An oral history-ish of the last time Arkansas won at Kentucky: Yes, it was (their other) 7OT game

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — On Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003, Arkansas was facing the harsh reality of its season, and postseason, derailing. After starting 4-0 (which included a road win over then-No. 6 Texas) and breaking into the top 10 of the Associated Press poll after winning at Alabama, the Razorbacks found themselves out of the top 25 completely.

An unbeaten September had given way to a winless October with losses to Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss. As Arkansas prepared to face Kentucky in Lexington, the Razorbacks were well aware of the importance of the game. A win would keep their postseason dreams alive and that’s all they wanted.

The Lead-Up

The Razorbacks had multiple concerns. First and foremost: left-handed Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen, who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 285 pounds. The senior threw for over 2,000 yards each of his two seasons prior and over 3,000 his freshman year. He was talented and experienced, and he wasn’t the only quarterback on the field for the Wildcats.

Shane Boyd, the backup, was at running back, giving Arkansas a second worry. And third, one of Lorenzen’s favorite targets, wide receiver Derek Abney, had over 500 receiving yards in 2002.

Despite its hopes of snapping a three-game skid, Arkansas was confident. The Hogs believed they shined brightest in November. They’d lost only one game in that month in the past two years, and the preparation they did in the offseason would pay off as they hit the last stretch of the regular season.

The following are comments from former Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt (1998-2007), former quarterback Matt Jones (2001-04), former linebacker Tony Bua (2000-03) and former ESPN broadcaster Bill Curry, who called the game.

Nutt: “Our players were always very good in November, and we would cut practice down to probably 14 or 15 periods and try to keep them fresh because they’ve been through two-a-days, workouts and a season almost. So, now you get to November and we always had a saying: ‘November’s where they remember.’”

Bua: “Going into that game, we felt like we had a really good game plan, and we felt like we were going to be able to keep Jared Lorenzen at bay.”

Nutt: “I had a lot of respect for Coach (Rich) Brooks and Jared Lorenzen and the athleticism on that side on defense, and I knew it was going to be a very, very tough game.”

The Game Begins

At 7 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 1, Arkansas at Kentucky was underway.

The first half was full of punts, with Lorenzen unable to get going early and Arkansas quarterback Ryan Sorahan feeling pressure from Kentucky’s defense. After a few lackluster games, Jones didn’t start against the Wildcats and instead took snaps at wide receiver in the first quarter.

Matt Jones quickly took over for the Razorbacks at quarterback. His game would last five hours. (Courtesy of Arkansas)

Arkansas finally got on the board with a 10-yard touchdown run from wide receiver-turned-running back DeCori Birmingham, who switched positions to help with depth issues due to injuries to De’Arrius Howard and Cedric Cobbs. But at the end of the first quarter, Arkansas made the first of many mistakes between both teams. Kentucky blocked the Razorbacks’ punt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the score at 7.

When Jones took over at quarterback in the second quarter, Arkansas found itself in the end zone again, almost immediately followed by a blocked punt returned for a touchdown to go up 21-7 into halftime. Jones was gaining confidence and Lorenzen was trying to find a rhythm.

Nutt: “We had such respect for Lorenzen because he was such a magician with the ball. He could extend the play and improvise, and we had the same thing with Jones.”

Curry: “They were just these fascinating personalities that had these indomitable spirits. They really set the pace, those two quarterbacks. It was fascinating to watch.”

Jones: “That was a fun game, and you always have confidence when you’re out there with your teammates. We had a lot of players make big plays on both sides of the ball that game.”

The quarterback play became even more important as the game continued. Kentucky exited halftime swinging. The Wildcats made it 21-14 in the third quarter and held Arkansas scoreless. Lorenzen then led Kentucky to a 10-point fourth quarter, tying Arkansas at 24 with 1:45 to go.

The Razorbacks had plenty of time to march down the field and seal the win. But a penalty and Kentucky’s defense got in the way, forcing a punt. The Razorbacks and Wildcats were headed to overtime.

Bua: “I just remember the first half, we thought the game was pretty much over. We were executing our game plan. We literally went into halftime thinking we had the game won. All a sudden, in the second half, we just couldn’t stop them. Lorenzen would dump the ball off to a running back when we thought we had him sacked and he’d run for 60 or 70 yards. It was almost like a tale of two halves.”

