Ryan Mallett's Costly Blunders Devastate Arkansas

This could have been the biggest upset on the year in college football, and because Arkansas is the emergence on turf, as a beautiful story in the game, an upset was brewing. So now, as quickly as the Razorbacks had the top-ranked team in the nation, the dark horses fall out of bowl contention when all Arkansas needed was a thrilling win over Alabama.

And so it ends with a surprise, although it really wasn’t a surprise to watch the Razorbacks fall. During kickoff, the lively crowd was electric and believed that every conceivable element, from a high-powered offense to the rifle-armed pocket passer Ryan Mallett to a frenzy erupting early in the venue to the strong confidence, were well-equipped to stun Nick Saban and Alabama. If nothing else, the Razorbacks are the social consciousness in a town, where the masses occupy a craze on Saturdays and traditionally admire a sport we truly idolize.

This might have been, in sense, the game Arkansas needed to win in order to protect its national title bid and be proclaimed as prime contenders. The delusional belief almost happened with the mania increasingly rising in Fayetteville, where rabid supporters wearing seas of red were rambunctious on the opening drive, of course, coming on the first play when Mallett corralled a high snap and hurled a 31-yard pass to Jairus Wright.

Had it not been for Alabama’s blown assignment on defense that allowed Mallett to follow with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Wingo Jr., then Arkansas would have had a harder task scoring on the first drive. It turns out, the Razorbacks are immensely talented, but couldn’t survive in the end to cap arguably the most dazzling upset, as Alabama survived a 24-20 win. It was a bit shocking that Wingo raced out of the backfield uncovered and untouched on an eye-opening drive to boost momentum.

By halftime, Mallett had his team in position to pull off the improbable and delight a record home crowd of 76,808. The atmosphere was solemn and tense, until the impressive drive materialized and forced the spiritual crowd to wildly erupt. The startling notion of the Razorbacks possibly winning, simply felt rational and believable. In the case of the uncertainty and prodigy, it figured that the Razorbacks were capable of smearing ‘Bama’s national title hopes, it figured that they were mentally built to disrupt the mindsets of a dominant football program, and it figured that they were poise to encounter a challenging matchup.


The problem isn’t what happened, though. The problem is that the Razorbacks had the Crimson Tide. The fact is, Ar-Kansas almost secured a win and stayed unbeaten in a way to mount into bowl contention. For now, however, the nation is already convinced Mallett is a frontrunner in the Heisman campaign, a favorable candidate by judging his powerful arm and his ability to lead a high-powered offense. Even though he has the components of franchise quarterback, even though he is the factor on why the Razorbacks are a compelling team, and even though he is NFL-ready, he still has flaws for his inconsistent throwing mechanics.

And clearly, his miscues so badly cost Arkansas a chance of mounting into the BCS picture on a night the state was initially ready to launch a party into the wee hours. It has been since 1969 for which fans have waited for a game with plenty of implications, and a pivotal showdown so immense. At last, the Razorbacks had a shot a of redemption with a 13 point lead in the second half, but all of the sudden, turned complacent and stumbled in the middle of an onslaught against a composed and balanced Crimson Tide. So, he wasn’t exactly flawless, but almost led the team to a triumphant moment and honestly almost heightened his Heisman status.

There was plenty on the line in this contest, with much to prove as a redemptive tale almost wrote a gratifying ending, but he faltered with much at stake. Just like that, he gaffed of what might have been his sweetest win in his collegiate career. With all this, he is still one of the most admirable quarterbacks in the game today, if not the greatest with his incredible arm strength and athleticism. In the end, Arkansas blew a 20-7 third-quarter lead, to painfully doom an optimistic program and leave a large population disappointed.

In the end, he unraveled and gently committed miscues, happening at a moment when he is projected to be a top pick in the draft, and happening at a moment when the Razorbacks were elite in the SEC, evidently tough enough to send Alabama home teary-eyed, depraved of sustaining back-to-back joy. Much to the chagrin of disillusioned fans, the Razorbacks weren’t able to survive a sizable comeback as moments became painful and excruciating.

