Arkansas had its hands full trying to upset No. 1 Florida in The Swamp on the their own merits and talents.
As it turns out, the Razorbacks had to battle men in stripes as well.
Two horrendous -- horrendous -- penalties on the same drive allowed Florida to tie Arkansas with just a shade under eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. And cost the visitors a legitimate shot at an upset.
First, a defensive back for the Razorbacks was called for pass interference in the end zone, giving the Gators the ball at the Arkansas 21. (Apparently, you cannot actually defend the forward pass with proper technique with this officiating group.)
Then, on the ensuing play, an Arkansas player was given a personal foul for simply defending himself from a charging Gator. On a play that was 15 yards away from where the ball was at the point of the UF player initiating contact.
Two plays after the second of the bogus penalties, Jeffrey Demps scored on a ten-yard run to knot the game at 20. One missed field goal by Arkansas, one made field goal by Florida later, it’s 23-20 UF.
So, Florida wins. Kudos to them for being able to knock off unranked Arkansas with an 18-on-11 advantage in their own house.
And, somewhere, robertg’s head is exploding...