By now, it's common knowledge that it's a terrible idea to play Arkansas late in the season. And that was confirmed in the Razorbacks' 45-23 win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
Arkansas turned a late-season surge into a dominant bowl win … again
It might not have been “borderline erotic,” but it was close.
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Arkansas came in as a 13-point favorite, but the Razorbacks started off slow, as Kansas State went up 7-0 and 10-7 in the first quarter. However, late-season Arkansas’ physicality was just too much for the Wildcats, and that started to pile up in the second quarter, as Arkansas raced out to a 24-10 lead.
The star was running back Alex Collins, a junior who has NFL Draft potential this season. He finished with 185 yards at eight yards per carry and three touchdowns, including this run to put the Razorbacks up 15 early in the fourth quarter.
It wasn’t just Collins. Under-appreciated quarterback Brandon Allen, who has had games with six and seven touchdowns during the last third of the season, was just as good, going 20-for-26 for 315 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Kansas State didn’t quit after going down by 14 in the second quarter. The Wildcats used an outstanding fullback touchdown to get back within four after halftime. But Arkansas just had too much offense for the Wildcats to deal with, averaging 8.4 yards per play.
Late-season Arkansas is flat out dominant. The Razorbacks won five of their last six games this year in the regular season, and won four of their last six games in 2014. One of those games was a 31-7 fustigation of Texas in the Texas Bowl, a beating so resounding, so savage in nature that Bret Bielema referred to it as "borderline erotic." In that game, the Hogs held Texas to only 59 total yards and seven first downs, and the game was every bit the blowout that it seems like.
This game wasn’t quite that type of domination, but Kansas State couldn’t do anything following its first touchdown after halftime. It looked a lot like Arkansas-Texas, round two, by the fourth quarter.
This season wasn’t what Arkansas had hoped it could be, with early-season losses to Texas Tech and Toledo en route to a 1-3 and 2-4 start. However, the winning streak, which included wins over Ole Miss and Auburn, helps the Razorbacks finish 8-5 for the first time since 2011 and get bowl wins in consecutive seasons.
Arkansas has some production to replace, with Allen graduating and Collins possibly leaving for the NFL. However, with dominant offensive line play and a culture built on efficient, balanced offense, Bret Bielema has exactly what he wants in Fayetteville. Saturday’s blowout was a clinic of just that.
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