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September 10, 2002
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Razorbacks defense made sure whatever jitters it had during its opener against Boise State were kept in check.
A 41-14 Arkansas victory Saturday looked easy and jitter-free because the defense forced six turnovers and consistently gave the offense a short field.
"I'll tell you what, now, it was fun to watch them because they were flying around," said defensive coordinator Dave Wommack, whose team hosts USF on Saturday night in Little Rock. "We really played for 31/2 quarters, but we didn't finish the game. I'd like to win the fourth quarter."
Junior linebacker Tony Bua was named the SEC's defensive player of the week for his performance.
Even Wommack's defense wasn't immune to a couple of hiccups, giving up two fourth-quarter touchdown passes. By that time the defense had done its job, creating scoring drives that started at the Arkansas 46, the Boise State 42 and the Broncos 30.
The special teams, despite a couple of miscues, did their part as well. Bo Mosley scored on a blocked punt and Brandon Holmes forced a fumble on a kickoff.
"When you get seven turnovers and you start the game off with special teams blocking a punt and getting the first points on the board, that's a great feeling," coach Houston Nutt said.
Quarterback Matt Jones played well in his first start, throwing three touchdowns.