Going into this game, Arkansas and Tulsa were 0-11 against FBS opponents. One was guaranteed to get their first FBS win of the year and thankfully it was the Hogs. Arkansas took advantage of Tulsa’s mistakes, and used their greater talent to their advantage in the 23-0 win.
Were there bobbled snaps? Yep.
How about special teams mistakes? Oh yes.
Idiotic penalties? You betcha.
Turnovers to go around? Definitely.
Overall, Arkansas was able to move the ball better and while they didn’t light up the scoreboard, they scored often enough that they had a big enough lead to keep the fourth quarter yips at bay.
When the quarterbacks came out, it was quickly realized the Ty Storey was unavailable for this one. Connor Noland the first start of his career and did a fine enough job to get the win. His first drive started with an interception, but the defense held to force a missed field goal and Noland settled in nicely throughout the rest of the game. He rarely was asked to make very long throws and did a solid enough job, finishing with a 10-16 for 124 yards and a touchdown stat line.
Rakeem Boyd looked good again, getting 99 yards on 22 attempts before getting shaken up for the second consecutive week. Without Devwah Whaley, the Hogs finished with 198 rushing yards and Maleek Williams found the endzone on the ground.
The best performance came from the defense, who were no doubt thrilled to not be dealing some of the most electric quarterbacks in the country. Seth Boomer was very much not that and finished 8-25 for just 127 yards and an interception. The defense also lived in the backfield, getting 6 sacks and 8 TFL’s.
It by no means was a pretty win, but at this point you take them however you can get them if you’re the Hogs. It took much longer than expected but Chad Morris finally has his first win over an FBS opponent. In an ugly rebuilding season, the Hogs took another tangible step forward getting a win and holding onto a 4th quarter lead. Now a winnable SEC game is coming up next and with it another opportunity to take another step forward.