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By KELLY P. KISSEL Associated Press Writer
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- One week removed from an ugly loss to Southern California, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt was happy to have any kind of win.
"Wins are precious, even if they are ugly," Nutt said after the Razorbacks' 20-0 victory Saturday over Utah State.
Arkansas (1-1) had 184 yards from Darren McFadden and an efficient, conservative effort from freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain, while rebounding from a 50-14 loss to the No. 3 Trojans.
"Man, it was good to have the old Darren back," said Nutt, whose star running back broke a toe in a summer fight outside a nightclub. "He wanted to be out there the whole time."
McFadden, last year's Southeastern Conference freshman of the year, carried 20 times, but the slower Aggies (0-2) made it hard to tell whether he is fully recovered.
A larger-than-expected crowd turned out to see Mustain, named the nation's top prep player by Parade magazine and USA Today, after throwing for 3,817 yards and 47 touchdowns last year.
McFadden carried on seven of the Razorbacks' first nine plays as Arkansas (1-1) sought to dominate on the ground and take pressure off Mustain. He got the job after directing a five-play, 80-yard drive against USC reserves in the opener.
"It's always nice to be able to give the ball to such good backs like Darren, Felix (Jones) and Peyton (Hillis)," Mustain said. "They make things a lot easier as a quarterback."
Nutt said Mustain "made good decisions for the most part."
McFadden scored on a 9-yard run in the second quarter after guard Jeremy Harrell took out the left side of the Utah State defense line near the Aggie goal line. In the third quarter, he had a 72-yard scoring run after skipping out of safety Terrance Washington's hands at the Arkansas 40.
"I saw the hole before I even crossed the line of scrimmage," McFadden said. "I almost lost my feet, but I regained my balance and took it to the house."
Mustain, 9-of-17 passing for 119 yards and no interceptions, hit Marcus Monk with a 13-yard scoring pass just before halftime. Monk jumped near the side of the end zone, flicked his hands up quickly and got a foot inbounds before rolling out. Replays rejected a Utah State challenge.
"Mitch threw it to a spot where only I could catch it and I went up and made the grab," Monk said.
Mustain opted for many short routes, working the ball to the sidelines to let Arkansas' faster receivers work against Utah State's outside men.
The Aggies managed several big plays after having only one play longer than 9 yards in a loss at Wyoming. An early drive fizzled once Utah State reached the Arkansas 28, after a delay-of-game penalty on fourth-and-two.
"We've got to score touchdowns to win games," coach Brent Guy said.
Two pass interference penalties helped Utah State move the ball to the Arkansas 7 in the final two minutes, but Leon Jackson misfired on his last four passes. He finished 11-of-28 for 114 yards.
"I'm not into moral victories, and I wasn't going to kick a field goal just to avoid being shut out," Guy said.
Marcus Cross had 29 carries for 103 yards, the first Aggie to break 100 yards since the 2004 season.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-09-09-06 2239MDT
