OXFORD, Miss. – Ninth-ranked Arkansas scored 29 unanswered points to erase a three-possession deficit, then held on late for a 29-24 road win over Ole Miss.
The Razorbacks trailed 17-0 midway through the second quarter, but rallied for their third consecutive win in front of an announced crowd of 57,951 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“I think our team really showed a lot of heart, a lot of character, a lot of toughness,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “We had excellent leadership from our players. They were positive. They were excited that we were going to find a way to win the game.”
The Hogs got off to a poor start again. Arkansas faced its third double-digit halftime deficit in four games, trailing 17-7.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure we don’t do this again,” Petrino said.
The Razorbacks (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) came roaring back, though, taking a 24-17 lead on junior quarterback Tyler Wilson’s 1-yard touchdown sneak with three minutes left in the third quarter, completing the Hogs’ comeback.
“I was very happy with the way our team responded,” Petrino said. “You saw the energy of the players.”
Arkansas extended its lead to 29-17 on Zach Hocker’s 23-yard field goal with 11:31 remaining, but the Rebels made it a game late.
Ole Miss junior quarterback Randall Mackey ran for two fourth-down conversions, then found freshman receiver Donte Moncrief for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:23 remaining, pulling the Rebels within 29-24.
Ole Miss then recovered the ensuing onside kick on its own 43, but Mackey was intercepted by Razorbacks sophomore safety Eric Bennett two plays later to seal the Hogs’ win.
“When you looked at the board and saw the difference in the game, you worry,” Petrino said. “You play the scenarios out in your mind and you’re definitely worried about it. If we would have gotten a stop there we would have been able to run out the clock. Then there was a tremendous onside kick. I don’t know if I’ve seen one that good before.”
Arkansas was sparked by junior running back Dennis Johnson. The 5-foot-9, 213-pounder ran for a career-high 160 yards on 15 carries after entering the game with 113 yards in four games this season.
“I kind of had a feeling he would have a good game,” offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. “He had that look in his eye all week.”
Johnson’s 52-yard touchdown run on a third-and-13 draw play got the Razorbacks on the board with 5:11 remaining in the first half.
“I was just trying to bring up the team,” Johnson said. “I think that set the spark. It was supposed to pop like that.”
Hogs junior quarterback Tyler Wilson struggled at times, starting 9 of 22 and missing receivers on deep throws. He completed 4 of 6 passes to end the game, including 37-and 67-yard passes to senior receiver Joe Adams, both setting up 1-yard Wilson touchdown sneaks.
“I expect Tyler to throw the ball at a high percentage every time, but it’s all about finding ways to win,” McGee said.
Arkansas’ defense struggled mightily in the first half.
Ole Miss has 250 yards of total offense at halftime, almost equaling its 251.3 season average. The No. 11 offense in the SEC controlled the ball in the first half, beating Arkansas to the edges and had more than 22 minutes of possession time.
“Our coaches did a good job with (adjustments),” Petrino said. “We shut down some of the things they were doing in the first half and our players tackled better.”