Nutt: “I’m almost hoping that we get to overtime. I’ve coached in a lot of overtime games — Murray State, Boise State — and my point is, we really had a mindset that every time we’d get to overtime I’d call them up on the 50 and say, ‘Here we go, this is our time.’ It got to the point where the players would say, ‘Coach, it’s overtime. You know we got ‘em now.’ It’s that kind of confidence that made it so fun. You felt confident. Again, they’re playing hard and playing good too, but overtime I thought was really in our favor.

“A few days during two-a-days in August, I’d tell them, ‘Guys, it’s overtime,’ and they’re looking at me like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ ‘Ball’s on the 25, here we go! Offense, defense, get up!’ After they’ve run the gassers and when they’re tired, I want to know how they think. I want to know the ones we can count on.

“What I need is a mindset of ‘Yes! It’s overtime!’ As bad as it was in August, when they got to the games, the reaction was, ‘It’s overtime now! They don’t want us, coach!’ So, we’re going to outlast them. They’re tired, we’re not. It was kind of camaraderie and leadership, and it started back during those terrible days of two-a-days after their wind sprints when we’d say, ‘It’s overtime.’”

Bua: “I remember being so grateful we were going to overtime because at one point, I thought we were going to lose the game. That year we had already played on overtime game. We just kind of felt like we were the kings of overtime my senior year because we’d already played multiple overtime games and a seven overtime game at Ole Miss.”

A Fabled Overtime

The Razorbacks were in familiar, comfortable territory. Two years earlier, in Oxford, Miss., they beat Ole Miss after seven overtimes. They fell just short a year ago in Knoxville, Tenn., after six overtimes against Tennessee. They beat Alabama four weeks prior in two overtimes in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Players knew their conditioning was good. They knew they’d been there before. But the longer a game goes on, the more mistakes are made, and Arkansas couldn’t control that. All it could control was its effort.

Both teams scored with ease in the first two overtimes, and a few things became apparent: The more tired each defense became, the longer the game went on. Additionally, Lorenzen and Jones gained more time in the pocket, and there were plenty of busted coverages and missed tackles.

Bua: “The problem with overtimes is after a few, everybody just starts trying to win the games, and they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. People think, ‘Oh, I could be the hero. All we have to do is make one play.’”

Jared Lorenzen was seasoned, experienced and talented, leading Kentucky out of a deficit to force overtime. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Curry: “There were just a whole lot of phenomenal athletic feats and phenomenal faux pas, just screw-ups. Like, ‘How could you do that?’ Well, they’re tired and they’re teenage males who would probably like to go home.”

When the game reached the third overtime, Arkansas and Kentucky had to start going for two-point conversions. Nutt and his players lost count of the rest of the overtime sessions as the game carried into the final hours of the night.

Arkansas’ white road jerseys were covered in grass stains and blue paint from the end zones. The Kentucky defense’s helmets were scuffed. Each time a player was tackled or pushed to the ground, he was slow to get up. Gaping holes appeared in both defenses. With each new overtime, touchdown celebrations got smaller and smaller, and Nutt began turning to his players to promise them, “One more time. Just one more series. Somebody get a stop.”

Nutt: “I’m always thinking once we score, ‘Let’s end this now, let’s take care of this,’ especially when you start going for two. Now remember, we played Eli Manning two years before and that was a seven-overtime game. And you lose count. When you start going for two points, you know what overtime it is, but after that, you get lost in the moment and are thinking about getting two points and putting the pressure on them.”

Bua: “Mentally, you’re just done, and physically, you’re done. You’re just hanging on by a string and hoping the other team makes a really big mistake that you can capitalize on. Me, personally, it never really mattered how tired I was. I was going to keep going until I passed out. It’s really difficult because everybody just wants to be the hero at that point just to end it. Not necessarily to be the hero, but just to make a play and be done. Just make one stop and be done and win the game. I think offenses know that so they run a lot of misdirection and gimmicky trick plays, and it’s just hard to stop them.”

Jones: “All those overtimes can be tough on you, especially mentally, to stay in the game and stay focused. You’re always nervous when you don’t make a play and they have a chance to win. That’s when the defense needs to step up, and they did in that game. But you also love the game and love playing the game and you’d play it all night if you could, until mama calls you home.”

