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Halftime Takeaways As Arkansas Leads No. 17 South Carolina 17-0

Hogs lead Gamecocks at the half
Samuel Stubbs|
Arkansas Razorback coach Ryan Siliverfield before kickoff against South Carolina.
Arkansas Razorback coach Ryan Siliverfield before kickoff against South Carolina. | Nilsen Roman, Hog On SI

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas leads No. 17 South Carolina 17-0 at halftime inside Razorback Stadium.

Here are three takeaways from the first half of action.

KJ Jackson starts strong

KJ Jackson has been inconsistent this season but put together arguably his best half of football in the first half on Saturday.

Jackson completed 12 of 17 passes for yards and a beautiful touchdown pass to Chris Marshall. It was clear from Arkansas' first drive that Arkansas wanted to get the ball out of Jackson's hands quickly, and he delivered strike after strike in the first half.

Jackson also had several key scrambles in the half, including one on a fourth down on Arkansas' first touchdown drive of the night. He also had a QB sneak for a first down on a fourth and short on Arkansas' first drive.

After putting together a clutch touchdown drive late against Auburn where he was in rhythm, Jackson stayed in rhythm in the first half on Saturday against a South Carolina defense that has played well as of late.

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Defense puts together another great first half

Arkansas' defense put together good first halves in each of the last two games and did so again on Saturday.

With backup QB Cutter Woods getting the start, Arkansas sent pressure early and often. Save for a 51-yard bomb in the first quarter, Woods was largely held in check. His first half stat line wasn't bad, but he certainly isn't as big of a gamechanger as LaNorris Sellers.

The Razorback defense shut out the Gamecocks thanks to a missed field goal, but Ron Roberts' unit also recovered a fumble that led to an Arkansas touchdown and got the offense good field position after forcing a stop deep in South Carolina territory. While not a completely perfect half, it was about as good of one as you could ask for.

South Carolina makes mistakes

So often this season, it's been Arkansas making backbreaking mistakes in key moments. But South Carolina made those mistakes in the first half.

The Gamecocks missed a chip shot field goal in the first quarter, put the ball on the carpet in the second and committed five penalties for 32 yards, including holding on a kickoff return that backed them up and gave Arkansas good field position.

Not only did South Carolina make mistakes, but Arkansas capitalized on them, which is an equally important part of the equation.

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Samuel Stubbs
SAMUEL STUBBS

Sam Stubbs is a student at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in journalism. He has worked at the UA’s student newspaper, the Arkansas Traveler, since October 2025, becoming the assistant sports editor in December 2025. When he's not writing about the Razorbacks, Sam can be found covering NASCAR for Yardbarker and is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), winning an award for race coverage from the association in February 2025. He's previously worked for Heavy, Field Level Media, Frontstretch and FanSided.

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