Anderson Independent-Mail from Anderson, South Carolina • 21

'1 te bS Anderson Independent-May Sunday October 4 1992 H1 defense rang true during big homecoming MS Georgia Arkansas axmxHumnnfr Georgia Arkansas GA-Peterson 36 FG GA Hears! 12 run (Peterson kick) Wright 24 FG Mitchell 12 pass from Zeier (Peterson kick) Hearst 4 run (Peterson kick) Peterson 45 FG First downs Nat rushlngAttempts-yards PasskigCompIstions-attsmpts-int Passing yards Total offonssPlays-yards Fumblss-lost Total turnovers Psnalties-yards Interceptions Punting Kickoff rstuma-yards Tims of possession "SStSF RUSHING: Georgia: Garrison Hearst 19-143 Mack Strong 15-65 Terrell Davis 9-65 Arkansas: Jeff Savage 15-97 PASSING: Georgia: Eric Zeier 14-25-1-174 Arkansas: Jason Allen 5-1 5-2-44 Barry Lunney 4-14-1-43 RECEIVING: Georgia: Shannon Mitchell 5-61 Ha'son Graham 3-48 Arkansas: fracy Caldwell 1-20 Kirk Botkin 2-15 ED Jackson 2-13 Meadors 1-25 By Josh Peter IndepeodsnMiiil FAYETTEVILLE Ark The Arkansas Razor backs couldn't have picked a better day to schedule homecoming For Richard Bell that is defensive coordinator and a graduate of Arkansas returned to his old stomping ground on Saturday and made the Razorbacks wonder why they ever let him leave the state With Bell standing on the sideline reserved for visitors Georgia whipped Arkansas 27-3 meant a lot to come out with a said Bell a native of Little Rock Ark "There are a lot of memories up here all good In time perhaps the best memory of all will be how his defense played on Saturday Under direction the Bulldogs limited Arkansas to 242 yards in offense and only 62 yards in the second half Certainly not what Arkansas had hoped for 1 No on this day the Razorbacks wanted to welcome Danny Ford not welcome back Bell So much for plans Ford hired Monday as Arkansas' offensive consultant had spent the last five days working with the Razorbacks That Bell Said was obvious see Danny in their of-aid could tell he said throughout the game that they were attacking this line of In the first half the new style produced mild success Though the Razorbacks managed only a field goat they put themselves in position for two others (Arkansas placekicker Todd Wright missed from 44 and 48 yards) once drove all the way to the Georgia 7-yard line and had 170 yards in offense In the second half Georgia shut down the Arkansas attack as the Razorbacks crossed midfield just once "It go exactly the way we said Ford reached later Saturday night "But after the ballgame in going back through the film I found some good things that happened still along way from doing what it takes to win football TACKLES: Georgia: Randall Godfrey 8 Tom Wallace 7 Greg Ttemble 6 Greg Jackson 5 Mitch Davis 4 Charles Pledger 4 Al Jack eon 3 Arkansa: Darwin Ireland 11 Kevin Kempf 12 Tyrone Chapman 9 Owen Kelly 8 Todd Wright 6 INTERCEPTIONS: Georgia: Greg Wamble 1 Jock Stephens 1 Charles Pledger 1 Arkansas: Alfred Jackson 1 TlMAMacIiUdFMi defenders during Saturday's 27-3 win by the Bulldogs Georgia's Mack Strong pushes past offense finally got going games but what coaching wall about: teaching kids what it It might not take Arkansas too long according to BelL "I think got a good game Bell said just a matter of a mistake here and a mistake there Danny will be a plus for Hard to believe Bell anticipated this day with as much excitement as apprehension But without starting strong safety Mike Jones (separated shoulder) Bell wondered how the defense would been there and he just jumped in and did an excellent job for Bell said Meanwhile the once-suspect defense continued to surpass preseason expectations The first-stringers have now gone three games without giving up a touchdown right on track if they continue to play like Bell said a group gotta play with a lot of emotion and enthusiasm not ever going to whip anybody on Saturdays mean they play better I know HI can make a difference But they need to have fun and Fm here to help loosen things up a little bit" Danny Ford on Us Job at Arkansas From Page IB and that we better get our The Bulldogs got the message On their second drive of the half they marched 64 yards on nine plays and scored on 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shannon MitchelL The touchdown put Georgia ahead 17-3 with 6:21 left in the third quarter Then came the biggest and most controversial play of the second half With about two minutes left in the third quarter the Razorbacks looked to be back in the game when outside linebacker Darwin Ireland Intercepted screen pass for Hearst and sprinted to the Georgia 15 before being brought down from behind by Hearst But cheers from the crowd of 49412 turned to Jeers when a defensive holding penalty nullified the play and gave Georgia the ball and an automatic first down at the Arkansas 26 Six plays later Hearst scored on a 4-yard run as Georgia went ahead 24-3 with 1457 remaining in the game was a big swing for us and tough on Goff said was a big calL" It was also a questionable call From the pressbox no flag could be seen on the play but Razor-back comerback Orlando Wat- penalized split end the first half we had a lot of missed assignments and coach (Wayne) McDuffie chewed us out because of that" Garrison Hearst non out of bounds and out of the play I something the (offl- cial) just made Goff said Kines refused to question the call it was holding or not we mature enough to slow them down at that he said just mature enough to stop Georgia placekicker Todd Pe- terson booted two field goals in- eluding a career-best 45-yarder that capped the scoring with 752 left in the game Yet that save him from Goff's wrath when the coach spotted Peterson in shorts after the game I tell you no Goff snapped kickers listen take care of you when we get That sounded like a good idea After all the Razorback fans had probably seen enough punishment for one afternoon respond At all the right times it turned out The Bulldogs held the one time Arkansas penetrated Inside their 10-yard line and the secondary had three interceptions free safety Greg Tremble