Apparently Pittman, coaches, being cautious as Hogs start practice
Nobody gets to see Arkansas’ practices, but now we at least have some photos from drills released by Arkansas Communications and it’s clear the coaches are being careful.
As the college football world is collectively doing a lot of head-scratching these days trying to figure out what’s going to happen, the phrase most often uttered is “safety of the players and coaches.”
The numbers, at least now, do not indicate the risk is high for players and coaches at all. Especially the players.
Sam Pittman was wearing a mask, which wasn’t that surprising. As excited about getting his first head coaching job at the school he wanted , he probably would wear a hazmat suit all day long.
At least the SEC is waiting and apparently exploring every possible angle. In California they cancelled the Rose Parade on Wednesday for the first time since World War II. That’s correct, they have shut down an event on Jan. 1 in the middle of July.
Since work on some of those floats for the next year starts the day after the parade pulling the plug now saves folks some time and expense. Other than adjusting some television schedules it really won’t affect much around here.
But Pittman likely isn’t the only coach wearing a mask. That’s probably going to be standard protocol during a season that’s going to be different than anything we’ve ever seen.
However it looks, though, there should be a season.
Hogs’ Boyd named to watch list for top college running back award
Rakeem Boyd has been placed on the Doak Walker Award watch list to honor the top running back for the second straight year by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum.
Boyd has emerged as one of the leaders for Arkansas as they have started conditioning drills with coaches and he’s sporting a little bit of a different hair look.
The award is presented annually to the nation’s top college running back and is named after three-time All-America RB Doak Walker.
It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
Boyd, a senior from Houston, Texas, was the team’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season, totaling 1,133 yards on 184 carries, scoring eight times in 2019.
He ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th nationally with an average of 94.4 rushing yards per game and ninth in the conference with 6.2 yards per carry. He ran for 100+ yards in five games, posting a season-high 185 yards against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9, his most rushing yards as a Razorback.
His five 100+ yard performances brought him to a total of eight over two years, making him one of 16 Arkansas running backs in school history to do so.
Boyd recorded 100 or more rushing yards last season in games against Portland State (114), Colorado State (122), Kentucky (134), Mississippi State (114) and Western Kentucky (185). Boyd also hauled in 160 yards through the air on 19 catches in 2019.
He ran for 734 yards on 123 attempts in his first year with the Razorbacks in 2018 with two touchdowns. Boyd earned the inaugural Darren McFadden Running Back of the Year award from the Little Rock Touchdown Club for his performance in 2018.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November, and three finalists later that month.
The committee will cast a second vote in December to determine the recipient, which will be announced live on the Home Depot College Football Awards.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Hocker on how whether kickers or quarterbacks biggest ‘head cases’ in football
Former Arkansas kicker Zach Hocker on Wednesday morning talking with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas about the mental part of the game.
Davenport on The Morning Rush as Hogs get initial practices started this week
Democrat-Gazette recruiting writer Richard Davenport said Wednesday with players now back at practices, everybody hoping for football to be played this year.
“All the momentum seems to be going to not having a season in the fall and maybe trying to do something in the spring,” he told Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas. “Maybe the trends will change.”
Davenport also talked about kicker Zach Hocker’s recruitment and how he committed to the Razorbacks after coming back from a visit to Hawaii, plus what new basketball assistant brings to Eric Musselman’s team.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Coaches with players, QB situation, plus Zach Hocker!
Tye & Tommy on the coaches being with the players this week, QB situation, plus Zach Hocker!
Former Hog Kicker Zach Hocker joins The Morning Rush
Former Hog Kicker Zach Hocker joins Tye and Tommy on The Morning Rush, to tell some of his favorite stories during his time at Arkansas! Check out the conversation now!
‘Pig Trail Nation’s Carroll says no reason for SEC to make quick decision
While a lot of the knee-jerk media apparently keeps trying to tell people there can’t be a college football season, Jason Carroll of Pig Trail Nation doesn’t think there’s any need to rush.
“What if the numbers start turning around like they did in the Northeast?” Carroll on Tuesday afternoon told Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas.
It’s not a particularly popular opinion. But it is the correct decision to be made, despite everyone apparently making the most dire predictions for whatever reasons.
