Arkansas rallies, avoids upset again

LITTLE ROCK -- Casey Dick faked a handoff and dropped back to throw a bold call on fourth-and-1.

As the pass rush closed in, Dick lobbed a deep pass over the middle, and freshman Chris Gragg came down with his first collegiate reception.

``I was the only receiver going downfield,'' Gragg said. ``I was just thinking, 'Go get it.'''

Dick's 25-yard pass to Gragg kept Arkansas' last-ditch drive alive, and his 8-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Williams moments later gave the Razorbacks a 28-27 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday night. The Hogs trailed 24-6 in the third quarter, but for the second straight week, they rallied to avoid a major upset.

And for the second straight week, they converted on fourth down with the game on the line. In the season opener, Arkansas beat Western Illinois 28-24 thanks to a key fourth-down pass on the winning drive.

``We are a team that never gives up,'' Dick said. ``We had some guys that stepped up and made some big plays for us.''

Dick's winning touchdown pass came with 1:22 remaining, but the Razorbacks (2-0) had to withstand one final drive by gutsy Louisiana-Monroe. Kinsmon Lancaster completed passes of 27 and 12 yards to Anthony McCall, but the Warhawks (0-2) eventually stalled and Jeremy Gener missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the final minute.

``They deserved to win it in the fourth quarter,'' Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie said. ``They won it last week in the fourth and that makes it easier for them to believe.''

Louisiana-Monroe lost to Auburn 34-0 in its opener, but the Warhawks shocked Alabama in November and nearly took out another Southeastern Conference team in Little Rock. Lancaster found McCall for a 33-yard touchdown strike early in the third quarter, and Gary Frazier's 1-yard scoring run made it 24-6. Dick answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Williams, then threw to Williams for a 2-point conversion.

Gener's 40-yard field goal gave the Warhawks a 27-14 advantage, but Dick found Williams over the middle for a 76-yard catch-and-run, the longest pass of the senior quarterback's career. Michael Smith scored on a 4-yard run on the next play, and just like that it was 27-21 with 12:19 to play in the game.

The winning drive began at the Arkansas 21 with 4:24 to play. The Razorbacks were stuffed on a fourth-down run earlier in the second half, so when fourth-and-short came up again, coach Bobby Petrino figured they might as well throw.

``We know Petrino will do stuff like that,'' Weatherbie said. ``He's a riverboat gambler, so to speak, and it was a great call.''

Dick was nearly hit before he could throw, but the pass made it to Gragg, giving Arkansas the ball at the 7.

Smith rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He was back in the lineup for Arkansas after being suspended for the opener.

Smith rushed for 121 yards in the first half, but the Razorbacks trailed 10-6 after two quarters thanks to an abysmal stretch by Arkansas' special teams. Alex Tejada missed field goals of 45 and 25 yards in the first quarter, then missed an extra point early in the second. After missing the extra point, Tejada was called for delay of game on the ensuing kickoff and then kicked the ball out of bounds, giving Louisiana-Monroe the ball at its 45.

``Alex had great practices this week,'' Petrino said. ``I don't think he missed a single field goal in practice. He needs to come back next week and get back some of his confidence.''

The Warhawks took a 7-6 lead on a 1-yard pass from Lancaster to McCall. On Arkansas' next possession, McCall blocked a punt, and Louisiana-Monroe took over at the Arkansas 21. Gener's 20-yard field goal made it 10-6.

On the next kickoff, Arkansas freshman Dennis Johnson caught the ball next to the sideline at the 1, then accidentally stepped out of bounds at his own 5 as he ran up the field.

Shay Haddock took over for Tejada on extra points and made two in the fourth quarter including the one that provided the winning margin.

Petrino was hired in December as Arkansas' coach, and he faces a bit of a rebuilding project after the Razorbacks lost running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to the NFL. Dick went 22-of-34 for 323 yards and two touchdowns, and Williams caught five passes for 124 yards.

Lancaster was 23-of-39 for 270 yards and two touchdowns. McCall caught six passes for 125 yards.

Arkansas was cheered on by a home crowd at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium, but the Razorbacks were technically the visitors under an agreement that allowed Louisiana-Monroe to count the game's attendance of 55,048.

Arkansas travels to play rival Texas next weekend, the start of a four-game stretch that also includes matchups with Alabama, Florida and Auburn.

``One to nothing is a win,'' Petrino said. ``We won 28-27. We're 2-0. We're where we needed to be going in to this Texas game, but we need to certainly improve and get a lot better with this schedule we've got coming up.''