NCAA Game Summary - Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas
(Saturday, September 8th)
Final Score: Louisiana-Monroe 34, (8) Arkansas 31 (OT)
Little Rock, AR (Sports Network) - Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Kolton
Browning scampered for a 16-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 in overtime to
give the Warhawks the upset victory over No. 8 Arkansas, 34-31, at War
Memorial Stadium.
"He did a great job," Arkansas coach John L. Smith said of Browning. "He made
play, after play, after play. That includes one at the end to win. We couldn't
tackle him, couldn't stop him. He played a great game."
Browning was sensational, orchestrating offensive possessions that led to 21
unanswered points to tie the game at 28 and send it to overtime. The junior
quarterback completed 42-of-67 passes, throwing for three touchdowns and 412
yards for the Warhawks (1-0).
"I'm really excited for our football team," ULM coach Todd Berry gushed. "They
put in just a tremendous amount of work. There certainly were a lot of people
that doubted us. This team had a chance to grow up and mature and they did
that together."
The Razorbacks (1-1) were decimated by injuries over the course of the game.
Starting quarterback Tyler Wilson threw for two touchdowns and 196 yards in
the early going, but sustained an injury above his shoulders late in the
second quarter and did not return.
Starting cornerback Tevin Mitchel and starting full back Kody Walker were both
carted off the field within plays of each other in the fourth quarter. Mitchel
sustained an injury above his shoulders as well, but was verbally responsive.
Walker appeared to suffer a left leg injury.
The Razorbacks squandered a 28-7 lead, as backup quarterback Brandon Allen
failed to orchestrate cohesion offensively after throwing a touchdown pass on
the Razorbacks' first drive of the second half. He finished 6-of-20 for 85
yards and a touchdown with one interception.
On the game's first possession, Wilson was intercepted by Vincent Eddie inside
Louisiana-Monroe territory. Browning led the Warhawks down the field,
connecting with Centarius Donald on 4-yard touchdown strike for a 7-0 lead.
The Razorbacks would fire back and score the next 28 points. Wilson hooked up
with Julian Horton for a 20-yard touchdown completion to tie the game at
seven. On their first possession of the second quarter, Wilson completed four
straight passes, connecting with Chris Gragg on three of them. Three plays
later, Wilson threw a 39-yard touchdown strike to Cobi Hamilton to give
Arkansas the lead.
With under five minutes to play in the half, Wilson launched a 61-yard bomb to
Mekale McKay from the Arkansas 17-yard line. After back-to-back defensive
pass interference and offside calls, Knile Davis rushed for a 3-yard touchdown
run to give the Razorbacks a 21-7 lead.
The Warhawks matriculated the ball down the field with just under 2 1/2
minutes to play in the second, bringing the ball to the Arkansas 2-yard line
with 18 seconds to go. But the Warhawks turned the ball over on downs when
Browning's pass to Tavarese Maye fell incomplete.
Louisiana-Monroe finally got back on the board when Jyruss Edwards rushed his
way into the end zone on 1st-and-goal from the Arkansas 3-yard line to cut the
Razorbacks' lead to 28-14.
Browning found success on fourth down on the second play of the fourth quarter
when he connected on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Steed to bring the game
within seven.
Then, with less than a minute to go in the game, Browning again converted on
fourth down, finding Brent Leonard in the end zone for a 23-yard, game-tying
touchdown strike, forcing the game into overtime.
Arkansas took the ball first and had to settle for a field goal after failing
to convert on third down.
After falling a yard short on third down, the Warhawks again decided to go for
it on fourth. Browning scrambled in the pocket, found a hole, and took it 16
yards for the game-winning score to shock the Razorbacks.
Game Notes
Louisiana-Monroe opened its season for a fifth consecutive time against a
ranked opponent ... Saturday's contest was the 10th meeting between the two
schools ... The matchup was also the fifth consecutive meeting in Little Rock.
09/09 01:36:15 ET
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