Arkansas Post-Game: By the Numbers

The rain has subsided, but the glow from a 48-point victory over our newest oldest rival has not. This was one of those games that just got more and more perfect as time went on. It seems as though we've been on the receiving end of games like this for so long that it was at first unfamiliar to deal with as we began to pile onto our lead in the second half, but there it was. This won't be a play-by-play analysis, but instead a breakdown by the numbers.

1.

Number of questionable throws by Johnny. It came on his very first attempt, and it should have been intercepted by the Arkansas linebacker in the flat. Instead, it was deflected and caught by Ryan Swope. This pretty much set the tone for how the game would turn out. It's also the number of perfect blocks thrown by Ben Malena. On our second possession, Kingsbury called a QB counter play that worked to perfection because of Ben's vision.

2.

Number of interceptions by Steven Terrell. Having been mainly a role player coming into this game, this was a huge contribution from him. The 58 yards in return yardage he managed to pick up didn't hurt our performance either.

3.

Touchdown passes thrown by Johnny. They all manage to be memorable, somehow. The first one to Evans was the result of some backfield scrambling that caused Andre Ware to evoke a Doug Flutie comparison in the booth. The second was a precise swing pass to Ben Malena, and the third was the perfectly-set up pump fake deep bomb to Swope right before halftime. The vertical passing game had been lacking so far, but Johnny showed us on that play that he's not afraid of slinging it.

4.

Fumbles forced by the defense. It was rainy, and it was trash time, but this number really jumped out for me. These guys are being coached to strip the ball or put their helmet on it and it's paying off. One of the fumbles led directly to a touchdown by Tremain Jacobs, and another almost went the same way if Dustin Harris had been able to scoop it up cleanly.

5.

Career touchdowns against Arkansas by Christine Michael. Even if he wasn't starting, he still found a way to hurt the Hogs with another TD on the ground. Yesterday brought his four-year career total yardage against the Hogs up to 380 with a 5.7 YPC average.

6.

Catches by Mike Evans. He continues to work really hard on the outside while showcasing his size and athletic ability. He picked up another 83 yards and his first TD catch. It's becoming pretty clear that he's one of Johnny's favorite targets, and it should be a lot of fun watching the two of them play pitch and catch for the next four seasons.

7.

Knile Davis' jersey number. He burned us bad on the Hogs' only touchdown off of a swing pass, and why he did not get more touches is a mystery. He's the most talented player on the Arkansas team, and Coach Smith is going to need to ride him hard if he wants to somehow get to six wins and a bowl game.

8.

Number of dates that Johnny Manziel has created after rescuing an innocent kitten from the dangerous traffic of Wellborn Road this week. Keep up the good work, Johnny. You do Kerrville proud.

9.

Third downs converted by Arkansas. Out of 22. This number matched the combined total for our first three opponents, which means that on the year we've allowed 18 conversions on 68 attempts, including two SEC opponents. That's 26%. If you happen to see Mark Snyder, please buy him a cup of coffee or shake his hand.

10.

Number of times Andre Ware compared Manziel to Doug Flutie on the SEC Network. That's cool and all, but does everyone have to be someone? Can't you just let the guy be himself and see if he's good enough to where maybe you compare people to him in a few years? Your need to categorize things really disturbs me, Andre Ware. You should try to curtail that.

11.

The volume at Kyle Field when we put a severe beating down on our new oldest conference rival.