Trick play gone wrong: WR pass from Memphis ends in easy INT for Arkansas
Published:
A trick play by Memphis turned into a treat for Arkansas late in the second quarter of Saturday’s nonconference game.
With the visitors from Fayetteville already leading 21-10 with 2:37 left in the first half, Memphis went in trick play mode to try to ignite its offense. Quarterback Brendon Lewis took the snap but instead of throwing the pass himself, he looked to his left and found wide receiver CJ Smith, who then fired the ball downfield from his own 20-yard line.
But there were no Memphis players in the general area of his throw, and it ended up in the hands of Arkansas defensive back Miguel Mitchell, who intercepted the pass at around midfield. So, instead of the Tigers getting the home crowd fired up and potentially cutting into the Hogs’ lead, it was Arkansas who suddenly had the ball back.
Here is that trick play attempt that didn’t fool anybody on Arkansas’s defense:
Arkansas had the momentum after the pick and capitalized immediately, needing 4 plays to go 52 yards, with Mike Washington Jr. scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Razorbacks a 28-10 lead.
Memphis did answer with a touchdown of its own, but Arkansas still went into halftime with a 28-17 lead as it tried to bounce back from last week’s loss at Ole Miss.
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.
