Game 21: #6 Arkansas vs #2 Alabama

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html

We are down the Final Four, but first here are the reality bites:

Leaders of the Pac 12 conference met behind closed doors at the Staples Center in LA on Saturday and agreed in principle to end college football’s Bowl Championship Series.  They proposed a playoff in its place that would only allow conference winners to play for college football’s national title.  One other side note; the also agreed that if the integrity of the Rose Bowl is not upheld; they will withdraw and return back to the old Bowl Alliance system.  Read more about it here:  http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2012/03/10/20120310bcs-playoff-system-pac-12-plan.html

The NCAA handed down its punishment to North Carolina yesterday for academic fraud; a one year post season ban along with a loss of 15 scholarships over 3 years and vacated wins in 2009 and 2010.  Read more here:  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/03/ncaa-rules-on-north-carolinas-football-penalties/1

Or here:  http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/12/unc-gets-postseason-ban-scholarship-reduction-from-ncaa/

Notre Dame has become a sticking point in Playoff Format talks, read more about it here:  http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/17750857/notre-dame-the-sticking-point-in-which-teams-get-bcs-playoff-berths

Now on with the Football Final Four…..

Game 21:  #6 Arkansas vs #2 Alabama

January 7, 2012

Kickoff:  7:30 pm

Location: New Orleans, LA

Weather: Indoor Dome (Sugar Bowl)

EA Sports Ratings:        Alabama, Overall: A+ Offense: A-, Defense: A+

                                       Arkansas, Overall: A-, Offense: A-, Defense: B+

This is a late playoff round rematch with the Razorbacks taking on the Crimson Tide from the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.  The first meeting between these two took place in Tuscaloosa where Alabama won 38-14.  The two teams would be extremely familiar with each other and this meeting would have much more at stake.  Let’s see how close the simulation is to what happened in reality.

1^st Quarter:

            -Alabama scores on the opening drive with an 18 yard TD pass from AJ McCarron

to Darius Hanks.                                                                                                               (7-0 Bama)

            -Alabama forces Arkansas to punt and scores again with a 1 yard TD pass from

 AJ McCarron to Darius Hanks.                                                                                      (14-0 Bama)

            -Arkansas responds to end the qtr with a 24 yard screen pass for a TD from

 Tyler Wilson to Ronnie Wingo, Jr.                                                                                  (14-7 Bama)

2^nd Quarter:

            -Alabama responds with a 1 yard TD run from Trent Richardson.                                   (21-7 Bama)

            -The Tide defense intercepts Tyler Wilson and capitalizes with a 28 FG from

 Jeremy Shelley.                                                                                                                (24-7 Bama)

            -Alabama scores the final points of the 1^st half with a 2 yard TD pass from

 AJ McCarron to Marquis Maze.                                                                                      (31-7 Bama)

3^rd Quarter:

            -Greg Childs returns the opening kickoff of the 2^nd half 101 yards for a Razorback TD.

             The 2pt conversion was no good.                                                                                     (31-13 Bama)

            -The defenses make a stand in the 3^rd qtr and Arkansas scores the only offensive points

 of the qtr with a 2 yard TD run from Ronnie Wingo, Jr.                                                 (31-20 Bama)

           

4^th Quarter:

            -Arkansas scores again to begin the 4^th qtr and pulls closer with a 2 yard TD run from

             Ronnie Wingo, Jr.  The 2 pt conversion failed.                                                               (31-26 Bama)

            -Trent Richardson returns the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a TD to stop the comeback.        (38-26 Bama)

                       

Arkansas Stats:

Passing:           Tyler Wilson, 24/38, 321 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:           Ronnie Wingo, Jr, 23 att, 61 yards, 2 TD

Receiving:        Joe Adams, 6 rec, 94 yards

                         Jarius Wright, 3 rec, 59 yards, 1 TD

Other:               Greg Childs, 101 yard KO return for TD

Defense:           1 Sack

Total Offense:   393 yards

Passing:            321 yards

Rushing:              72 yards

Alabama Stats

Passing:           AJ McCarron, 21/31, 304 yards, 3 TD

Rushing:           Trent Richardson, 35 att, 154 yards, 1 TD

Receiving:        Darius Hanks, 7 rec, 125 yards, 2 TD

                         Marquis Maze, 7 rec, 93 yards, 1 TD

Other:               Trent Richardson, 98 yard KO return for TD

Defense:           2 Sacks, 1 INT

Total Offense:   461 yards

Passing:            304 yards

Rushing:            157 yards

Box Score

           

                                    1Q        2Q        3Q        4Q        T 

Arkansas                       7          0       13           6       26

Alabama                      14        17         0           8       38

Next Game:  #4 Stanford vs #1 LSU, at the Orange Bowl

I will post a new game every weekday before noon.