This was exactly the start Arkansas fans were dreaming of all offseason when Bobby Petrino announced he was coming back to Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks started fast and never stopped in a dizzying display of offense in the first half of Thursday night’s season opener in Little Rock against overmatched SWAC foe Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The Hogs went crazy to the tune of 42 points to take a 49-0 lead into the locker room as Petrino, who coached Arkansas from 2008-11, made an immediate impact in his return as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. To be exact, transfer after transfer made an impact as the Razorbacks rolled up a ridiculous 444 total yards in the opening 30 minutes of the season.
1st half for @RazorbackFB with Bobby Petrino as their new offensive coordinator?
49 Points
7 Drives – 7 TD's
444 Total Yards pic.twitter.com/Le9xeJWuFE— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 30, 2024
First, it was Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson, who finished off the first drive of the season with an 8-yard touchdown burst to give the Hogs a 7-0 lead before 3 minutes had even elapsed.
Then it was Taylen Green’s turn, as the Boise State transfer scored on a 4-yard TD run to give Arkansas a 14-0 lead. Green immediately showed Arkansas fans his ability to hurt defenses with his legs.
Opening up his account as a Razorback pic.twitter.com/ytXQl03XV7
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) August 29, 2024
Jackson took over on the third drive with an electrifying 46-yard touchdown run to give Arkansas a 21-0 lead before 10 minutes had even elapsed. Then another transfer running back, FSU transfer Rodney Hill, scored on a 4-yard run late in the first quarter to give Arkansas a 28-0 lead.
The Petrino-led offense was just getting revved up. In the 2nd quarter, Green took over, throwing the 1st 2 touchdown passes of his Arkansas career. The first one was a 9-yarder to Tyrone Broden, a transfer from Bowling Green, for a 35-0 lead, and the second one was a 23-yarder to tight end Ty Washington for a 42-0 lead.
But Green wasn’t done, as he took off for a scintillating 36-yard TD run with 9 seconds left in the half to give the Hogs that 49-0 lead.
HE IS SPEED pic.twitter.com/nBWC6EVaxZ
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) August 30, 2024
Jackson ran for 101 yards and 2 scores in the first half while Green piled up 229 yards passing with 88 yards rushing.
It was 7 possessions and 7 touchdowns for Arkansas in a first half to remember, even if it was against a lowly FCS opponent.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
