just one offensive touchdown.
“They really left it out on the field, I thought,” Robinson said of his players.
Coach Bobby Petrino called the Razorbacks’ performance “probably our best game of tackling.”
“I thought we did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage, being able to stop their run and being able to put pressure on the quarterback,” Petrino said.
Arkansas hadn’t been able to do either of those things on a consistent basis through its first five games, but it kept Auburn in check with a concerted effort led by its defensive line. Defensive end Adrian Davis had 4 tackles, including 3 sacks, while fellow end Damario Ambrose (4 tackles ), nose guard Zach Stadther and defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard (3 tackles ) and end Jake Bequette (2 tackles ) were constant forces against the run and rushing the passer.
“Up front is where it starts, and our front four did a great job,” Robinson said.
Arkansas’ defensive dominance was such that Auburn managed just 53 yards of total offense in the first half, including scoring drives of 0 and minus-3 yards. The Tigers also benefited from a short-field touchdown drive in the second half after recovering Dennis Johnson’s fumbled kickoff return.
Auburn went 24 yards in five plays to extend its lead to 20-10 despite having just 77 yards of total offense. The Tigers had just two plays of more than 10 yards until Kodi Burns (Fort Smith Northside ) completed a 33-yard pass to Tommy Trott in the fourth quarter.
“Our confidence kind of grew throughout the game,” Bequette said. “I don’t know if the fans felt that, but we certainly felt it.
“ In the locker room at halftime, we knew we had them where we wanted them.”
Arkansas’ coaches and players said that confidence didn’t wane even in the closing minutes, when Auburn drove to the Razorbacks’ 5 before coming up empty on four consecutive plays. The Tigers got a final chance with 55 seconds to play, when they started at their 39.
Two plays later, Harris intercepted a Burns pass to all but end the game.
“Unbelievable, just amazing. I can’t even describe it,” Harris said. “It’s something you dream about when you’re a little kid.”
The Arkansas defense’s collective effort was the culmination of something that had been stressed all week.
“They made an affirmation that they were going to play four quarters this week,” Robinson said. “They promised each other they’d do that, and they did.”
“We wanted to make a statement,” Harris said. “We didn’t want to get close. We wanted to win the game.”
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