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Alabama rolls over Florida State in dominating fashion

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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ATLANTA — The Alabama defense turned in a dominating performance, the Florida State special teams endured a terrible night, and one of the most anticipated opening games in college football history went to the top-ranked Crimson Tide.

Damien Harris ran for a touchdown and blocked a punt, and Jalen Hurts chipped in with a scoring pass on a night that basically required the sophomore quarterback to make no major mistakes, leading Alabama to a 24-7 beatdown of No. 3 Florida State on Saturday at Atlanta’s new $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This one was all about that dynamic Bama D.

And those not-to-special teams for the Seminoles.

Alabama picked off a pair of passes by Deondre Francois in the second half, snuffing out any hopes of a Florida State comeback. Throw in a blocked punt, a blocked field goal and a fumble recovery on a kickoff return, and there was really no path to victory for the Seminoles in the first matchup ever between two teams in the top three of The Associated Press preseason rankings.

The Tide led 10-7 at halftime, catching a huge break in the closing seconds when the officials didn’t call a pass interference penalty on Tony Brown while defending Francois’ pass into the end zone for Nyqwan Murray.

Brown never looked for the ball on the play, running into Murray as he tried to go for a scoring catch that would’ve given the Seminoles a lead. When Florida State attempted a 37-yard field goal on the next play, Minkah Fitzpatrick leaped up to make the block on the final play of the half, preserving the edge and prompting a chorus of boos from the FSU faithful as the officials trotted off the field.

Appearing deflated, Florida State never got anything going over the final two quarters. Levi Wallace and Mack Wilson both had interceptions, and Francois’ night ended with him being helped off the field — putting no weight on his left knee — after being sacked from behind by blitzing safety Ronnie Harrison.

Francois immediately grabbed at his knee, and after being treated for several minutes on the turf, he wrapped his arms around a couple of trainers and hobbled off the field.

It was a potentially crushing blow on a night that already went back enough for the Seminoles.

“The defense did a fantastic job, especially in the second half,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “Special teams was a big difference. It’s good to get a win, but we have a lot of work to do.”

“We’ll get better,” he added ominously for the rest of the nation.

With the Tide still clinging to that three-point lead, the game was essentially decided by a seven-play sequence toward the end of the third quarter. Backed up in his own territory, Logan Tyler‘s punt was smothered by Harris, racing in from the left side, and Dylan Moses fell on it at the Florida State 6.

The Seminoles made an impressive stand, forcing Alabama to settle for Andy Pappanastos‘ 25-yard field goal.

It was all for naught when, on the ensuing kickoff, Keith Gavin muffed the ball in the end zone, picked it up, ran into one of his own men, and then fumbled on a hit by Moses. Keith Holcombe recovered at the 11, and Harris ran up the middle for a touchdown on the very next play, splitting two would-be tacklers at the 5.

Florida State managed only 65 yards in the second half and finished with 250 in the game. Alabama had only 269 yards, and missed a pair of field goals, but it didn’t really matter with all the chances created by the defense and special teams.

“This game tells us where we are,” Saban said, “and where we need to go.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Alabama: The Tide looked very much like a team worthy of its No. 1 ranking. While the no-call on the potential pass interference penalty was a huge break, there was no doubt about the better team in this game. Alabama, which has been a part of the national championship race essentially every year of Saban’s decade-long tenure, figures to be right in the mix again — led, as always, by its defense. The offense still needs a bit of work, especially the passing game.

Florida State: The Seminoles were looking to regain a bit of their swagger after back-to-back 10-3 seasons, which would be a cause for celebration at most schools but not in Tallahassee. Florida State thought it had the squad to contend again for a national title, but the offense was no match for the Crimson Tide and Francois’ injury could be a huge blow. `

UP NEXT

Alabama: Hosts Fresno State next Saturday in first game of the season at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Tide’s stout defense finishes off Seminoles

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Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick and RB Damien Harris discuss how the defense got it done against FSU.

Bulldogs push past App State with backup QB

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Bulldogs freshman Jake Fromm leads three first-half TD drives to help No. 15 Georgia beat Appalachian State 31-10.

Bulldogs cruise to 49-0 opening-day victory

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Mississippi State QB Nick Fitzgerald throws for 239 yards and two touchdowns in a shutout victory over Charleston Southern.

Gators fall to Wolverines as offense sputters

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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The Gators’ defense scores two touchdowns but Florida can’t get the offense going in the second half as they lose to the Wolverines.

Defense leads Kentucky to win over Southern Miss

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Wildcats QB Stephen Johnson throws for 176 yards and a touchdown to propel Kentucky to a 24-17 victory against Southern Miss.

Razorbacks sweep Syracuse in K-State finale

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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MANHATTAN, Kan. — Closing out its weekend at the K-State Invitational, Arkansas swept Syracuse to improve to 5-1 through the first two weeks of the 2017 season.

All-tournament picks Pilar Victoria and Elizabeth Pamphile led the way with 19 and nine kills, respectively.

Collectively, the Razorbacks registered a .337 hitting percentage and served eight aces in the match.

Arkansas’ next match is Tuesday, Sept. 5 when it returns to Barnhill Arena to host Oral Roberts.

The midweek matchup will begin at 7 p.m. (CT) and mark the 20th meeting in the all-time series between the two programs.

In recognition of National Cheese Pizza day, the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free slice of cheese pizza.

FINAL
Arkansas 3, Syracuse 0 | Box Score
Attendance: 341 | Time: 1:17
Ahearn Field House (Manhattan, Kan.)

Leaders vs Syracuse
• Kills: Pilar Victoria – 19
• Digs: Krista Kolbinskie – 9
• Blocks: Kelly O’Brien – 2.0 (0-2)

Of Note …
• Runner-up finish (2-1) at the K-State Invitational
• Second all-time meeting with Syracuse; first since 1999
• Five Razorbacks—Victoria (3), Johnson (2), Rippee (1), Robinson (1), Valle (1)—had an ace
• Krista Kolbinskie tied career high with nine digs

On her way to all-tournament accolades, Victoria continued the strong start to her redshirt senior campaign with 6.73 kills per set and .381 hitting percentage during the K-State Invitational. She had at least 19 kills in each match and added 2.36 digs per set.

Pamphile finished the weekend with 2.09 kills per set and a .340 hitting percentage. She tied her career high with nine kills in Saturday’s match.

With the score tied at 11-all in the opening set, Arkansas won seven of the next nine points to establish its largest lead of the game at 18-13.

The Razorbacks capped the surge with an ace by Victoria, the team’s third service winner of the game.

Syracuse (3-4) saved three set points and pulled to within 24-22 but out of a timeout, Arkansas turned to Victoria who came through with a kill off the block.

The Razorbacks won the first three points of the second set and pushed their lead to 10-2 after consecutive kills from Kelly O’Brien and Hailey Dirrigl.

The advantage was 20-12 after a kill by Reagan Robinson. The sophomore attacker pushed her team to set point at 24-13 with an ace, and as she did in the first, Victoria closed the frame with a kill.

Arkansas combined for a .545 hitting percentage in the second set while holding Syracuse to a .000 mark.

The Orange won the first two points of the third for its first lead of the match but Arkansas scored 10 of the next 12 to go ahead 10-4 and force its opponent into a timeout.

O’Brien and Pamphile combined for seven kills in the third frame including kills that gave the team leads of 20-13 and 24-16, respectively.

On match point, libero Okiana Valle chased down a ball heading out of bounds to keep the play alive which led to a Syracuse error and the Razorbacks’ third sweep of the year.

Cook arrested again early Saturday morning

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arlando Cook has gotten himself into Mike Anderson’s dog house again.

For the second time in less than a year, the Arkansas senior forward has been arrested and alcohol is involved again.

Cook was arrested early Saturday and charged with first-degree assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Arlando Cook

Cook was booked in the Washington County Detention Center at 2:48 a.m. and was released just before noon on a $1,250 bond.

Anderson said he is still collecting information from the incident and will “handle this matter accordingly.”

“This is unacceptable behavior for someone in our program,” Anderson said in a statement. “As Razorbacks, we hold our players to the highest standards.”

The arrest is Cook’s second in less than a year. He was arrested in Fayetteville on Oct. 2, 2016, for public intoxication.

According to a Fayetteville Police arrest report, officers found Cook repeatedly punching a man who appeared to be unconscious and was not defending himself outside of Bordinos Restaurant at 310 W. Dickson St.

The reporting officer stated Cook had the victim pinned to the ground with his knees and was ahold of the victim’s shirt with his left hand while he struck him with a closed fist.

Cook complied with officers’ commands and was placed under arrest, according to the report, but more officers had to be called in to disperse a crowd of about 30 males. The victim refused treatment and no injuries were visible, according to the arrest report.

The altercation began as a dispute over a female, according to the arrest report. Officers observed Cook had watery and bloodshot eyes, and spelled of intoxicants.

Cook (6-8, 200 pounds) played in all 36 games and started seven times last season after transferring to Arkansas from Connors (Okla.) State College. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a junior.

Lock’s big day lifts Mizzou to shootout win

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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The Tigers rack up 815 total yards against the Bears in Missouri’s 72-43 win.

First loss comes at hands of No. 6 Wisconsin

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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MANHATTAN, Kan. — Arkansas dropped its first match of the season Friday evening, losing a straight-set decision to No. 6 Wisconsin on day two of the K-State Invitational.

Redshirt senior Pilar Victoria posted a match-high 21 kills with a .368 attack efficiency. Sophomore setter Rachel Rippee dished out 33 assists to go along with five digs and a team-high four total blocks.

Saturday’s weekend finale against Syracuse is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT), and will be just the second meeting in the series between the two programs. Arkansas and Syracuse last met during the 1999 season. The Razorbacks’ next home match is Sept. 5 when they host Oral Roberts at Barnhill Arena.

FINAL
#6 Wisconsin 3, Arkansas 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-22) | Box Score
Attendance: 322 | Time: 1:24
Ahearn Field House (Manhattan, Kan.)

Leaders vs #6 Wisconsin

• Kills: Pilar Victoria – 21
• Digs: Okiana Valle – 6
• Blocks: Rachel Rippee – 4.0 (0-4)

The teams exchanged four-point runs to open the match before Wisconsin took control of the scoreboard, building a 13-9 lead.

The Razorbacks responded and pulled to within two points after a kill by Reagan Robinson.

However, the Badgers won six of the next seven points to go ahead 21-14 and force an Arkansas timeout. The nation’s sixth-ranked team went on to take the opening set, 25-18.

Like they did in Friday’s win over Kansas State, the Razorbacks jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set after freshman Elizabeth Pamphile found the floor with her third kill of the match.

Wisconsin began to chip away and used a 6-0 run to take an 18-13 lead.

Arkansas (4-1) responded with a run of its own, winning four of the next five points which included three kills by Victoria. With its lead down to one, Wisconsin rattled off the next three points to create some cushion on the scoreboard and come away with a 25-21 set win.

The third set saw just two lead changes but featured eight ties, four of which came in the late stages of the frame.

With the score tied at 5-all, the Razorbacks won six of the next eight points to take an 11-7 lead on a Victoria kill.

The Caguas, Puerto Rico, native had nine kills on 13 swings and no errors in the third set. Arkansas’ lead reached five at 16-11 on a kill by Logan Brown. Another swing in points—this time by Wisconsin—evened the score at 18-all.

With the score tied at 20-20, Victoria and freshman Hailey Dirrigl put down back-to-back kills to go ahead 22-20.

However, the Badgers reels off the final five points of the set with the help of three blocks. With the win, Wisconsin improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 during the K-State Invitational.

Razorbacks shut out Dukes for second straight win

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas only led James Madison by one goal through the majority of the match Friday night, until senior Katie Kienstra found the back of the net in the 74th minute to help the Razorbacks put away the Dukes, 2-0, at Razorback Field.

Kienstra had yet to find the scoresheet this season before tonight’s game, but made her 25 minutes of play count when she delivered home a strike from eight yards. Freshman Brooke Pirkle was credited with the assist after corralling a loose ball near the end line and sending it back to the middle of the box when Kienstra delivered it home.

Colby Hale Quotables
“I think we’re progressing nicely,” Arkansas coach Colby Hale. “Each game we get a little bit better and I thought that was our best game. There’s still a lot to work on. I thought some of the kids that came off the bench were the best they’ve been in a while and I thought that was the difference. We challenged some of the players coming off the bench to make an impact, until now, that was a challenge. They stepped up and got us the big second half goal.”

Arkansas seemed to have played its most complete game of the season as it put 14 shots up with six being on target. Freshman Taylor Malham led all Razorbacks with four shots, one being Arkansas’ first goal in the 27th minute, her third of the season.

Freshman goalkeeper Rachel Harris made her fourth start of the year and picked up her first shutout of her collegiate career, making four saves through 90 minutes. She withstood 11 shots from the Dukes. It’s Harris’ third-straight start in the net as the Arkansas keeper.

Arkansas 1, James Madison 0 – 27th minute
Arkansas got on top of James Madison early on as Malham netted her third score of the year. In what was a beautifully constructed run by Stefani Doyle down the right side, the sophomore sent a cross into the middle of the box, right in front of the keeper. Kayla McKeon was able to tap it toward the left post when Malham bodied it into the net.

Malham now has three goals this year, trailing fellow freshman Parker Goins by one for the team lead. It’s also Malham’s third goal in the last four matches, giving her six points for the season.

Arkansas 2, James Madison 0 – 74th minute
The Razorbacks and Dukes stayed even on possession for the remainder of the first half and for much of the second half. In the first 20 minutes of the second period, JMU outshot Arkansas 5-2 and looked to be close to finding that equalizer. Harris came up big during that stretch, making three of her four saves on the night.

Kienstra broke Arkansas through with the insurance goal in the 74th minute, her first of the season and second of her career to put her team up 2-0.

Up Next
Arkansas hopes to extend its winning streak to three games when it closes out the home stand with Mississippi Valley State on Sunday at Razorback Field. First kick is slated for 1 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.

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