Football: Allen, Razorbacks Grind Out 34-14 Win Over Ragin’ Cajuns

Brian McCann, 8/31/2013

Louisiana visits K-State next week in Manhattan

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brandon Allen threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and the duo of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins combined to rush for 282 yards and one score as Arkansas snapped Louisiana’s four-game win streak with a 34-14 decision in front of a crowd of 69,801 on Saturday at Reynolds Stadium.

"This is a disappointing outcome because we thought we’d compete a little better," head coach Mark Hudspeth said.  "We tried to stop what they do but weren’t able to stop what they don’t do.

"We knew that they were going to pound the ball at us with those running backs but we thought we’d do a better job against their passing game.  Unfortunately, we had to put so many guys in the box to try and stop the run that it kind of exposed our young secondary.

The Cajuns struggled to defend the run, as Williams picked up 151 yards on 18 carries while Collins carried 21 times for 131 yards as part of a 292-yard rushing game by the Razorbacks.

Louisiana quarterback Terrance Broadway experienced pressure from the Arkansas front line all afternoon.  He completed 15 of his 28 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown while being sacked three times and having one pass deflected in the backfield that was intercepted.

Alonzo Harris led the Cajun running game, carrying 10 times for 56 yards and a score while Broadway carried 13 times for minus one yard.

"I think the guys would like to get this one back," Hudspeth said.  "We had our opportunities in the game but didn’t complete them and Arkansas took advantage of everything.

"We knew that with as many new faces on the defense, there would be some growing pains so it is important to get back to practice on Sunday and get ready for Kansas State next week."

One area of concern entering the game that Hudspeth was pleased with was the play of the special teams, and especially punter Daniel Cadona.  Cadona, a native of Australia who had never played an organized game of football before today, kicked five times for a 43.6 yard average with one punt being downed at the Arkansas four and none of the kicks being returned.

"Daniel did a superb job this afternoon," Hudspeth said.  "We spent a lot of time on kicking this week and he really came through.  He hang time was outstanding.

"With the exception of the missed field goal, all of our special teams units played well.  We didn’t allow a kickoff to be returned all day and our coverages all around were good.  It is something good to build on," Hudspeth added.

Arkansas took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 11 plays, taking a 7-0 lead when Javontee Herndon caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Allen with 8:24 left in the opening quarter.

The Cajuns came right back, driving 66 yards and having a first and goal at the nine following a 10-yard run by Torrey Pierce, but the drive stalled and Stephen Brauchle’s 27-yard field goal attempt missed wide right.

Louisiana evened the game at 7-7 at the 13:58 mark of the second quarter when Alonzo Harris pounded it into the end zone from two yards out.  It was the 17th

The touchdown was set up by a 31-yard pass from Broadway to freshman Elijah McGuire that gave the Cajuns a first down at the Arkansas 2.  The catch came on the first play that the heralded freshman from Houma, La. Played in the game

Arkansas answered right back as Allen found Herndon open down the middle for a 49-yard touchdown pass with11:30 left in the quarter.

Zack Hocker connected on a pair of second quarter field goals to send the Razorbacks to the locker room with a 20-7 lead.  He converted a 22-yard field goal with 5:18 left in the half.  Arkansas had a first-and-goal at the Louisiana 5 before the Louisiana defense stiffened and forced the field goal attempt.

Hocker’s second kick was a 34-yard effort as time expired.

The Cajun defense forced the game’s first turnover when Trevence Patt stripped Hunter Henry of the ball and Cedrick Tillman recovered.

Two plays later, Broadway was hit and fumbled in the pocket with Arkansas recovering.  The Razorbacks took advantage of the miscue, driving 49 yards in six plays to take a 27-7 lead when Kiero Small caught a short pass from Allen and bulled his way into the end zone from 10 yards out with 8:39 left in the third quarter.

The Ragin’ Cajuns added a touchdown at the 6:20 mark when Jacob Maxwell caught an 11-yard strike from Broadway.  The score capped a 76-yard drive that included four catches for 55 yards by Maxwell, including a 13-yard grab on a fourth-and-four at the Arkansas 24 on the play before the touchdown.

Maxwell set career highs for catches (6) and yards (77) in the game.

Arkansas answered right back when Jonathan Williams reversed his field ion a sweep right and broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run at the 6:04 mark pushed the Arkansas lead to 34-14.

NOTES:

Louisiana captains for the game were Terrance Broadway and Andre Huval from the offense and Christian Ringo and Justin Anderson from the defense. . . the Cajuns came out wearing all white, helmets included, a first in the three seasons under Mark Hudspeth. . . weather at kickoff was 92 degrees with scattered clouds and a slight breeze from the north. But the on-field temperature was 118 degrees . . Sean Thomas made a surprise start at safety after practicing as a cornerback all fall, finishing with a career-high 13 tackles. . . Thomas’ previous best was a four-tackle effort last year at FIU. . . senior Justin Anderson, who led Louisiana with 105 tackles last year, started his season off right by setting his career-high with 14 tackles, surpassing his previous best of 12 at Troy last season. . . the Cajuns, who were second nationally last year by stopping opponents on 11 of their 14 fourth down attempts, held the Razorbacks on their only fourth down attempt in the game, a pass on a fourth-and-two at the UL 26 in the fourth quarter. . . redshirt freshman quarterback Brooks Haack was able to quarterback the final series for the Cajuns, completing two-of-three passes for 18 yards. . . the crowd of 69,801 was the 20th largest crowd to see Louisiana play on the road in school history and the most since 86,842 were at the Florida game last year.