The dream of becoming BCS elite faded out of the equation in a game that was supposed to regard a stable program with tremendous talent. Undoubtedly, this was the biggest game in history, just as much as it was the biggest letdown. On his aerial blunders, he overthrew his intended receiver for an interception that lead to two interceptions, and doomed the state of a revival football program. For a moment there, it looked as if the game plan Arkansas had exploited would benefit in their favor.


Even if he threw for 250 yards, he fell short and was eclipsed by the Tides’ brutal rushing attack of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. See, in the first half, Alabama abandoned its running game and showcased aerial deficiencies. The rare blemishes of turnovers were costly for the Tide. It was a rarity to see Greg McElroy have first-half miscues, throwing picks on consecutive first-half possessions that gave Arkansas decent field position to gain a 17-7 lead.

But the brand of Alabama is the lethal running game, a clear understatement and underestimating trend. The savoir on a day it seemed the Tide were vulnerable of a collapse was Ingram. Clearly, he had a 54-yard first-half run touchdown run and stiff-armed two defenders down the sideline, and ran for a remarkable 157 yards on 24carries. His dynamic duo, Richardson, compiled 85 yards on just eight touches. But he had the highlight play of the game, when Alabama picked off Mallett to take over at the 12-yard line.

Losing so agonizingly is a heartbreaker for a state that has been waiting for overjoyed moments and dazzling endings. This was very stunning and upsetting to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, who had his players prepared for a defining game. This was a major blow to an entire state and town.

This one will hurt for a while.

Heisman Watch: Although the Competition is Fierce, Vote for Ingram

Oh, the most joyous of days is quickly looming, and a moment doesn’t pass without college football lords discussing the next athlete worthy of the stiff-armed statue. The Heisman race is so intense, occupying the average person’s heart with suspense of which candidate is worthy of hoisting the most special prize in all of sports.

In recent memory—since writing on The Watch —no race has been viewed as tight and tense as the one we have this year. But when several players transcend the culture of college football over the course of a 12-game season, the Heisman presentation becomes must-see television.

What we do know is, that someone will accept the Heisman inside the Radio City Music Hall in New York. If most are unsure of the most deserving athlete, allow me to share my vote on which candidate should be hoisting the Heisman come this weekend.

Rarely, the game worships a tailback as explosive and fiery as Alabama's Mark Ingram. He gets my vote. End of discussion. However last year, at this time, we had spoken prematurely.


I myself even spoke too soon, forecasting that Florida’s Tim Tebow would obtain the honors. In two days, someone’s name inside the envelope could stun us all on Saturday evening. But the truth is, the Southern Eastern Conference had the studs of the year, unless you’re delusional or dislike an abysmal conference.

Armed with tremendous speed, Ingram is excluded from the Heisman picture. Let’s not be cynical by refusing to acknowledge Ingram’s consistency, which helped bolster the offense of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Come on, he’s an essential part on why they maintained leverage and were potent in the SEC Championship Game, a game in which Ingram had a usual performance, accounting for 175 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-13 demolition of Florida.

From there, of course, the Tide reformed into a perennial contender, with the star running back contributing throughout the course of the season. He exemplifies greatness and he has improved mightily from last year, when the Tide finished just shy of a national title appearance.


But this year they have reached the National Championship Game, thanks in large part to the contributions of Ingram. With such a menacing ground attack, the Tide prevailed to reach new heights. I wonder how much of a difference it would’ve been for the Tide if Ingram didn’t post career numbers, which included 1,500 plus yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.

But trust me, he wouldn’t be among the nominees.

There is, believe it or not, high regarded stars and future NFL prospects, all eligible to take home the stiff-arm statue. Because most have given the spotlight to Tebow, he’s favorable to pull off the historic win. In a four year span, he has been invited three consecutive times. No other player has ever been invited three times in a row.

Tebow almost came close to winning it twice, and he try again to become the second player in history, in the company of Archie Griffin, to win the illustrious award twice. His religious beliefs, charitable work, and refusal to leave the campus behind in Gainesville was all it took for the Gators to have large crowds and for Tebow to be cherished.

