Five good questions: Arkansas

With No. 4 Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0 SEC) playing at Arkansas (2-4, 0-2) Saturday, we checked in with Kyle Sutherland of Hawgbeat.com to get more info on the Razorbacks. Our answers to Kyle’s questions can be found here.

1) Has the elevation of Bobby Petrino given any added sense of optimism to the program? 

I think there are still some players, particularly on the defensive side, who are still skeptical. Petrino seems to have done a very nice job of making them understand that the rest of season is essentially a job interview for both coaches and players, so I believe that most of the team has bought into that and are making the most of the situation. Multiple players have said that practices are like the NFL so everything has been a business-like approach. 

2) Where did this running game come from? The combination of Washington, Green and Russell have put up huge numbers.

To me, the offensive line has been the most underrated part of the team. Those who watch Arkansas games have seen it, and it makes sense with the numbers they have compiled, but I feel like OL coach Eric Mateos and the guys up front are not talked about enough. This unit brought back two starters with two others being portal additions, plus Arkansas native Kobe Branham has done good things at right guard in his second season with the team. From Washington’s standpoint, his speed and vision mixed with the job the guys up front have done has been a key part outside of all Taylen has brought.

3) Where did Taylen Green tweak his game to become a far more consistent and dangerous quarterback this year?

Other than knowing the offense much better, I think he trusts his offensive line and his receivers as a whole more. Last season he did not get a lot of great protection at times, but sometimes he also held the ball too long. Andrew Armstrong was the “dude” at wide receiver and there were too many times that Taylen would take off and run if he was not open. So, he’s done a much better job of going through reads and gaining a strong connection with someone else besides leading receiver O’Mega Blake. Also, lingering injuries to leading rusher JJ Jackson hindered some things.

4) What in the world happened to the defense? 120th in total defense is not what you’d normally expect from Arkansas.

There are some who say that the defensive unit they have fielded just is not up to par with most of the Hogs’ opponents. I agree to an extent. Up front there have been a lot of concerns, minus Quincy Rhodes Jr. on the edge, and the linebackers came into the season as the strength, but have looked awful in most games. To be fair, Xavian Sorey has had a lingering hamstring injury since fall camp and Petrino said Monday that he is about the healthiest he’s been all season. Fresno State transfer Julian Neal has done some good things in the secondary but that unit has been out of position way too many times. Overall, most of the defensive struggles in the big picture have to do with just sloppy tackling and lack of effort. 

5) Describe some of the strengths you’ve seen and weaknesses that have been exploited on both sides of the ball.

OFFENSE

Strengths: There has been a lot of talk about A&M’s defense on third down (very rightfully so), but Arkansas’ offense has also done really well in those situations (57%) at third nationally. Along with that, I would say very strong offensive line play and fast starts. 

Weaknesses: Other than too many turnovers (fumbled both the Ole Miss and Memphis games away, plus three against Tennessee) weaknesses have been the lack of consistency in the second half. Put up 14 in the 4Q against Tennessee, but against Ole Miss, Memphis and Notre Dame they scored 13 second half points and were shut out in that frame against ND. 

DEFENSE

Strengths: The bar was not set very high, but Arkansas did look a little better defensively against Tennessee but there were still way too many big plays. Individually, Rhodes is third in the SEC with five sacks and Neal is second in the league with two interceptions. 

Weaknesses: Sounds like a cop out, but really weaknesses are never-ending excluding a couple of individual performances mentioned above. They’re statistically the worst defense in the SEC, nearly the nation, in basically every category. This is a unit that has been brutal to watch on too many occasions. 

Score prediction?

I do think Arkansas can keep it close for most of the game and I don’t see a rout like there was against Notre Dame, but A&M is simply just a more talented team and extremely well-coached. Against Florida the way they came together and how well Marcel Reed played, if they continue that then I struggle to see how Arkansas can keep up for a full game, particularly on defense. I’m going to say the Hogs hang in for most of the afternoon, but the Aggies score late to win comfortably 42-28.