By Jay Berry
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was on shaky ground coming into the season. The ground became shakier after his team’s sloppy and undisciplined second half on Saturday.
Saturday in Stillwater
Pittman and the Razorbacks came out strong, poised for an early season quality win.
On Saturday, the Razorbacks went to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and dominated the first half against a team that many, including myself, consider a Big 12 championship contender: the 16th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Arkansas had a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. As their defense stymied, the Oklahoma State offense.
Ollie Gordon only had six rushing yards in the 1st quarter and 11 in the first half. Alan Bowman was 6-13 for 52 yards passing in the first quarter. Arkansas out-gained the Cowboys 172 yards to 55.
Momentum Swing
Oklahoma State intercepted the ball and scored a touchdown on 3rd down, while Arkansas was in field goal range with 8:50 left in the 2nd quarter.
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The Razorbacks had a 21–7 lead at halftime. Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson ran all over the Oklahoma State defense in the first half, scoring three touchdowns.
Oklahoma State cut the lead to 21-10 with 6:45 left in the third. It was a long drive that started at their 9-yard line. The Arkansas defense held them for a field goal.
It looked like Arkansas would give the game away late in the third quarter. They fumbled a pitch on third down and one.
The Razorbacks defense came up big once again, holding Oklahoma State to a field goal, making the score 21-13 with 39 seconds left in the third quarter.
A missed field goal by Arkansas early in the fourth quarter kept the score at 21-13. The Arkansas defense once again came up with a stop. The Razorbacks once again made a costly mistake: a fumbled punt return on their own 25-yard line, leading to an Oklahoma State touchdown.
A successful two-point conversion tied the game at 21–21 with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter.
The Beginning Of The End
After stopping the Arkansas offense on fourth down, the Cowboys drove down the field for a go-ahead touchdown, giving Oklahoma State their first lead of the day, 28-21. Arkansas answered quickly with a game-tying touchdown.
Undisciplined
Once again, the Razorbacks made another costly mistake. A pass interference penalty gave Oklahoma State a first down at the Arkansas 42-yard line.
After a long pass completion, Alan Bowman’s costly, unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would cost the Cowboys, putting them at the 21-yard line instead of first and goal from the six.
A field goal with :55 seconds left gave Oklahoma State a 31-28 lead. Arkansas got the ball back with no timeouts remaining on their 25-yard line.
A dropped pass at the Oklahoma State 8-yard line with two seconds left would set up a 45-yard game-tying field goal, sending the game to overtime.
After both teams missed field goals on their opening possession of overtime, the Razorbacks again showed their lack of poise.
Arkansas yet again committed another costly unsportsmanlike penalty, slamming a receiver to the ground after the play was whistled dead. That set up an Ollie Gordon touchdown that would end up being the game-winner. 39-31 Oklahoma State gets the win.
Arkansas Offensive Bright Spots
Ja’Quinden Jackson finished with 139 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green finished with 407 yards passing, one touchdown, and one interception.
The hot seat could get hotter for Pittman and Arkansas as they face a challenging SEC schedule ahead, including tough games against Auburn, Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Missouri.
After a fast start, Arkansas gave a sloppy, undisciplined performance. The Razorbacks gave up 18 points off of turnovers against the Cowboys. They also had multiple fumbled snaps and costly penalties.
Coach Sam Pittman and players will speak to the media.
Watch Live: https://t.co/2tiuZGxduV pic.twitter.com/WFtBYrh8S2
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 7, 2024
