Eric Gregory helps D-line make big plays

FAYETTEVILLE — Eric Gregory was part of a defense that helped limit UAPB to seven yards rushing in the season opener on Thursday.

Gregory finished the game with two tackles, one solo and a sack. That followed the 2023 season when Gregory had 16 tackles, eight solo, one sack and a pass breakup. On Saturday, Gregory won’t only face Oklahoma State, but also a friend in defensive tackle Collin Clay. Gregory and Clay both reported to Arkansas in 2019.

“We talk to each other on social media,” Gregory said. “We keep in contact. He just got married here recently, I believe in the summer. I want to congratulate him on that. That’s still my boy. He came off an injury, I believe two years ago. He was kind of like me coming in, too. We were big D-ends playing and then injuries happened. We gained a little weight and we got thrown inside. We had the same mindset of just being physical and playing through the whistle. So I feel that’s what he’s going to bring when he plays.”

Since Clay was at Arkansas for one season before heading to Stillwater is he extra motivated for this game?

“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah for sure,” Gregory said. “There’s not doubt, for sure.”

Gregory knows the Oklahoma State offensive line will present his unit many more issues than that of UAPB.

“They’re like you said, they got a lot of experience,” Gregory said. “They’ve been here probably just as long as I have been playing. They have a lot of experience. Like you said, they’re big, they’re physical.

“They’re kind of like an SEC O line, You look at it, there’s really no difference. We got to come in, we got to attack the same way we do it each and every week.”

Arkansas actually played better on the road than at home last season. Gregory gave his thoughts on playing road games.

“You just got to go in and play football,” Gregory said. “It’s football at the end of the day. The only difference really is it’s the crowd when you look at it. Once you eliminate that, it’s just football, so this is a mindset we come in with. We’re going to go in there and eliminate the crowd noise and we’re going to we’re going to play football.”

Gregory and the defense will face one of the best running backs in the nation in Ollie Gordon. In a 44-20 victory over South Dakota State on Saturday, Gordon rushed 28 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 20 yards.

“As you said, he’s a very good back man,” Gregory said. “He’s very patient and he finds a hole. He hits it, so we got to put our bodies on them. We can’t just go in there with arms because he’s a big back. He’s gonna run through those. We got to put a body on them. We got to wrap up and we got to rally to the ball.”

Alan Bowman is a very experienced quarterback for Oklahoma State. On Saturday, he completed 24 of 33 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed twice for eight yards. He’s in his seventh year of college football.

“Just seeing it the way he operates in the system, you can tell he’s been there for a minute,” Gregory said. “The way he knows the ins and outs of the calls and stuff like that. You can see the experience on film and I feel like that’s what he brings.  He knows the system in and out.”

Gregory admits Saturday is a chance for the Hogs to gain some national respect. Following a 4-8 season in 2023 many have been reluctant to buy into this year’s team. A road win over Oklahoma State would change a lot of that.

“I think it’s big,” Gregory said. “Our first game of the season we had success, but this is a different team, to be completely honest. A different team. We have to come in kind of with the same mindset. It’s really no different. We come with the same mindset, we have to do what we do. We have to play ball, we have to line up, know our assignment and focus on the small things.”

Arkansas and Oklahoma State will kickoff at 11 a.m. on Saturday and televised on ABC.