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Arkansas routs Texas in Texas Bowl

Dec 30, 2014 - 12:31 PM Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Arkansas' red-hot November defense transitioned into December.

Brandon Allen tossed a pair of touchdown passes and the Razorbacks limited Texas to just 59 total yards en route to a 31-7 dismantling of the Longhorns in the Texas Bowl on Monday night.

The Razorbacks raced out to a 24-7 halftime advantage and never looked back.

Arkansas held Texas to just 13 yards in the second half. It limited the Longhorns to a minuscule 0.1 yards per carry, while racking up 191 yards on the ground.

Arkansas allowed just 9.5 points per game and forced 12 turnovers in November. It gave up 25.6 points per game and forced just 10 giveaways during the months of August, September and October.

Allen was 12-of-23 for 160 yards, Jonathan Williams carried the ball 23 times for 105 yards and a score and Demetrius Wilson and Keon Hatcher each caught a touchdown pass for the Razorbacks (7-6).

"A lot of really good things happened tonight, but tonight didn't just happen by chance," Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said. "I think from the time the seniors knew they were going to be a bowl eligible football team, they knew they were going to try and close this thing out with a winning season. To have Texas be the opportunity we got is absolutely outstanding for us."

Tyrone Swoopes completed 13-of-25 passes for 57 yards with an interception for Texas (6-7), which was 3-5 going into November prior to ripping off three straight victories to become bowl eligible.

"It's been a season that's been up and down. You go out here tonight and you play against a good Arkansas team," Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong said. "You would have thought that we would have come out and just been better prepared."

Arkansas scored the first 17 points of the game.

After punting on its opening touch, the Razorbacks were faced with a 3rd- and-10 at the Texas 37 on its next possession. Allen hit Jared Cornelius over the middle and Texas' Mykkele Thompson stripped the ball out, but the ball landed into the arms Hunter Henry for a gain of 20. The wild play led to an Adam McFain 32-yard field goal.

Wilson came down with a jump ball along the left sideline for a 36-yard score early in the second on Arkansas' next series for a 10-0 cushion. Taiwan Johnson recovered a muffed exchange between Swoopes and Johnathan in the end zone for Arkansas' 17-0 margin midway through the second.

Texas got on the board on its ensuing sequence when Swoopes capped off an 8- play, 44-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown keeper along the left sideline.

Allen moved the chains on a 3rd-and-4 with a 10-yard scramble and then hit Drew Morgan for a 24-yard gain to move the ball to the Texas 10. Allen stepped up in the pocket on a 3rd-and-goal and found Hatcher in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard score.

Williams' 1-yard TD plunge early in the fourth was the lone score of the second half.

Game Notes

Arkansas improved to 14-23-3 all-time in the postseason ... Texas played in its 53rd bowl game, only Alabama has appeared in more. The Longhorns fell to 27-24-2 ... Williams and Alex Collins were the only FBS teammates to head into bowl season with 1,000-plus yards rushing.