Hogs have chance for fast start to season if issues fixed

By Jerry Meadows

FAYETTEVILLE — This Saturday, Arkansas has a good chance of completing a 5-game stretch to hopefully improve their season to 4-1.

Having only one game at home in Fayetteville in that stretch, the Razorbacks will have played in five different venues. Few in the sports world or even Razorback fans saw Arkansas starting the season that well in 2024. Predictions of a 3 to 5-win season became the best-case scenario for many Hog fans before the beginning of the season.

A team that went through a complete overhaul of the offense and added nine linebackers and defensive backs on a defense that last year allowed 100 yards less than the previous year had yet to create much optimism. The memory of last year’s debacle was still too fresh in the minds of the Razorback nation.

The Arkansas defense was seemingly going under the radar. Coach Travis Williams, defensive coordinator, and his staff took last year’s defense and kept the Razorbacks within one score of beating Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss, all on the road. During the off-season, Williams landed several key players to offset the team’s losses on defense from graduation and the portal. With 15 on defense who played some last year, Arkansas had six-returning defensive linemen, including the starting front four. Adding Anton Juncaj (Albany) and Danny Saili (BYU) helped add depth to the defensive line to be more competitive in the SEC.

(Excluding the UAPB game), the defense had its best performance against Auburn last Saturday. Although the defense kept Auburn from scoring more than 14 points, they still gave up 431 yards of offense. A more efficient offense could have turned that many yards into 35 to 40 points. Arkansas’ pass defense will eventually cost them several wins this year unless they get that fixed. Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas, and Missouri have high-powered passing offenses that can easily outscore Arkansas. Arkansas has the players to cover SEC receivers. The question is, does the defensive staff have enough time to make the necessary adjustments? One way to offset the success of a passing attack is by bringing more pressure on the QB. Making a QB uncomfortable when they pass the ball can lead to turnovers. And here lies the next issue. The most glaring concern with the defense is their inability to put pressure on the opposing QBs. After four games, they are averaging 1.75 sacks a game. If you exclude the UAPB game, the Arkansas defense is averaging one sack for 5.4 yds and three tackles for loss for 10.3 yds per game.

UAPB          4 sacks      33 yds       10 TFL       42 yds

OSU          no sacks        0 yds       03 TFL       08 yds

UAB            1 sack         07 yds      02 TFL       08 yds

Auburn        2 sacks       10 yds      04 TFL       15 yds

Total 2024   7 sacks       50 yds      19 TFL       73 yds (first four games)

Total 2023 14 sacks       88 yds      32 TFL     151 yds (first four games)

These stats suggest the Arkansas defense is not as effective against the pass as last year. Yet, they are bigger, faster, and stronger than last year. So what is it? Technique? Scheme? Heart? All of the above?

Whatever the problems are, Coach Williams needs to get it fixed ASAP.

For months some failed to recognize what Coach Sam Pittman had done in the off-season to redefine a football team that appeared to be a ship with no sails. The most significant change for the 2024 season was the hiring of Bobby Petrino as the new OC. Next, was finding productive players who could mesh with the present roster. The most productive player out of the portal so far has been Ja’Quinden Jackson, who has rushed for 472 yards in four games and ranked 4th nationally.

The offensive line, which was previously a concern, has been good. Their run blocking has been better and Jackson’s numbers are the proof. The biggest problem facing the offense is pass protection for QB Taylen Green. Consistency is what is lacking. When the O-line does its job, the running backs, at times get out of position to pick up the blitz, and Green either gets sacked, scrambles to make something happen, or throws the ball away. These issues are fixable, and one can bet that Coach Petrino is working hard to solve them. The fact is, Green is a lethal weapon for the Razorbacks, but he has got to believe that he is. At times, he seems to be trying too hard. Football is a game you have to learn to take what a defense gives you.

The amazing aspect about this team is their upside is off the charts. Offensively, they have yet to play their best ball. On defense, they are a much better team than they have shown. The Razorbacks have had six turnovers in the last three games, leading to 25 points scored off turnovers. The offense is sputtering, but they are winning. The defense is sometimes porous, yet they continue to find a way to make a play. Last year, that was not the case. This year’s version of the Razorbacks is a definite upgrade from last year. If Petrino can get the offense to run the way it did in the first half of the Oklahoma State game, and Coach Williams can tighten up the pass defense, every game Arkansas will play the rest of the season could be winnable.

Next Saturday, the Razorbacks conclude the Southwest Classic Series against #24 ranked Texas A&M at 2:30 in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium airing on ESPN.