FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Florida Gators (6-2, 4-2 SEC) haven’t won a road game over a SEC West opponent since a 2012 win at Texas A&M. The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-2, 2-3 SEC) made sure they wouldn’t be the West team to end that streak, beating Florida 31-10 in Fayetteville on Saturday night.
“We’ve never had an SEC win against Florida, and I was very well aware of that after first coming here,” Arkansas head coach Brett Bielema said Saturday. “To play a top 10 team again that’s up on our schedule, I believe that’s our sixth ranked opponent this year. I knew we’d fare well just because they love the challenge.”
The Razorbacks were up for the challenge. Santos Ramirez intercepted a pass on the seventh play of the game and returned it 24-yards for a touchdown. Florida responded with a stalled offensive drive after just five plays, Florida’s longest drive of the first half, but Johnny Townsend was able to pin the Razorbacks back on their own nine. Eight plays and 91 yards later Rawleigh Williams walked into the end zone.
“You know, my hat’s off to Bret and those guys, they took that week off and came out and proved something, and they proved it,” Jim McElwain said. “They dominated the line of scrimmage, which is something we talked about all week that we needed to do.”
Florida had no answer for what the Razorbacks offered. The Gators managed seven points on 39 yards in the first quarter and just 104 at half. The biggest surprise was Florida complete inability to run the football. The Gators don’t have the kind of prolific offense that Auburn does, but the Tigers rushed for 543 yards two weeks ago against this same defense.
Florida rushed for 12 yards on Saturday, 158 yards under their average for the season.
“I think the line of scrimmage on both sides was kind of a definitive win for the Razorbacks,” said McElwain.
There were uncharacteristic busts for the Gators’ defense; a unit that played better than the stats will show. Credit Arkansas for making adjustments during the bye week and giving Florida different looks.
“They came out with a different blocking scheme. They were letting certain guys free and then blocking other guys and getting up on our linebackers so they can’t run side to side and stuff like that,” senior safety and leading tackle Marcus Maye said. “It was just getting to the next level pretty quick because I guess they made adjustments in their blocking scheme.”
The loss brings more questions than it does answers. Florida has a below average offense and a great defense. Nothing has changed in year two and the Gators are
The Gators are still in control of their fate, thanks in part to a dumpster fire of a division known as the SEC East. The West with an Auburn win over Vanderbilt and Arkansas’ victory over the Gators moved to 9-1 against the East this season.
“Pretty big,” McElwain said when asked about the gap between the two divisions. “You know as a Florida Gators, it is our responsibility to get it closer.”
Saturday night the Gators weren’t up to the task. They were out-coached, out-schemed and lost to a more physical team that executed better. The Gators didn’t have any answer for what Bielema’s boys brought to the Hog Pen. They need to find answers if they don’t want Will Muschamp to find an ever elusive win in the Swamp next Saturday.