FLORIDA 33, ARKANSAS 28: The Gators blow out the Razorbacks early, then get bailed out by a personal foul in the last two minutes to give them consecutive wins over ranked teams on the road.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published October 19, 2003
[AP photo]
Keiwan Ratliff is congratulated by fans after Florida defeated No. 11 Arkansas 33-28.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - One thing Florida fans will be able to say about the 2003 season is that there was never a dull moment.
Or a safe lead. Or a sure thing. Or a clear understanding of just what this team is capable of.
Two weeks ago, Florida fans swore this looked like one of the worst teams to ever play in orange and blue.
Today, the Gators (5-3, 2-2 SEC) enter a bye week after having defeated their second consecutive ranked conference opponent - on the road - and still in the hunt for the SEC East title and berth in the championship game.
Unranked Florida scored 33 consecutive points against No. 11 Arkansas then lapsed into a defensive funk and allowed the Razorbacks to score 21 consecutive before holding on for a 33-28 victory in front of 73,934 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Quarterback Chris Leak became the first freshman quarterback to win consecutive games for the Gators, and Ron Zook became the first Gator coach to lead teams to consecutive road victories against opponents ranked No. 11 or higher. "That was a little too much for my heart," senior linebacker Reid Fleming said as he left the field to the boos and taunts of Arkansas fans.
Zook said a 13-7 halftime lead wasn't enough because "Arkansas is one of the best comeback teams in the SEC."
Turns out, a 26-point lead nearly wasn't enough. "It became a lot more interesting than it needed to be," Zook said.
"They are the No. 11 team in the nation. And we told our guys it was going to be a 60-minute game, and it was."
After cornerback Keiwan Ratliff intercepted his third pass of the game and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown with 8:46 left, Florida led 33-7 lead and looked ready to cruise. But the same Arkansas team that came back from down 21 points during the second half to beat Alabama in overtime earlier this season made a run at the Gators.
During the final eight minutes, Arkansas scored on passes of 12 and 8 yards from quarterback Matt Jones to Richard Smith and 8 yards from Jones to Jason Peters.
But in the end, mistakes were the Razorbacks' undoing. Penalized 12 times for 118 yards, their most costly came when safety Tony Bua speared Leak in the head after he released the ball on third down. The penalty, with 1:08 left, negated an interception by Sam Olajubutu and all hopes of a comeback.
Florida then ran out the clock.
"To see the flag, it makes you want to go crawl in a hole somewhere," Bua said. "You know you're the most hated man in Arkansas right now."
The Florida defense that had held so well (Arkansas had 348 of its 529 yards of offense in three quarters but just seven points) began to allow big holes in the running game and Jones to pass at will.
Arkansas' scoring drives were 1:25, 56 seconds and 36 seconds. "We didn't let up. But we weren't making plays, and they were," safety Daryl Dixon said. "Sometimes, you have to give credit to the other guy, especially when it's the caliber of Arkansas. But we held them, and we got the win.
"And that's what counts."
While Florida struggled late, it flourished early. Leak finished 20-of-34 for a career-high 269 yards, completing passes to nine receivers. Florida gained 411 yards of total offense, 142 on the ground.
"This was a great win, a big win," Leak said. "It's awesome."
An offense that has been criticize for its short passes has opened up during the past two games. Saturday, receivers had receptions of 29, 33, 21 and 42 yards.
"We're trying to open things up a lot more," said tight end Ben Troupe, who had five catches for 53 yards.
"People think we just want to run then throw. But we balanced it out (Saturday)." Thanks in large part to sophomore Ciatrick Fason and redshirt freshman DeShawn Wynn, who combined for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the absence of injured senior Ran Carthon.
Fason scored on a 33-yard pass in the second quarter then gave Florida the momentum and a 19-7 lead with a 75-yard touchdown run on Florida's first possession of the second half. "It's starting to be my time," said Fason, who made his first start.
"I asked for an opportunity. Now I've got it, and I've got to do something with it."
Trailing 13-7 at halftime, the Razorbacks were forced to make adjustments when their top rusher, Cedric Cobbs, left the game with a pulled hamstring with three minutes left and did not return. He had 88 yards on 14 carries. Backup De'Arrius Howard also went out with an injury in the third quarter.
"It's a disappointing loss," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said, "very difficult to swallow."
