College Football : Southwest Roundup : Freshman Quarterback Sparks Arkansas, 30-15

Freshman quarterback Quinn Grovey was impressive in the first start of his career, but Coach Ken Hatfield said senior Greg Thomas would be the starter for 10th-ranked Arkansas next week against sixth-ranked Miami.

Grovey, who ran 18 times for 81 yards, showed his quickness more than once at Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday as he guided the Razorbacks to a 30-15 victory over Tulsa.

Hatfield said he decided just before the kickoff to start Grovey instead of Thomas, who had suffered a bruised sternum in last week’s 31-10 victory over Mississippi.

“Greg worked all week, but we knew if he took some shots he could get hurt,” Hatfield said. “I just felt a little uneasy starting him. He only played a few plays and took some hard shots while he was in.”

Hatfield said Thomas, who has started the past two years, and Grovey are considered first-teamers.

“Quinn is an excellent runner and can make more things happen when he has the ball than Greg can,” Hatfield said. “He’s improved as a passer and really threw the ball well today. Greg is a good runner and a very good passer. He has great leadership qualities. We need them both. They’ll both work with the first unit.”

The Razorbacks scored on six of their first eight possessions and built a 30-7 lead after three quarters, despite throwing only four passes. At that point, Arkansas had 279 yards rushing and Tulsa had 15 in 15 attempts.

Texas Tech 43, Lamar 14--Texas Tech tailback James Gray rushed for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns at Lubbock, Tex., as the Red Raiders cruised to their second victory in three games.

The loss dropped the Division I-AA Cardinals to 1-2.

Gray, a 5-foot 10-inch, 200-pound sophomore, ran 24 and 4 yards for touchdowns. Gray, who rushed for 150 yards last week against Colorado State, compiled 113 yards in the first half. He saw no action in the last 22 minutes of play.

Texas Christian 33, Brigham Young 12--At Fort Worth, halfback Tony Jeffery rushed for 207 yards in 19 carries and went 69 yards for a touchdown as the Horned Frogs ground out an easy victory.

Quarterback David Rascoe rushed for 105 yards in 23 carries in the Horned Frogs’ home opener.

It was the first meeting between TCU (1-2) of the Southwest Conference and the Cougars (1-2) of the Western Athletic Conference.