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The No. 18 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks returned 16 of the team’s 22 starters from 2014, which led to a lot of experts picking the Razorbacks to be a sleeper team in the SEC West. The offense is especially loaded with starting quarterback Brandon Allen and two 1,000-yard rushers in running backs Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. Unfortunately, all that talent was absent during the Razorbacks’ 16-12 loss to Toledo on Saturday. It was the Rockets’ first-ever road win against a top-25 team.
Allen completed 32-of-53 passes for 412 yards with an interception as the Razorbacks’ offense was able to move up and down the field against the Rockets’ defense. The problem for Arkansas was inside the red zone where the team was only successful on 1-of-5 trips. It was the team’s inability to finish drives that cost the Razorbacks on Saturday.
If you take a look at the box score from this game, the Rockets were dominated in every aspect. The Razorbacks had more total yards, passing yards, rushing yards and dominated time of possession by 15 minutes. Toledo was able to come away with the win because the Rockets didn’t make mistakes when it mattered. The team committed zero turnovers and took advantage of a blocked punt in the first quarter to score the first touchdown of the game. It was that short 25-yard drive that ended up being the difference in one of the biggest wins in school history.
The bad news for Arkansas is that this loss gives the team zero shot of making the College Football Playoff; the good news is that this wasn’t a conference game for the Razorbacks, and the team still has a shot in the SEC West. If Bret Bielema‘s team is going to threaten Alabama or Auburn, he will have to coach his butt off the rest of the season.
Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.
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