Arkansas running back Alex Collins tries to elude Southern Mississippi defensive lineman Khyri Thornton during Saturday's game in Fayetteville, Ark. APRIL L. BROWN / Associated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Bret Bielema stressed throughout the preseason the importance of having backups ready at all positions.
The first-year Arkansas coach put that belief to the test Saturday when sophomore starting quarterback Brandon Allen injured his shoulder on a first-quarter touchdown run. Allen didn't return following the play, but the Razorbacks didn't need him.
Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams made sure of that, combining to rush for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Arkansas (3-0) pulled away in the second half for a 24-3 victory over Southern Mississippi.
Allen was replaced by AJ Derby and spent the second half on the sideline, but Bielema said Allen is "pretty convinced" he'll play next week at Rutgers.
Williams had 116 yards rushing on 16 carries, and Collins had 115 on 25 attempts for the Razorbacks. The Florida native became the first freshman in SEC history to top the 100-yard mark in his first three games.
The loss was the 15th straight for the Golden Eagles (0-3), the longest losing streak in the country. Southern Mississippi was 0-12 last season under former coach Ellis Johnson, and it entered this week last in the country with 10 turnovers through two games under first-year coach and former Oklahoma State assistant Todd Monken.
ARKANSAS 24, SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 3
| Southern Miss. |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
- |
3 |
| Arkansas |
7 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
- |
24 |
First Quarter
Ark: B.Allen 5 run (Hocker kick), 3:52.
Second Quarter
USM: FG Acosta 27, 12:01.
Ark: FG Hocker 42, 6:05.
Third Quarter
Ark: Williams 45 run (Hocker kick), 7:29.
Fourth Quarter
Ark: A.Collins 7 run (Hocker kick), 7:20.
A: 63,067.
| USM | Ark |
First downs | 16 | 17 |
Rushes-yards | 31-119 | 56-258 |
Passing | 135 | 69 |
Comp-Att-Int | 18-34-2 | 6-11-1 |
Return Yards | 25 | 14 |
Punts-Avg. | 6-41.0 | 6-41.0 |
Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 3-0 |
Penalties-Yards | 10-63 | 4-49 |
Time of Possession | 24:37 | 35:23 |
Individual statistics
Rushing: Southern Miss., Richard 14-94, Hardy 9-29, Bracken 4-18, Bridgford 4-(minus 22). Arkansas, Williams 16-116, A.Collins 25-115, Small 9-21, Derby 1-10, N.Holmes 1-8, B.Allen 1-5, Hawkins 1-4, Team 2-(minus 21).
Passing: Southern Miss., Bridgford 17-33-2-133, Moseley 1-1-0-2. Arkansas, Derby 4-6-0-36, B.Allen 2-5-1-33.
Receiving: Southern Miss., Holmes 4-12, Sullivan 4-12, Ricard 2-35, Cox 2-19, B.Johnson 2-11, Bracken 1-21, Triplett 1-15, Richard 1-8, Bekkers 1-2. Arkansas, Horton 2-25, Herndon 2-22, Small 2-22.
ARKANSAS 24, SOUTHERN MISS 3
Arkansas
Bret Bielema still doesn't know whether Brandon Allen will play this week, and he's not about to put any more information out there about the quarterback's status than he needs to.
Bret Bielema wasn't concerned when Arkansas trailed by four points entering the fourth quarter against Samford last week, unlike the majority of those at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium.