Despite losing his final game as a Gator, he still can account for a myriad of votes. The passion and intensity Tebow brings to the field are traces of etiquette, in which his inspirational leadership defines sportsmanship. As a result, his unselfishness almost led Florida to its third national title in four years.

However, for the first time in a long time, the Gators finally lost a game. They had won 22 straight ever since his emotionally speech when he apologized for the disappointing loss to Ole Miss.

Although Tebow has won it once, he can win it again. Logic is, a tailback is likely to win, unless Texas’ Colt McCoy is called. However, the typical Longhorns fan residing in Austin still misses Vince Young, the explosive quarterback who led the Longhorns to a stunning and electrifying victory over USC in the 2005 title game.

Never losing out much, coach Mack Brown specializes in grooming quarterbacks within an effective shotgun format. Within the last two seasons, McCoy has conducted the Longhorns, who have been one of the top teams in the nation.


Mind you, it’s not his impressive pass on the shore of Lake Whitney, where he connected with roommate and top receiver Jordan Shipley, who sat on the rear of a boat along with Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones and caught an accurate throw from McCoy. But McCoy has thrown for 3,512 yards, completed more than 70 percent of his passes, and is the team’s second best rusher.

On the downside, he struggled in the first half of the season. Remember, he barely survived arch-rivals Oklahoma and almost stumbled against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game. When a team suddenly breaks down a bit, automatically you assume McCoy is not worthy of winning the Heisman.

Judging by his last game, the numbers have plunged and even though the senior was only a runner-up a year ago, 12 interceptions may not be innocuous if other talented names had more of a consistent year. I’m sure most have forgotten or plain just doesn’t care.


Either way, being aware of a sleeper is always a good practice. I have Stanford’s prolific tailback Toby Gerhart as a sleeper, though I don’t believe he’ll win. Described as a “warrior” by Stanford’s head coach Jim Harbaugh, Gerhart could be mistaken for a bulldozing linebacker weighing in at 235 pounds. Wow. Has he ever considered wrestling?

But his motions tell us different, ranking second in the nation in rushing and first in scoring touchdowns. In the last four games, he averaged 29 carries and 185.5 yards per game.

On the other hand, defense does win games. So shouldn’t defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska win?

But back to Ingram.

There’s no player in the nation as gifted or who is a better offensive weapon in the game. There’s no player as dominant as Ingram. For the gamblers betting on the outcome, the best advice I could give them is bet on the quickest tailback in the nation. There’s no doubt in my mind. He gets my vote.

Yes, assumptions are the platform of all insightful notions. And indeed, it seemingly is nothing wrong with giving a prediction on your Heisman winner.

America—Vote 4 Ingram!

Validated: Alabama Is Title Worthy

For the first time ever, at least from what I can remember, Tim Tebow broke down mentally and dripped tears before thousands at the Georgia Dome, where you couldn’t argue it was an electric, national title atmosphere.

The Florida Gators encountered an interesting challenge, a rigid matchup against a superior opponent, and Alabama bombarded the well-balanced villains of the Southern Eastern Conference.

Instantly, it smeared a potential dream of creating a historic finish in NCAA history. It smeared an inconceivable dynasty built on Tebow’s inspirational leadership and unparalleled sprints, stiff-arms and jump passes. Of course, the country such as ESPN’s College Gameday analysts Lee Corso or Kirk Herbstriet, predicted the Gators are victorious crusaders.

This country had forgotten about a potent and dynamic program in the same conference. This country paid less attention to an entire state, which admires football and spends their average Saturday afternoon’s rooting on a systematic program, brilliantly built by Coach Nick Saban.

That would be the Alabama Crimson Tide, a robust program aiming for a national title amid their endeavor. It earned hype as the biggest SEC showdown in conference history, simply for the two powerhouse teams that define college football.

Without Florida-‘Bama in a fray, the game is dull and the BCS system suddenly becomes elusive. If there’s no Florida-‘Bama, there isn’t a point for having a conversation on football.

