There was more than 20 minutes to play and Texas Tech trailed by just one touchdown, yet no one in the world thought the Red Raiders were beating Arkansas.
This is what Bret Bielema envisioned when he took the Arkansas job: moving what he did at Wisconsin — the mauling and masterful old school offense — to the SEC.
He made a big turn Saturday at Texas Tech.
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One drive, one 13-play here we come try and stop us drive – with not one pass — showed why this Crawl Ball style might just take hold in Fayetteville. Leading 35-28, Arkansas took possession at its 18 with 5:42 to play in the third quarter.
This is what happened: runs for 10 yards, 7, 19, 6, 6, 8, 4, 6, 4, 9, 9, 1 and 7 for a touchdown by tailback Jonathan Williams. That’s 13 plays, 82 yards, 6:42 chewed off the clock and an insurmountable lead when defenses can’t stop the run.
The Hogs rushed for 438 yards in the 49-28 win, and left a calling card for the rest of the SEC.
“This is just the beginning,” Bielema said after the game.
And why not get tossed right into the heat, too. After next week’s non-conference game against Northern Illinois, Arkansas plays Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia in consecutive home games.
There’s no better test than that.