ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS FOOTBALL
Arkansas Game Report
Arkansas scores 17 in the fourth to upset #16 Utah
Rice-Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah - Ryan Silverfield earned the biggest win of his young Arkansas tenure Saturday afternoon, as the Razorbacks stormed back with 17 unanswered fourth-quarter points to stun No. 16 Utah, 17-12, at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Arkansas struggled to find offensive rhythm for much of the afternoon against a physical Utah defense. The Utes controlled the first three quarters behind the arm of Devon Dampier, who completed 23 of 33 passes for 212 yards, while kicker Dillon Curtis connected on field goals from 28 and 20 yards before Daniel Bray's one-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave Utah a 12-0 advantage.
Despite being shut out through 45 minutes, the Razorbacks never panicked.
Max Gilbert finally put Arkansas on the board with a 44-yard field goal with 8:40 remaining, providing a spark that completely shifted the momentum. The Razorback defense immediately responded with another stop, allowing the offense to lean on its ground game.
Braylen Russell capped the next drive with a three-yard touchdown run to pull Arkansas within two points with 3:45 to play. After another defensive stand, Arkansas marched down the field one final time, and Sutton Smith powered in from four yards out with 1:17 remaining to complete the remarkable comeback. The scoring drive was sparked by a 42 yard catch and run by Chris Marshall that set Arkansas up at the Utah 32 yard line, allowing the Razorbacks to lean on Sutton Smith and Braylen Russell to set up the score.
Smith carried the offense throughout the afternoon, rushing 16 times for 103 yards and the game-winning touchdown while also adding three receptions for 22 yards. Russell chipped in 43 rushing yards and a score as Arkansas finished with 131 rushing yards, wearing down the Utah front late in the contest.
Quarterback KJ Jackson finished 13-of-26 for 129 yards, with AJ Hill completing his lone pass for four yards, filling in for Jackson who missed a few plays with an undisclosed injury.
While Arkansas managed just 264 yards of offense, the Razorback defense turned in its best performance of the season, holding Utah without a touchdown until late in the third quarter and completely shutting down the Utes in the fourth. Christian Harrison and Miguel Mitchell each recorded seven tackles, while Shelton Lewis and Quincy Rhodes Jr. combined for five tackles for loss and a sack.
Utah outgained Arkansas 357-326 and held the ball longer, but the Razorbacks were the more efficient team when it mattered most. Arkansas converted 8-of-16 third downs, scored touchdowns on both of its red-zone trips, and committed no turnovers in the upset victory.
The win moves Arkansas to 2-0 under Davis and immediately gives the Razorbacks one of the SEC's signature non-conference victories, knocking off a ranked Utah team in one of the nation's toughest road environments. It also serves notice that Davis' physical, defense-first formula may already be taking hold in Fayetteville.
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER
UTAH — Dillon Curtis 28-yard FG, 1:11
SECOND QUARTER
UTAH — Dillon Curtis 20-yard FG, 5:01
THIRD QUARTER
UTAH — Daniel Bray 1-yard run (2-point conversion failed), 2:34
FOURTH QUARTER
ARK — Max Gilbert 44-yard FG, 8:40
ARK — Braylen Russell 3-yard run (Max Gilbert kick), 3:45
ARK — Sutton Smith 4-yard run (Max Gilbert kick), 1:17
Arkansas Stat Leaders
Passing
K. Jackson – 13/26 129 Yds
A. Hill – 1/1 4 Yds
Rushing
S. Smith – 16 Car 103 Yds 1 TD
B. Russell – 12 Car 43 Yds 1 TD
Receiving
C. Marshall – 2 Rec 42 Yds
J. Hawkins – 3 Rec 29 Yds
S. Smith – 3 Rec 22 Yds
D. Faupel – 3 Rec 20 Yds
Defense
C. Harrison – 7 Tkl 1 TFL
M. Mitchell – 7 Tkl
S. Lewis – 4 Tkl 2 TFL 0.5 Sck
Q. Rhodes Jr – 4 Tkl 3 TFL 0.5 Sck
Special Teams
M. Gilbert – 1/2 FG, 2/2 XP
G. Rush – 4 PT 187 Yds
C. Brown – 1 KR 28 Yds 3 PR 34 Yds
Utah Stat Leaders
Passing
D. Dampier – 23/33 212 Yds
Rushing
W. Parker – 11 Car 64 Yds
D. Dampier – 9 Car 14 Yds
Receiving
B. Pegan – 5 Rec 64 Yds
K. Shoels – 6 Rec 63 Yds
C. Whittemore – 5 Rec 48 Yds
W. Parker – 4 Rec 18 Yds
Defense
J. Hall – 9 Tkl
J. Bennee – 8 Tkl
C. Polu – 7 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Sack
E. Davis – 7 Tkl
E. Reed – 5 Tkl
R. Evans – 4 Tkl
J. Chenault – 3 Tkl 1 TFL
P. Fitzgerald – 3 Tkl 1 TFL
K. Kaufusi – 3 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Sack
Special Teams
O. Phillips – 5 PT 221 Yds
D. Curtis – 2/2 FG
R. Johnson – 1 KR 32 Yds
C. Whittemore – 1 KR 20 Yds, 1 PR 9 Yds
| Team Stats | Utah | Arkansas |
|---|
| Score | 12 | 17 |
| First Downs | 16 | 15 |
| Total Offense | 296 | 264 |
| Total Plays | 59 | 60 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.0 | 4.4 |
| Rushes | Yards | TDs | 26 | 84 | 1 | 33 | 131 | 2 |
| Yards Per Rush | 3.2 | 4.0 |
| Comp | Att | TDs | 23 | 33 | 0 | 14 | 27 | 0 |
| Passing Yards | 212 | 133 |
| Yards Per Pass | 6.4 | 4.9 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 3 | 12 (25%) | 8 | 16 (50%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 2 | 2 (100%) | 1 | 2 (50%) |
| 2-Point Conv. | 0 | 1 (0%) | 0 | 0 (0%) |
| Red Zone TD | FG | % | 1 | 2 | 100% | 2 | 0 | 100% |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| PR Yards | 9 | 34 |
| KR Yards | 52 | 28 |
| Total Yards | 357 | 326 |
| Punt Average | 44.2 | 46.8 |
| Penalties | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
