Devwah Whaley, the University of Arkansas running back, scored a 30-yard touchdown run and rushed for more than 50 yards for the seventh time this season in front of a crowd of 51,043 at Memorial Stadium yesterday.

However, it was not enough to prevent the Razorbacks from a 28-24 defeat in their regular season finale at the University of Missouri, which was televised live on CBS.

Whaley, the son of former local middle-distance runner Devoe Whaley, achieved his third touchdown season late in the first quarter which helped put the Razorbacks in control with a 24-7 advantage at half-time. But after totalling 318 yards in the first half, Arkansas’s went cold in the second and Missouri took full advantage by rattling off 21 straight points.

Even still, Whaley and his colleagues had a chance for the potential game-winning score in the final minutes but had a stalled drive inside the red zone as the home side held on.

Whaley, who is Arkansas’s second-highest recruit since the ESPN 300 listings began a decade ago and heavily tipped by ESPN’s five SEC reporters to win the conference’s Freshman of the Year Award, rushed for 55 yards on eight carries.

The defeat dropped Arkansas to 7-5 for the season and 3-5 in the SEC West, and they will now wait to find out their bowl destination to be determined after next week’s conference championships.

Whaley attended Dalton E. Tucker and Sandys Middle School before moving back to the United States.

The 5ft 11in, 216lb-running back committed to play for Arkansas over several other colleges.