Curry: “I went on and on during the Kentucky-Arkansas game about how dangerous this was, especially for the defensive linemen. They were just getting knocked over and couldn’t get out of their stance. Guys can tear knees up like that, and they’re just not conditioned to play that long. The game was nearly five hours.”

Said Jones of Tony Bua (pictured): “Man, Bua. What a heck of a player.” (Courtesy of Arkansas)

Lorenzen and Jones played their best in overtime, both rushing and passing for multiple touchdowns in a showcase of their playmaking ability. Everyone around them seemed to be going in slow motion, with the two quarterbacks duking it out one great play after another.

And then, in the seventh overtime, Jones seemed to know it was over before anyone else did. The Razorback usually pointed toward the sky after each touchdown, always using just one hand, and not celebrating much during earlier overtimes. But in the seventh, Birmingham scored on a 25-yard run followed by Jones finding tight end Jason Peters on the two-point conversion. Jones lifted both hands toward the sky, smiling as his body relaxed with a deep breath.

Nutt: “I remember that like it was yesterday. It wasn’t just great blocking, but it was enough, and (Birmingham) outran them. I thought, ‘We got ‘em. It’s over now!’”

Jones: “There was the play in that game where Jason Peters caught a pass for a two-point conversion, and the way he just catches, and is like, ‘Are we done yet?’ (That’s) a moment that stuck with me.”

When Kentucky took over, Lorenzen drove the Wildcats to the 5-yard line before facing fourth-and-3. After running wherever he pleased a majority of the overtimes, Lorenzen ran straight ahead and was met with nearly the entire Arkansas defense. As he was tackled, the ball popped out of his outstretched hand and Bua dove on top of it, securing it.

In the booth, Curry was questioning where the ball would be spotted, with no one realizing Lorenzen fumbled until Bua stood, holding the ball high in triumph with Arkansas up 71-63.

Jones had a feeling the 7th overtime would be it. Bua dove on the fumble to prove it.

Nutt: “When you see that ball that’s squirted out there and it’s a live ball, you’re just hoping and praying somebody in that white uniform with the Razorback helmet is going to get on that thing. You look up and see your defense just with joy and jubilation, and that’s the greatest feeling there is.”

Jones: “Oh my goodness. Tony Bua made so many big plays for us. Any time you’d get ready to play a game you’d pick him first because you knew it would be somebody like him who would make a play. Man, Bua. What a heck of a player.”

Bua: “I just happened to be there and pick it up, and I remember the thought in my mind being, ‘I wanted to pick the ball up and run it all the way down the field with the airplane like Jermaine Petty did when we won the Ole Miss game.’ But honestly, I was so tired. I just picked the ball up and was relieved it was over with. I just remember that ball coming out of his hands … it was like slow motion. Like I still can remember it today.”

Righting the Season’s Ship

At 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 2, it was all over.

The Razorbacks headed to the locker room, the hopes of the postseason alive. And they’d done it in the type of game they’d come to pride themselves on in recent years. All the workouts, all the sprints, all the extra work they’d put in had been worth it. They’d survived their second seven-overtime game in three years and became the only team to play two games that went that long.

Jones finished with 260 passing yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown. Birmingham rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Arkansas’ George Wilson ended the night with 172 receiving yards and a touchdown. Lorenzen threw for 326 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and rushed for 39 yards and three touchdowns. Abney caught 10 passes for 91 yards.

Curry: “There was the realization that I’ve been in football since 1954 and nothing like this has ever happened before, and we get to describe it. And then, ‘Oh gee, something like this happened in 2001 and we were there for that, too!’ We were being blessed by some force to be able to describe two of the most notable moments in the history of football. That was the feeling.”

Nutt: “It was a great game to watch and fun, and I just remember going through all those overtimes. I had no idea we were going to seven again. My mother and dad happened to be at the game, and I remember them coming on the field and my mom said, ‘As soon as it hit the seventh overtime I knew we were going to win.’”

Bua: “In the locker room, you would have thought we won the national championship. So much energy and effort were involved in winning that game, and I remember being in the locker room and being so happy. We weren’t jumping around and dancing because everyone was so tired. It was a little weird but good at the same time, just to know you’d been in a dog fight with your teammates and come out on top.”

The Razorbacks lost just one game the rest of the regular season, to then-No. 3 LSU in the final week, before beating Missouri 27-14 in the Independence Bowl and finishing 9-4.

(Top photo of Bua from the 2003 game: Courtesy of Arkansas)