Notebook: Sherman Admits He Left QB Johnson in Too Long

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It didn't seem to make sense for Texas A&M to have starting quarterback Jerrod Johnson still in the game late in fourth quarter with Arkansas well on the way to a 47-17 win Saturday night the Cowboys Stadium.

So imagine the concerned looks on the Aggies sideline when Johnson took a hard blindsided hit from Tenarius Wright that caused a fumble to pop out in Arkansas territory on the final real play of the game. Johnson stayed on the ground for a moment before popping back up.

Afterward, A&M coach Mike Sherman even questioned himself for leaving Johnson in so long.






"I asked myself that walking off the field, particularly when he took that shot at the end," Sherman said. "We tried to move the pocket, we tried to have a safe play . I just wanted him to come out of here with success, I thought we could have scored another touchdown.

"It was probably not the wisest thing I did. I probably should have made a substitution there."

Sherman said redshirt freshman Tommy Dorman, not No. 2 quarterback and staring wide receiver Ryan Tannehill would hove came in for Johnson. Tannehill had played receiver most of the night. Sherman's offense has already been plagued with the loss of star receiver Jeff Fuller. The loss of Johnson would have been even more damaging.

"If he had gotten hurt there then I would have been...I'm critical of myself as it is but ya'll would have been more critical of me and would be right to say so," Sherman said. "I probably should have taken him, there was nothing to be gained there."

Johnson, who seemed little shook up on the sidelines right after the blow, shrugged it off in the postgame press conference.

"I got hit, but it's part of the game. I'll be alright," he said.



Jerry's World Rocks

The Cowboys Stadium is the luxurious new home of America's Team.

But Saturday night it was a house divided as Arkansas and Texas A&M packed the place with an announced crowd of 71,872 fans. The game might not have been as exciting, but the fans still seemed to enjoy the unique atmosphere Jerry Jones has created with his state of the art venue.

The giant screen above the field that had caused so much controversy was a major source of entertainment in between plays.

The whole experience won rave reviews from the players on the field, as well.

"I would love to play another college game in this facility," said Arkansas receiver Joe Adams. "It's a great facility to play in and as you see we played a hard game here."

Both Arkansas and Texas A&M did walk-throughs at the Cowboys Stadium on Friday to kind of get use it.

"That was a good move by Coach [Bobby] Petrino to come over here yesterday and get a feel for the place because it's really breathtaking," said Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette. "It's a great facility, but today we showed up, we took care of business and got a great win at a great venue."


Sackmaster Tamed

Linebacker/defensive end Von Miller came into Saturday night's game leading the nation in sacks, but he managed just one on Ryan Mallett all night.

It seemed like Miller might be a constant menace to Mallett all night after the sack and also playing a part in the Arkansas throwing an interception in the first half, but during much of the second half he wasn't as much of a factor. Miller, however, said his lack of production in the second half didn't have anything to do with the Razorbacks making a special effort to slow him down.

"I was trying to rush him, but I just couldn't get it done," said Miller, who finished with four tackles, including two for loss of yards.


Mallett Heats Up

The day might have started out slow for Mallett, but he certainly heated up as the game went along.

Mallett, who is in his first season of eligibility for Razorbacks after transferring from Michigan, completed 17-of-27 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns on the night. Mallett was coming off poor showing in the Razorbacks 35-7 loss to Alabama last week.

"He had a great attitude all week in practice," said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak to move to 2-2 on the season. "He's a tremendous competitor, and it hurts when you lose a game and you feel like you don't perform well. I was very proud of the way he reacted to that loss in practice all week. That showed up tonight in the game."


Throwback Aggies

For the first time since 1978, Texas A&M donned the all white helmets to commemorate the old Southwest Conference days against an old SWC foe.