|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Ticker) -- Arkansas continues to treat former coach Lou Holtz rudely. Defensive end Carlos Hall blocked Daniel Weaver's 32-yard field goal with 48 seconds remaining as Arkansas knocked No. 9 South Carolina from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 10-7 Southeastern Conference victory. "I was disappointed in the way we played," Holtz said. "We haven't been able to get the pressure on the QB. Field position affected the game. The only time that we had good field position was when we had long kickoff returns. Losing happens. We had nine (actually 12) penalties." South Carolina (5-1, 4-1 SEC East), seeking its first 6-0 start since 1988, drove from its 20 to the Arkansas 10 in the final minutes, but a motion penalty stalled the drive. While Holtz beat Arkansas last season, he is winless in two visits to Little Rock since being named South Carolina coach in 1999. The Gamecocks suffered a 48-14 loss here two years ago. "I feel like I made good contact on the last kick," Weaver said. "I thought everything went well but things did not end up well. It felt like a clean hit and to be honest, I felt like I hit it better than the 35-yard extra point. There's no one to blame but myself." "It's a great feeling," Hall added. "The coaching staff did a great job and we really exexcuted. I just got behind our interior linemen and they got a big push. I just jumped and tried to find the flight of the ball." Current Arkansas coach Houston Nutt played quarterback for Holtz, who posted a 60-21-5 record as Razorbacks' coach from 1977-83. "I have awesome respect for coach Holtz and always get excited to play him," Nutt said. It was one of the biggest wins for Nutt, who has compiled a 26-16 mark in his three-plus seasons at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have had trouble scoring this season, managing just 46 points in its four conference games. But South Carolina ran into a fired-up Razorbacks' defense Saturday and trailed, 3-0, at halftime. "We beat the No. 9-ranked team in the country," Nutt said. "You have to love our heart. We've kept going, even with all the negativity." The Gamecocks took the lead, 7-3, on Corey Jenkins' 41-yard TD run with 11:56 remaining in the third quarter. But Arkansas (3-3, 1-3 West) grabbed a 10-7 lead on Zak Clark's 10-yard TD pass to Richard Smith with 4:25 remaining in the third period. Arkansas has won all 10 games it has played at War Memorial Stadium under Nutt. "There are ghosts in this stadium," he said. "Four years of not getting beat, that's really special. We have to thank our fans." South Carolina rushed for only 113 yards, while Phil Petty completed just 11-of-30 for 147 yards and two touchdowns. "We missed a lot of opportunities today," Petty said. "We have to become more consistent. It was one of those games where things weren't working." Pinned at the their 1, Petty appeared to give the Gamecocks, completing a 38-yard pass to Brian Scott on the penultimate play of the third quarter. But the drive eventually stalled at South Carolina punted after reaching the Arkansas 38. "We thought we had lost it when they got the big play on 3rd-and-long," Nutt said. Arkansas prevailed despite gaining only 224 yards. Clark completed only 8-of-20 for 62 yards, but Fred Talley rushed for 111 yards on 33 carries, his second straight game over the century mark. "I was really tired out there," he said. "The O-line did a great job of opening holes. I just knew I had to stick with it. This is going to turn our season around."
|
