Arkansas beats TCU in double overime thriller in Texas

Arkansas beats TCU in double overime thriller in Texas

Hogs down Frogs thanks to leadership by QB Allen

Arkansas News Bureau FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Austin Allen is his own man. The comparisons to his brother, Arkansas' starting quarterback the last three years, Brandon, are natural. Maybe unfair. But natural.

They couldn't be helped Saturday night, though, not by even the most strident.

Austin Allen, in his first year at the helm of Bret Bielema's Arkansas team, evoked memories of Brandon. The most bonkers game of the year last season for the Razorbacks – a 5352 Arkansas win over Ole Miss – ended with the nowgone Allen piling into the end zone from shortyardage.

That was Austin in Fort Worth.

Arkansas trailed by three points in the second overtime against TCU. Facing a third down from five yards out, Allen took straight off, around the right side of his offensive line, dragging Horned Frogs defenders with him as he eeked over the goal line. The gamewinning score, like a year before, belonged to an Allen as the Razorbacks pulled a miraculous upset, 41-38.

The win provided a measure of revenge against TCU quarterback Kenny Hill. It was Hill who, two years ago, brought Texas A& M back from a 14-point deficit and beat Arkansas in overtime in Bielema's second season. He nearly did it again Saturday.

Arkansas (2-0) held a 13point advantage entering the fourth quarter against TCU (1-1). Hill had been mediocre to that point, throwing a pick-six and failing to have any touchdowns for his own team. But he led TCU on a march. Three straight Horned Frogs possessions ended with touchdowns. Arkansas had none. In a matter of 7 minutes, 39 seconds of game clock, Arkansas went from ahead 20-7 to down 28-20.

Hill led scoring drives of 80, 50 and 50 more yards. The last drive was capped by himself as he scrambled into the end zone from five yards with 2:05 left.

But Hill made a mistake, as he was prone to do. After scoring, he performed a throat-slash gesture, a prohibited move in college football. TCU was flagged for a 15-yard personal foul and Arkansas started its drive from the 42 after a 22-yard Dominique Reed kickoff return. Arkansas had 1:59 to go the necessary 58 yards for a touchdown. A two-point conversion was required, too, to tie the game.

It took Allen four plays to do it.

He found Keon Hatcher in the corner of the end zone with 1:05 left for a touchdown and then again, only reversed – Hatcher to Allen – for the two-point conversion. The white shirts in the crowd, part of TCU's White Out, were stunned.

As if things weren't silly enough at that point, TCU took the next kickoff back to the Arkansas 27. Hill couldn't make it a fourth touchdown drive, though, and the drive stalled at the Hogs' 11 as Ryan Graf came on for a 28-yard field goal. A chip shot.

Dan Skipper, all 6-foot-10 of him, leaped from the middle of the defensive front on the kick and got a paw on the attempt. The ball skittered away, Arkansas took over and Allen took a knee, opting for overtime.

That left things to Allen.

His touchdown passes went to Hatcher, Jeremy Sprinkle and Drew Morgan. He took Arkansas to a 20-7 lead when he found Morgan on the edge of the end zone with 4:27 left in the third quarter. Everything over the next 15 minutes stalled, however, and Hill led TCU back.

Three straight TCU drives ended with touchdowns. Hill took TCU 80 yards, 50 yards and another 50 yards. He was mediocre for three quarters. He threw a lot, 29 of 44 for 236 yards, but he had no touchdowns and had thrown a pick-six. With his team down 20-7, Hill, in his first year as TCU starter after transferring from College Station, was 5 for 8 for 146 yards in the fourth quarter. He had 44 yards on seven carries in the fourth, too.

Under normal circumstances, the second TCU scoring drive would not have given the Frogs a lead. Cole Hedlund hit the right upright on a 22-yard field goal attempt just ahead of TCU's seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. TCU sent no one at Hedlund. All the Frogs defenders stood there, only a couple bothered to put their hands up.

Clang.

Hill ran for 10, threw for 57 and ran for 1, the shorty a touchdown around the right side. The Razorbacks subsequently went threeand- out and after a 34-yard punt return, TCU took over at midfield. Hill struck again. On the first play of the drive, Brooks Ellis lost his receiver on a double move over the middle. Turpin ran about eight yards and stopped. Ellis' feet got stuck in the ground and the 5-foot-8 wideout took off again, finding himself open down the seam. Hill threw the ball to him and Kyle Hicks followed immediately with a sevenyard touchdown run. The white shirts in the stadium, part of TCU's White Out, went berserk.

TCU had given Allen and company chance after chance with Arkansas taking moderate advantage.

The Horned Frogs were not just error-prone, but costly at all the wrong moments for three quarters. In the first half alone, TCU lost a fumble inside the Arkansas 10. Hill threw a pick-six to Ellis. The team committed nine penalties for 95 yards, two of those flags called back first downs and stalled drives, leading to punts.

It was untimed plays that meant the most, though, and Arkansas outshone its toughest nonconference opponent of the season.

From Eric W. Bolin