Offensive line appears much improved following spring game

By Jason Pattyson

FAYETTEVILLE — Run the dang ball, do it again, and again, until every step is ingrained into your mind. Once you see the progress, then you can play fast. Those words echoed at various points all spring by Head Coach Sam Pittman, Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino, and Offensive Line Coach Eric Mateos. A clear, consistent, and repetitive message from the top down. 

Today was a new day and a step forward for the Arkansas offensive line and Coach Mateos. When he was introduced on December 20th last year Pittman knew he would get right to work. 

Keyshawn Blackstock, Fernando Carmona Jr., and Addison Nichols have instantly reinvigorated the offensive line room, but Matoes stepped in on day one and took charge of the group. When you talk to him, he is kind and gives the impression that he is a lovable teddy bear. Mateos loves this team and the state, but don’t let any of this fool you, he is one of the fiercest metronomes at practice. 

The team and this embattled group got to show the fans around the state, and beyond. This is a changed group for the better. You add three new pieces and have game experience at a high level. It’s a script for the comeback, as kids say these days. 

“I can only speak for the offensive line, but I feel like we have improved greatly,” offensive lineman Josh Braun said after the scrimmage. “We’ve gotten back to the foundation of offensive line play, which is technique. Like I said, we’re just excited to get back to work on Monday and ride this through the summer.”

The one person who is benefitting from this improvement the most could very well be transfer quarterback Taylen Green, and he loves this group. 

“I’m really impressed with how they come about every single day because they have a lot on their plate with the installs and the different run checks. The run game and the pass game and the pass (protection), it’s new to them, too,” Green said about the offensive line room.  “The detail that they come with every single day, they’re prepared. Even when we get the script, probably, late-night. Really late-night or early morning, but they know their keys and they know their checks and all that. I’m definitely impressed and definitely love this guy right here (Braun). Like he said, the camaraderie. It’s definitely not, I call ‘me-ball’. It’s us. It’s a team sport. I couldn’t make the plays out there without them.” 

Let’s get into the weeds with this group for a moment. This was some of the cleanest blocking fans witnessed in recent memory. Multiple times you saw Carmona seal off his guy on the left side at tackle. That sprang multiple chunk runs and a score by Ja’Quinden Jackson and wasn’t touched on the score from 15 yards out.  

Blackstock sealed up the right side multiple times and let the backs slip into the flat untouched, resulting in the offense netting gains and keeping the defense off balance. 

The combo blocks looked in sync, the pad level was good, and they got underneath their man. The guy chipping got to the next level quicker than what we saw last year. Patrick Kutas moved back inside where he played before looks like a match. The line used their hands better, not letting guys fall into their chests and get beat. 

Josh Braun stayed inside last year, and he has helped shape what could be the most formidable guard-center-guard in the SEC with Braun, Nichols, and Kutas. He has watched this unit transform overnight before his very eyes. 

“On paper it is a completely different unit. We’ve got a different man leading us,” Braun said. “We’re actually a unit. We’re a brotherhood. We’re the tightest o-line unit I’ve been a part of, and that’s a breath of fresh air. Mateos said today, we just got it rolling. At the beginning of the semester, we started this journey, and now we’re finally getting it on the track. We’ve got to keep that momentum going through the summer.”

Fans watched 10 feet move together in step like a seasoned group that had played for years. The group didn’t allow a sack in the first half, to their credit, and Nichols snapped the ball with a crisp edge and didn’t float to the quarterback, a huge change from last year.

Coach Pittman has helped Matoes with this group all spring, and the dividends are showing. The pocket looked intact, didn’t collapse, and allowed Green to operate with high efficiency. 

“I mean, for me, it was a dream come true. I committed to Coach Pittman out of high school to be my o-line coach, and to see it now come to fruition, it really is a dream come true,” Braun said about playing for Coach Pittman. “We split up, pretty much every day. Coach Pittman will take half of the o-line and Coach Mateos will take the other half, and then we’ll switch. That’s just great. Coach Pittman’s one of the best o-line coaches of his generation. To have him and then have Coach Mateos, who is going to be one of the best offensive line coaches of the next generation, you couldn’t ask for anything better.” 

A year ago, this unit was getting hammered from every perspective. Fans, media, coaches, but most of all for each other. The shortcomings of that O-Line room were well-documented from the BYU game through the rest of the season. 

Mateos’s cadence is booming, and the same message is instilled into each lineman. “Concentrate on the little steps and clean up the technique. Refine the steps so you move as one,” has been preached during individual drills this spring.

August 29th will quickly arrive for the start of the 2024 football season.  They are the foundation of success, and a lot is riding on this group, but this time, it cannot crumble.