For a few years now, it has been interesting watching the SEC as the Deep South kept us guessing and produced action-packed, high-powered excitement. Before our very eyes, Florida is no longer as threatening or powerful. Instead, the boys from Sweet Home Alabama have convenient tools to win the national title next month.

After pounding the Gators, not allowing fans to perform the Gator Chomp gestures, emotions flared in an unusual way. Instead, shedding tears indicated agony as a reign many were accustomed to suddenly ceased. Dating back to last season when a distraught Tebow emotionally apologized and promised to fans following a disappointing loss to Mississippi, consecutive losses weren’t much of a concern, until the Gators finally saw triumph perish.

However, the Tide finally avenged their upsetting loss a year ago against the Gators, which cost a national title berth. Getting used to a well-balanced program isn’t as bad as it seems. Yet, Tebow won’t arrive to perform his erratic jump passes or another remarkable finish, Alabama has similarities with a relentless rush attack engaged to confront amid an onslaught all times on turf. Such as playing the Gators, when almost every possession was blown sprints, spins, stiff-arms, and blistering speed of tailback Mark Ingram.

His three touchdown effort set a mental tone in the game, to whereas the Tide dominated until time expired and emerged a celebration. Of course, a delirious Alabama crowd embraced a spirited moment, cheering on the boys from Sweet Home Alabama. In contrast, the Gators were throbbed in a 32-13 loss, and an inspirational tale came to a terminal in a game the religious and well-respected sports figure in the country dripped tears onto his eyeblack.

For the longest time, it took the longest yard for Alabama to reach a pinnacle most are accustomed to. Well, the program finally has a resembling coach of Bear Bryant. When Saban committed to take on a prestigious job in the country, he left behind a complex job at the pro level, signing an enormous deal to coach Alabama. This country criticized him, teased him, expressed anger for a well-known reputation of accepting jobs because of greed and riches.


But now, we can praise Saban for bringing tough-minded, charismatic leadership to this program. Besides dwelling on whether he left behind unfinished business to coach a program willing to throw in huge bucks, dwell on the fact he has revived a program.

Now, we can utter, he prepares kids for big games against huge opponents. If you notice, Alabama plays with tremendous urgency, heart and resiliency. During press conferences Saban emphasizes the point of remaining alert when facing any team.

If someone has grudges with Saban, it doesn’t matter much. Folks, in Alabama appreciate his ability to recruit top high school prospects. If he tries even more so, Saban could possess nearly every top prospect in the South.

Almost everyone knows Saban is experienced and has been around the game long enough to inspire a convincing core. As a result, the Tide are a victory away of renovating championship notability for the first time since winning it all in 1992.

If the Tide smeared a historic picture by manipulating and pummeling the Gators, same goes for the Texas Longhorns. Being denied of a historical finish is painful, especially if you are an upperclassman. And Tebow is a senior, in which it was agonizing missing out on a return to the national title game and trying departing with a bang.

From the bright side, Tebow accomplished something ordinary athletes couldn’t. He was named a Heisman winner, and hoisted the stiff-armed statue. Aside the individual awards, Tebow celebrated and hoisted memorable trophies such as the crystal football, winning three national titles.

Unfortunately, the Gators won’t win its third national title in four years, losing for the first time in 22 games. So now, Alabama will travel to Pasadena, not for roses but a national title game every team dreams to participate in.

With a chaotic BCS system, a team has to be near perfect if expecting to qualify for the final game. And the Tide are near perfect.


Rarely is there a team with complete depth, having its way against defending champs. Ingram ran faster than lighting, McElroy removed the saboteur label and now is an essential piece to Alabama’s championship beliefs.

Julio Jones, arguably the nation’s best wide receiver, was explosive and outran Florida’s defenders, catching an 18-yard touchdown pass on the first play from the line of scrimmage.

Another national title is out of the equation. Had the Gators won, they’d have been off to Pasadena. But instead, the losers earn a privilege to play in the Sugar Bowl, a BCS game with less prestige. As for Alabama, exalted winners will fulfill a dream and play for a national title.

Good luck, Texas. The Tide come in with a complete package, a package full of potential champs.