Red defeats White in Spring game 49-21

The University of Arkansas football team closed its spring Saturday night as the Red team defeated the White team, 49-21, in front of a crowd of 30,000 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. “I think we played faster than last year,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “When you know what you are doing, you get to execute and play with more speed. I thought both Ryan (Mallett) and Tyler (Wilson) showed they could run the ball and execute in the passing game. They have to continue to work hard in the run game, so we are precise in what we do.” Mallett was 15-of-26 for 233 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the red team. Wilson, who spent time with both units, was a combined 23-of-36 for 301 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Wide receivers Jarius Wright and Joe Adams both had seven catches and went over 100 yards (125, Wright; 118 Adams). Jerry Franklin led the red team defense with seven tackles, including one for a loss. Alfred Davis had six tackles and a sack to guide the white team, while Matt Harris, Tramain Thomas and Wendel Davis all had interceptions. Tailback De’Anthony Curtis scored the first and last points of the contest on rushing touchdowns for the red team. His first touchdown, a 55-yard run, came with 14:09 left in the first quarter, his last a 24-yard rush came with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Curtis led the team in rushing, carrying the ball 10 times for 103 yards and adding three receptions for 33 yards. The red team would build the lead to 21-0 with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Mallett to D.J. Williams and a one-yard run by Broderick Green. The white team got on the scoreboard when Wilson had his longest completion of the game, a 50-yard bullet to wide receiver Greg Childs, in the second quarter. The red team added to its total just before half with a 14-yard pass from Mallett to Adams in the corner of the end zone. The red team was the only one to find the end zone in the third quarter when Matt Marshall made a two-yard run and Alex Tejada connected on the extra point to go ahead, 35-7. Wide receiver London Crawford extended the lead to 42-7 with a 23-yard reception in the fourth quarter. The white team rounded out its scoring with a 60-yard run by Adrian Moore and a 20-yard pass from Jim Youngblood to Greg Childs before Curtis found the end zone in the final minute. “The first thing we need to do in the offseason is take care of things in the classroom,” said Petrino. “It is a big three weeks coming up for us. We need to study and do well in finals. We’ll continue to lift here for a week and then let their bodies recover. Then we come back in May and start the summer.”

Download: Final Stats.pdf