Razorback Defense Made Life Difficult For Jared Curtis When It Had To

NASHVILLE — There was a noticeable difference in the kind of quarterback Jared Curtis was on Saturday when Arkansas got pressure on him and when it didn't.

In the end, it was Arkansas' defense that made more plays when it had to in the Razorbacks' 31-21 victory over Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday.

The Hogs forced Curtis into two massive interceptions, the first of which was returned by Joker Johnson for a touchdown that tied the game at 7, and the latter from Miguel Mitchell that was the beginning of Arkansas salting the game away.

"We had to find ways to affect him," head coach Ryan Silverfield said post-game. "We knew he was a young quarterback and we knew how talented he was. If you give him time back there he can certainly pick you apart.

"Getting to him made him push the ball out of his hand a little bit quicker, which was huge for us. It was one of our keys to victory. We needed to affect the quarterback and certainly we were able to do so as the game ended."

Curtis, who was touted by Arkansas defensive coordinator Ron Roberts earlier in the week as a QB of making NFL-caliber throws, still had his moments on Saturday, throwing for 274 yards and putting a beautiful touchdown pass right in the breadbasket of standout receiver Junior Sherrill. But the Arkansas defense didn't let him rise to the occasion in crunch time.

Johnson's interception was the first major mistake Curtis made and immediately injected some energy into what had been a relatively desolate Arkansas sideline.

"Coach Roberts called a great play for that situation," Johnson said. "Put me in cloud [coverage]... I just read it."

With Arkansas leading 28-21 in the fourth quarter, Curtis led a methodical drive into UA territory, converting on multiple third downs. However, with pressure in his face on second and 12, he made a costly decision, flipping the football right into the hands of Mitchell, who had a pick for the second straight week.

After a brief review to see if the ball hit the turf, the call was upheld and Arkansas got the football back before kicking a game-sealing field goal on the ensuing drive.

"I knew I caught it, but I was just worried if the refs were overturning it," said Mitchell, who also had a sack and five tackles on the night.

"You saw the takeaways we got last week with three and we get two this week," Silverfield said. "And taking care of the football has got to be huge. It’s got to be something from that with that plus 10 we got off of that, if you can do that in SEC football you’re going to give yourself a chance and you’re probably going to win a lot more games."

Arkansas didn't turn the ball over on Saturday and won the turnover battle for a second consecutive week. Unlike last week, doing so turned into a win against Vanderbilt.

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