Communication at fault for defensive struggles in Arkansas scrimmage
When Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman met with the media following the Razorbacks’ first closed scrimmage of fall camp, the offense was the highlight.
Fans were excited, of course, because of the prospects of high-powered offense in 2025. But then, questions arose about how effective the Razorbacks’ defense was.
Pittman said the defense started slow and picked up momentum toward the end of the scrimmage. Quarterback Taylen Green threw “five or six” touchdowns, and running back Mike Washington broke off several big runs.
Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams said a lack of communication was at the forefront of the defense’s struggles.
“Some of it was communication and some of it is ‘I’ve got this man and I just need to cover him,’ right?” Williams said. “Very first play, linebacker has the back out of the backfield and he’s wide open over there and nobody’s on him. So, like you’ve just got to cover your guy. And just one of them was a communication deal. We have to communicate pre-snap and post-snap.”
Arkansas needs stronger defense in 2025
On paper, the Razorbacks’ defense — primarily in the passing game — was porous last season. The Hogs were dead last in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game at 246.9.
Williams said the key for his unit is to inject energy early and often, and that starts in practice.
“Our energy and how you scare offenses, it’s not about the play calls,” Williams said. “It’s just people just smothering the ball. Right? So we have to get to the ball like our life depend on it. Every snap, no matter who’s out there.
“The ones, twos, threes, fours, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a standard of defense when we go out there. So, that’s what I got out of it from my seat. Just, okay, everybody – from top to bottom – straining to the ball, like your life’s depending on it.”
Redshirt senior linebacker Stephen Dix Jr., who is in his sixth fall camp of his college career and second at Arkansas, agreed with Williams’ assertion that communication issues were the struggle. Those issues are fixable, though.
“We definitely went back and we saw the tape, I think it was just communication,” Dix said. “It’s not anything we can’t fix. It’s not that we don’t have the talent or the guys to do it. It’s just getting on the same page, just those things that separate us.
“The margin for error being small, it’s just talking and saying, ‘Hey, I got this guy. You got him. If they do this, we’re gonna execute this.’ Whatever it may be. So I think just communication. We get that on lock, we’ll be a dominant defense.”
