FAYETTEVILLE -- Even more relentless than the 40-degree rain never ceasing, the Arkansas Razorbacks wore down and wore out the Missouri Tigers 28-3 in Friday's Southeastern Conference season finale at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Flogged for 51 points in last week's one-point loss to Mississippi State, Arkansas held Missouri to a field goal while holding the ball for 40 minutes, 15 seconds. Running back Alex Collins' 30 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns and Kody Walker's 14 tries for 77 yards and a scored helped the Hogs ground the Tigers' rock-yard defense into pebbles.
Arkansas led 21-3 at halftime on Collins' three touchdowns, Walker scoring in the third quarter.
The victory concludes the regular season for Bret Bielema's bowl-bound Razorbacks (7-5 overall, 5-3 SEC) while Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, retiring for health reasons, went out 5-7 and 1-7, respectively.
"With coach Pinkel, I'm very, very appreciative of everything he's brought to the game, and I want to wish him nothing but best as he moves forward," Bielema said. "We're with him in 100-percent support for us here at Arkansas."
Pinkel in turn extended "congratulations to Arkansas."
Bielema knew Arkansas' defense potentially could struggle more from the hangover of the 51-50 loss to Mississippi State than against Missouri's struggling offense long without suspended veteran quarterback Maty Mauk.
"I just didn't want Mississippi State to get us twice," Bielema said. "I thought our guys turned the page for last Saturday's gut-wrencher as well as you could."
So holding Mizzou to a field goal was ... "huge, huge, huge!," Bielema said. "I think we needed that. Robb (Smith, the defensive coordinator) needed that. Our defensive coaches, our players, probably our fans and everybody else needed to see that. Really excited, just the preparation to bounce back."
"Huge" also was the adjective supplied by junior linebacker Brooks Ellis for holding Mizzou to a field goal.
"We were stopping them the whole game," Ellis said. "They would make a couple of plays and get down there and then we would put out the fire."
For safety Rohan Gaines, one of 17 seniors suiting up for the last time at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, "It meant a lot."
"As seniors we went out right," Gaines said. "After last week's performance we had to bounce back from that one."
Against Mississippi State, the Razorbacks rushed for 73 yards on 29 carries while senior quarterback Brandon Allen passed for 408 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns.
In Friday's incessantly cold rain, Allen only attempted 17 passes, completing 11 for 102 yards while putting the ball in Collins' hands a career-high 30 times.
Collins laid it on the line, he said, only because his line laid it on the line.
"It was all the offensive line and the tight ends and receivers blocking," Collins said. "They got a great push. There were plays where we didn't get touched for four or five yards. We just buried our heads behind them. I credit them for every yard I've gotten. Without them blocking the right people, I would've had one yard."
Collins and Walker mostly netted Arkansas' 208 rushing yards against the SEC's third-ranked defense.
"They're a really good defense," Collins said. "They're always in the right spots, but we just did a good job of blocking them and making people miss when it was time to make them miss."
Senior left guard Sebastian Tretola said the line enjoyed sharing in Collins and Walker's glory, especially given the climate.
"The O-line," Tretola explained, "our shining light is when you look the guy in the eye and he knows what you are doing and you know what you are doing and you win that battle and I think we did that today."
Allen marveled the line had little unpredictability to help them. "Today there were situations where everybody knew we were going to run and they still got yards," he said.
"That's a huge testament to what they are doing. They are a tough, tough group of guys especially in this weather when it's easier for the defense to tee off."
Surprisingly, neither team lost a fumble with the wet ball while Allen and Mizzou freshman quarterback Drew Lock were both intercepted but once each.
Arkansas ' defense limited Lock's passing to 9 of 27 for 83 yard and the Tigers netted but 88 yards rushing.
Sports on 11/28/2015