defensive back Charles Pledger and corner-back Jock Stephens each had one Meanwhile Al Jackson had three tackles and defended well against the deep pass as he moved from comerback to strong-safety to help fill in for Jones been a year since football backs and their moribund offense Ford accepted And from now until the end of the season he will be a Razorback wearing the cardinal and white of Arkansas rather than the more familiar orange and white of Clemson really feel any he said got a hat and a whistle and a stopwatch still football football footbalL" Yet not the same for Ford Not entirely For one thing he is no longer coaching handpicked players "The first day I felt really out of place like a he said The next day I got all the players together and talked to them I told them going to be here for eight weeks and just to accept me as one of the boys I told them I wanted them to have some fim that life's too short to walk around sullen all the That might sound like ftinny advice coming from a guy who spent more than a few sullen days at Clemson During his 11-year tenure as the Tigos head coach Ford earned a reputation among the media as a cantankerous coach who feuded occasionally with university administrators and frequently with some reporters Yet Ford has hardly fit-that description during his first week on the jobk He has accepted all interview requests and spent ample time answering questions And if he seems like a man at ease wen he is feel any pressure at tjiis he said Tm just trying to help Joe and hopefully I to a again can like to see them have some ftin Joe told me after practice the other day that he laughed much since taking over the program But laughed a lot this week they play better I know if I can make a differ ence But they need to have ftin and here to help loosen things up a little He is also here to console Shortly after arriving in Fayetteville Ford called Crowe his former quarterback coach at Clemson who was forced to resign two days after Arkansas suffered the shocking 10-3 loss to The Citadel just wanted to talk to him because I know what going through "he said Ford also knows what his successor is going through With the Tigers having lost back-to-back ACC games head coach Ken Hatfield has come under fire from angry fens Asked about the discontent Clemson fens Ford laughed second season (1979) we went 65 and they were saying the same things about me and writing the same letters" he mid The next year at age 33 Ford became the youngest coach ever lead a team to the national championship While some of the players he recruited are still at Clemson the Tigers are clearly no longer team watched the Ctemson-Flori-da State game on TV and completely different said Ford now 41 Tm not saying better or worse just different" For the next eight weeks team is Arkansas And got a about his Razorbacks whatever reason I just think going to throw in the he said really think they'll turn things around and make a Funny what some people are saying about Ford Danny Ford excited about his return to college football By Josh Peter Independent Mil FAYETTEVILLE Ark His first day on the job Danny Fold do much talking He was too busy trying to catch his breath thought I was going to need an he said with a chuckle Tm doing a lot of coaching which is something I done in a long long Not since Jan 18 1990 That was the day Ford resigned as head coach under the dark cloud of an NCAA investigation and began to drift further and further from college footbalL His days took on a new rhythm no longer revolving around football practice but rather his cattle farm in Pendleton and his various not to mention beguiling business ventures Than was the football recruiting newsletter The Danny Ford Timber and Land Company Ownership in a restaurant And the management position with the Greenville Spinners a basketball team for crying out loud Before long Ford was not only out of coaching he was out of touch with college footbalL followed it pretty closely the first he sail the longer I was away from it the less I paid Earlier this week that all changed On Monday Ford reputed to (he University of Arkansas as an Offensive consultant for the struggling Razorbacks By Thursday he found himself immersed jn the game he reluctantly left behind 24 years aga That night rad skipped dinner to watch the Mississippi State-florlda game On TV play Mississippi State in a few weeks so Tm sitting here trying to scout them" he said I wasn't hoe I probably even be watching the game be- cause I have ESPN at For the past six days home to Fond has been a room at the Park Inn in Fayetteville But this weekend he will move into a nearby apartment where he will live for the rest of the football season His wife and children -his two oldest children are in college and his two youngest still at home stayed behind in Clemson "It easy to just pick up and leave my he said going to have his birthday while away which something happy about But sometime or another everybody has to do Though rumors have surfaced about Ford being in line for the head coaching position at Arkansas he vehemently denies them By taking a head coaching job before Nov 14 Ford would forfeit the remaining money from the $1 million 5-year buyout he signed upon leaving Clemson Yet questions persist as Ford returned to the sidelines in Georgia's 27-3 victory over Arkansas Saturday at Razorback Stadium Why now? Why pick up four games Into the season and move to Arkansas? help a Ford sail He is sticking by his story: Last Sunday Joe Kines the interim head coach at Arkansas and one of Ford's farmer assistants called his tenner boss after losing to Memphis State the day before With the Razorbacks still struggling after losing their season-opener to the The Citadel which cost Jack Crime (another Ford assistant) the head coaching job Kines asked Ford to help put some life back Into the Razor- AxkansasT Ron Dickerson son of Gem defen si vs coordinator is brought down by Georgia's Chris Wilson as Bulldog defenders Al Jack-son CD and RandaS Godfrey (42) dost 1.