Arkansas-Western Illinois game notes
Arkansas Game Notes
Western Illinois – 8/30/08
Team Notes
Arkansas is now 89-22-4 (.791) all-time in season openers.
The Razorbacks are now 58-9-3 (.850) all-time in season opening games in Fayetteville.
Today’s game is the seventh consecutive season opener in Fayetteville, the longest streak in UA history.
The Razorbacks are now 1-0 against Western Illinois.
Arkansas is 1-0 in coin tosses this season.
Arkansas’ first scoring drive of the 2008 season went 10 plays for 81 yards and resulted in a touchdown. The drive consumed 4:22 minutes and occurred with 6:10 left in the first half.
The last time Arkansas was held under 100 yards rushing was October 13, 2007, against Auburn. The Razorbacks had 25 rushes for 67 yards on that night, a 9-7 loss to #22 Auburn.
The last time Arkansas passed for 300 yards in a game was against New Mexico State in 2004 (327 yards on 18-of-24 passing).
Individual Notes
Bobby Petrino is the 21st Razorback head coach to open his career with a victory. Houston Nutt was the last to begin his UA head coaching career with a win, topping Louisiana-Lafayette 38-17 in 1998.
Bobby Petrino ran his collegiate season-opening record to 5-0 with the win against Western Illinois.
De’Anthony Curtis and Jarius Wright started their first games as a Razorback on offense.
Jerico Nelson, Jelani Smith and Elton Ford started their first games as a Razorback on defense.
Casey Dick’s 318 yards passing is a career high. His 25 completions and 41 attempts are also career highs.
Casey Dick’s 318-yard passing game is just the 10th in school history, the seventh-best in school history and the first 300-yard game since 1999 when Clint Stoerner passed for 316 yards against Alabama. Dick’s total is the best for a Razorback QB since Stoerner threw for 334 against LSU in 1998.
Casey Dick’s 25 completions, 41 attempts, 318 yards, two touchdown passes and .610 completion percentage on Saturday improved his career numbers and rankings to 293 completions (7th), 534 attempts (7th), 3,588 yards (8th), 36 touchdown passes (3rd) and .549 completion percentage (7th).
Casey Dick’s first pass was a completion to D.J. Williams for 15 yards and a first down.
Casey Dick and Arkansas opened the game with three straight completed passes.
Casey Dick’s 23-yard touchdown run was the longest rush of his career and his first career rushing touchdown.
Casey Dick had two rushes for 20+ yards. His previous long coming into the 2008 season was 13.
D.J. Williams’ five catches against Western Illinois matched his total from the 2007 season, five.
Jelani Smith notched his first forced fumble in the first quarter.
Joe Adams first touch was an end around for 11 yards and a first down.
Joe Adams scored Arkansas’ first touchdown of the 2008 season and of his career with 6:10 left to play in the second quarter.
Jerico Nelson recorded Arkansas’ first sack of the season for a loss of one yard.
De’Anthony Curtis’ first carry went for 18 yards and a first down.
Lucas Miller’s three receptions for 67 yards are both career highs. His previous highs were two catches and 35 yards.
Carlton Salters’ totals of two receptions for 17 yards are both career highs.
Game Notes
The classic Razorback logo adorned midfield for the first time.
Today’s attendance of 70,537 is the 18th-largest in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium history and the most since Nov. 3, 2007, when 70,742 watched Arkansas defeat South Carolina, 48-36.
Today’s attendance is also the third-largest season opening attendance in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium history behind the USC game in 2006 (76,564) and the Troy game in 2007 (73,926).
Kick off was at 6:01 p.m.
