2011 Sugar Bowl The 2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) for the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 77th Sugar Bowl . The contest took place on January 4 , 2011 , in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana . The game had an 8 p . m . ( ET ) kickoff . Paul Hoolahan was the executive director . The Sugar Bowl Committee selected as its participants the # 6 Ohio State Buckeyes from the Big Ten Conference and the # 8 Arkansas Razorbacks from the Southeastern Conference . The Buckeyes won 31 – 26 , but vacated the victory on July 8 , 2011 . Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . On July 8 , 2011 , under scrutiny from the NCAA due to a variety of program irregularities and violations of Ohio State University and NCAA policies , Ohio State vacated the 2011 Sugar Bowl win along with 11 other victories in their 2010 season . Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel , initially dismissed during the scandal , was subsequently allowed to retire from his position as Head Coach . The game ' s MVP , Terrelle Pryor , did not finish his fourth year of eligibility for football at Ohio State , opting instead to seek employment in the National Football League . Initially barred from the Postseason play by Ohio State University staff were Pryor , leading rusher Dan Herron , wide receiver DeVier Posey , offensive tackle Mike Adams and defensive end Solomon Thomas . On December 23rd 2010 Pryor and the four other players were granted permission to participate in the upcoming Sugar Bowl contest . This reversal came after the five suspended players publicly committed to remain at the institution for the 2011 season if allowed to participate in the upcoming Sugar Bowl . Subsequent to the 2011 Sugar Bowl , Pryor reneged on his promise to complete his fifth year . Teams . Ohio State . Coach Jim Tressel had a record of 105 - 22 ( 10th year ) at Ohio State . His team was led offensively by Dan Herron with 192 rushes for 1 , 068 yards and 15 touchdowns , quarterback Terrelle Pryor with 196 of 298 passes for 2 , 551 yards and 25 touchdowns , and receiver Dane Sanzenbacher on 52 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns . Defensively , Brian Rolle had 70 tackles , Nathan Williams had 4 . 5 sacks for 35 yards , and Chimdi Chekwa with 3 interceptions for 22 yards . On December 22 , 2010 , it was reported that Terrelle Pryor , Dan Herron , DeVier Posey , Mike Adams , and Solomon Thomas had traded autographs for tattoos , a violation of NCAA rules . The school investigated the allegations and reported that the five players would not miss the Sugar Bowl but will miss five games of the 2011 season . The sixth player will miss Ohio State ' s season opener . The five players involved stated their intentions to return to Ohio State for the 2011 season , but after Coach Tressel ' s resignation in May , 2011 Terrelle Pryor announced that he would not return to play for Ohio State in 2011 and would probably enter the NFL supplemental draft . Arkansas . Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino was in his third year with the team , with a 23 - 14 record . Offensive leaders included tailback Knile Davis , who ran 178 times for 1 , 183 yards and 13 touchdowns , quarterback Ryan Mallett who completed 242 of 364 passes for 3 , 592 yards and 30 touchdowns , and a pair of receivers in D . J . Williams ( 49 receptions for 589 yards , 4 TDs ) and Jarius Wright ( 38 catches for 718 yards , 4 touchdowns ) . Operated on a 4 – 3 defense scheme , the team was led by Jerry Franklin with 93 tackles , Jake Bequette on 7 . 0 sacks for 36 yards , and Tramain Thomas who had 4 interceptions for 24 yards . Game summary . The Buckeyes struck first , with Dane Sanzenbacher recovering a fumble in the end zone after Terrelle Pryor fumbled on the 3 yard line . Arkansas struck back with Ryan Mallett connecting with Joe Adams on a 17 yard pass . Dan Herron added a 9 yard run , and Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey caught touchdown passes of 15 and 43 yards respectively to give the Buckeyes a big lead . Zach Hocker hit a 20 yard field goal as time expired and the Razorbacks were down 28 – 10 at the half . In the third quarter , the momentum shifted Arkansas ' direction . Hocker and Devin Barclay traded field goals , then Mallett connected with Jarius Wright for a touchdown , then made the two - point conversion on a pass to D . J . Williams to pull within ten . The Razorbacks closed the gap further in the fourth , on a safety by Jake Bequette and another field goal by Hocker . With just over a minute left , Arkansas blocked Ohio State ' s punt and recovered on the 18 yard line . However on 2nd down & 10 , Mallett ' s pass was intercepted . The Buckeyes would run out the clock for a 31 – 26 victory . This was Ohio State ' s first bowl win over an SEC opponent . Post Season Controversy . After the 2010 Season , the controversy over Ohio States pregame violations of the NCAA rules regarding players selling autographed memorabilia continued to escalate . On July 8 , 2011 , Ohio State announced that it would vacate all wins from the 2010 Season , including the victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl .