Head football coach Sylvester Croom praised the playmaking of Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones and blasted the officiating crew for missing plays Saturday afternoon after the Razorbacks escaped Scott Field with a 24-21 victory to keep their bowl hopes alive.
The 6-foot-6 Jones, who was suffering from a hamstring injury throughout the game, completed 18 of 27 passes for 215 yards. Jones helped the Hogs convert 10 of 19 third downs and three of six fourth downs.
“I’m glad I didn’t see him full speed,” Croom said, “because there’s no question that he was hampered today with that hamstring.”
Jones only rushed for 7 yards on four carries, but he wandered out of the pocket and found open receivers time after time.
“He was about 60 percent,” said Razorback head coach Houston Nutt. “Before the game we knew that he couldn’t rush. We just did not want it to get out and to give (State) a chance to know and plan for it.”
After applauding Jones’ performance, Croom hammered the officials.
One of his complaints came midway through the second half when Arkansas fumbled the ball along the MSU sideline. The Arkansas player was ruled down, although the Jumbo-Tron showed the ball pop out even before the player began falling to the ground.
“I want to know why we didn’t get the fumble (call),” Croom said. “We’re all standing right there and the ball comes out before he hits the ground, and we got the ball. Why is it not a fumble?”
Croom had already been angered just before halftime.
With 34 seconds left in the second quarter, Conner hooked up with McKinley Scott for a 49-yard completion, which officials marked out at the one-yard-line.
“When I caught (the pass) all I saw was the orange pylon and I think I ran across it,” Scott said. “Will Prosser said I got in, but I don’t really know.”
On first and goal the Bulldogs were flagged for a delay of game, backing them up to the 6-yard line.
On the next play, Jerious Norwood pulled in a pass from Conner and crashed out of bounds near the goal line.
Although the orange pylon, which marked the beginning corner of the end zone, was knocked over, the official spotted the ball inches from the goal line.
“I’m proud of our players because we fought against almost insurmountable odds,” Croom said. “We’ve been fighting uphill all year … very little, if anything, has gone our way the entire year. I’m not looking for anybody to hand us anything. I just want things to be even.”
With 19 seconds left, inches to go and no timeouts, Norwood took the handoff up the middle on a second and goal and got stuffed. Conner hurriedly got under center, but time ran out and Arkansas went in at the half with a 17-14 lead.
“I saw the signal (to spike the ball from the sideline),” Conner said after the game. “But the center couldn’t hear me because the crowd was loud, while I’m saying ‘Hut’ he was still holding on to the ball.”
Earlier, Conner had told Croom that he wasn’t able to hike the ball anyway because referee Jay Vines, who was standing over the ball, would not move.
“Omarr said (the official) wouldn’t get away from the ball,” Croom said. “He was not allowed to snap the football.”
Just after the goal line incident, Croom dashed after Vines on his way to the locker room and gave him a piece of his mind.
His players didn’t mind.
“We had to fight two teams…the refs and (Arkansas),” said senior running back Fred Reid.
The Dawgs had a sour taste on a day that had started so sweet.
State’s first two drives of the game covered 80 and 72 yards and ended in touchdowns. Conner was a combined perfect eight for eight for 120 yards on those two drives.
“He made some plays early just like our entire football team,” Croom said about Conner, who finished the game 20 of 27 for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback zipped a perfectly thrown ball to Tee Milons for the second touchdown of the game.
Before that, Norwood, who rushed for 109 yards on 23 carries, got the Bulldogs on the board first when he rolled into the end zone from four yards out.
Arkansas scored its first points after a 10-play, 55-yard drive ended in kicker Chris Balseiro’s career long 42-yard field goal.
On the next series the Bulldogs to punted for the first time in the game.
Arkansas then marched 76 yards on eight plays on the ensuing drive for their first touchdown of the game.
Jones completed passes of 20 and 44 yards to set up running back De’Arrius Howard’s two-yard touchdown run that pulled the Hogs within four points of State.
“He made some incredible throws,” Croom said of Jones. “He may not be the picture perfect guy, but he’ll play (in the NFL) because he knows how to win. He’s a winner.”
State failed to move the chains again.
Arkansas took advantage again. The Razorbacks’ next drive took over seven minutes and 18 snaps, before Jones plunged into the end zone from a yard out to give the Hogs their first lead of the game at 17-14.
On that drive Arkansas converted three fourth downs two from one yard and a third from three yards. Jones completed an 18-yard pass on third and 15 to continue the clock-eating drive.
The Bulldogs stopped the Razorbacks on a fourth and two from the MSU 31-yard line to open the second half, but State’s offense could not convert a third and two and Cook had to punt. The Bulldogs were five of 11 on third down conversions, while Arkansas converted 52 percent (13 of 25) of their third and fourth down tries. The Hogs attempted six fourth downs and converted three.
After MSU’s defense forced Arkansas to punt, the offense drove down to the Razorback 20-yard line. On a third and four, Norwood only picked up three yards and Keith Andrews came out to attempt a 37-yard field goal. Andrews’ kick was blocked by Elliot Harris and caught in mid-air by Pierre Brown, who returned it 76 yards for a touchdown.
“Any time you get a kick blocked for a touchdown you almost don’t deserve to win,” Croom said. “There’s no excuse for getting a field goal blocked.”
Croom went on to say the blocking and the flight of the kick were both poor.
The touchdown return was the only points allowed to Arkansas in the second half. After amassing 215 yards in the first half, the Hogs were held to 167 yards in the final two quarters.
Conner connected with tight end Eric Butler for a two-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs had one last breath when Darren Williams intercepted Jones on a fourth and four with 5:38 left to play. But the Arkansas defense held the Bulldogs to another three and out, ending any chance at an upset win for Mississippi State (3-7).
The Hogs ran out the remainder of the clock and bettered their record to 5-5 with a home game against LSU upcoming to decide if they will be bowling this year.
The Bulldogs will take on Mississippi in Oxford for the annual Egg Bowl at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Besides paying attention to scouting the Rebels, Croom might be paying the league this week.
“I know I’ll probably get fined. I’ll pay it, whatever it is,” an angry Croom said. “Because our kids are fighting hard and this is not the first time this has happened.”