|
|
Arkansas takes show to Las Vegas
Associated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Arkansas Razorbacks' down and
dirty finish in the wet and cold earned them some December days in
Las Vegas.
On Sunday, Arkansas officially accepted an invitation to play
Nevada-Las Vegas (7-5). UNLV wrapped up a bid by beating Hawaii
34-32.
The trip to Las Vegas will be Arkansas' third straight bowl trip
under coach Houston Nutt and, maybe even more importantly, will
mean 15 extra practices for the young players and the redshirts.
Nutt said Sunday he was very excited about the Las Vegas game.
At one point, it appeared that the Pac-10 was going to trade
Arizona State for Vegas' at-large team, which apparently would have
been Arkansas. Such a deal would have put the Razorbacks in the
Oahu Bowl in Hawaii on Dec. 24, but that deal was never completed.
Oklahoma's 27-24 victory over Kansas State in the Big 12
championship game set the wheels in motion for the trip to Las
Vegas. If Kansas State had won, Arkansas would have been in line
for a trip to the galleryfurniture.com Bowl in Houston on Dec. 27.
Arkansas (6-5) became bowl-eligible by beating Mississippi State
17-10 in overtime at Starkville and LSU 14-3 in Little Rock. Both
the Bulldogs and the Tigers were nationally ranked at the time and
both had plenty of incentive.
The victories were even more remarkable considering that
Arkansas had lost four straight and had not won a Southeastern
Conference game on the road in more than two years. On top of that,
their 63-20 loss to Tennessee on Nov. 11 sent the media thumbing
through the school record book under points allowed.
Against Mississippi State, the Razorbacks trailed 10-0 and had
plenty of opportunities to quit. Brandon Holmes filled in for an
injured Fred Talley and made big yardage inside as the Razorbacks
rallied. He scored the tying touchdown and a touchdown in overtime
and then the defense came up with two big plays in OT.
Six days later, Quinton Caver returned an interception 33 yards
for a touchdown on LSU's first play and Richie Butler constantly
punted the Tigers into a hole. Robby Hampton's execution of a
fourth-and-4 pass to Richard Smith set up another Holmes touchdown
and secured the victory.
Arkansas officials said tickets for the Las Vegas game would
cost $50 each and would be available through the school ticket
office. In addition, the alumni association is expected to announce
some packages for fans.
|
|
|
|
|
