Scratch all that preseason hype that Arkansas would be the surprise team in the SEC this season.
The only surprise Saturday was this: Toledo 16, Arkansas 12.
Led by a stingy defense and quarterback Phillip Ely, a former Alabama backup who transferred two years ago to play for the Rockets, Toledo pulled off a huge upset in knocking off the 18th-ranked Razorbacks. It came just four days after Arkansas coach Bret Bielema was critical of defending national champion Ohio State's schedule, noting that the Buckeyes had just one more ranked team on their while the Razorbacks would play eight.
But it was an unranked team from the Mid-American Conference, not a daunting upcoming stretch of consecutive games against Texas A&M, Tennessee and Alabama, that brought any momentum to the Razorbacks' season to an abrupt halt.
"I'm embarrassed for our fans," Bielema said after the game. "If there's a silver lining in any of it ... it's not a conference loss."
Also halted was Arkansas' offensive identity. Known as a power-rushing team that feeds a stable of running backs plenty of opportunities, the Razorbacks' offense was much the opposite Saturday. Running back Alex Collins was held to 54 yards on 20 carries, while quarterback Brandon Allen fired 53 passes, completing 32 for 412 yards.
Arkansas' top offensive lineman prospect, Denver Kirkland, left the game with an injury late in the fourth quarter.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