“If you are a football player you know at any point in time you know at any point in time one play could be the end of your career because of the health reasons,” Carroll said. “You go into a football game or a practice … look at Rawleigh Williams a few years ago … you never know when your moment is going to end.
“How do you approach that differently as a football player than what you approach this with? The only difference is that affects you and this can potentially affect everybody else.”
That is the sticking point for most people. How you view personal accountability is probably how your view of the whole thing is shaped.
It is the problem with playing games in the spring, which is not really any sort of possibility from a health and logistics standpoint.
“They are not going to ever put an athlete in the situation healthwise where you’re playing 20 games, or 24 games or 22 games in a 10-11-month span,” he said. “Everybody says that’s not good for the health of that athlete. That’s why I don’t think a spring season is going to work.
“The approach they’re taking is the correct approach.”
Which is correct. There really is absolutely no reason to make a decision in the middle of July, despite the advice of some media folks who are now experts in medicine.
“The national guys, some of the local guys that want to complain about what the SEC is doing, I think, are out of bounds,” Carroll said. “You should want somebody to be as positive as they can be about trying to do something instead of everything negative.”
Really, all you have to do is look at the numbers correctly. If you test positive for the virus in Arkansas right now you have a 98.9% chance of surviving regardless of age or health. There will be some that have ongoing issues.
But more people die from some common medical procedures than from the virus.
“A lot of those national guys that are criticizing the leagues are guys that want to politicize it or do whatever,” Carroll said. “I honestly think they should be playing.”
Which is a view at least a couple of us agree with.
The numbers say they should if you read the numbers correctly.
Boyd, Burks lead six Razorbacks named to Steele’s preseason SEC teams
FAYETTEVILLE — Six Arkansas players were named to the Phil Steele Football 2020 Preseason SEC Teams, including a pair of multi-year honorees.
• Senior running back Rakeem Boyd landed on the second team offense/
• Sophomore receiver Treylon Burks earned third team honors as a punt returner/
• Senior center Ty Clary (offense) on the fourth team.
• Junior linebacker Bumper Pool (defense) on the fourth team.
• Senior receiver De’Vion Warren (kick returner) on the fourth team.
• Senior Jordan Silver (long snapper) on the fourth team.
Last year Boyd, Silver and Warren were recognized on the outlet’s fourth team.
Boyd, from Houston, Texas, was the team’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season, totaling 1,133 yards on 184 carries, scoring eight times in 2019.
He ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th nationally with an average of 94.4 rushing yards per game and ninth in the conference with 6.2 yards per carry. He ran for 100+ yards in five games, posting a season-high 185 yards against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9, his most rushing yards as a Razorback.
His five 100+ yard performances brought him to a total of eight over two years, making him one of 16 Arkansas running backs in school history to do so. Boyd also hauled in 160 yards through the air on 19 catches in 2019.
Burks, a native from Warren, played in 11 games, starting nine as a freshman for the Razorbacks at wide receiver in 2019. He was used in every aspect of the offense — receiving, rushing, throwing, as well as a returner on special teams.
Burks was the team’s main punt returner, fielding 12 punts for 130 yards, averaging 10.8 yards per return, while also taking back 10 kickoffs for 226 yards for an average of 22.6 yards per return.
He hauled in 29 passes for 475 yards, leading the team in receiving yards, averaging 16.4 yards per catch and 43.2 yards per game, both second among conference freshmen. He finished the year second on the team in all-purpose yards with 866.
Clary, a hometown kid from Fayetteville, started all 12 games at center in 2019, appearing in 767 total plays, the most of any Arkansas player.
He played every offensive snap in five of the first six games, as well as the season finale, missing just one snap in two other games.
Clary did not allow a sack in 443 pass protection plays, with only two quarterback hits last year. He blocked for an offense that scored 28 times and racked up 4,081 total yards, including 2,315 passing yards, 1,766 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns both through the air & on the ground.
Pool, from Lucas, Texas, started all 12 games in 2019 at the WILL linebacker spot, while also seeing time on Arkansas’ various special teams units.
He finished second on the team in tackles with 94, a career-high mark. He tallied 38 solo stops, 6.5 for loss, with half-a-sack, breaking up five passes and getting credit for a quarterback hurry.
Pool set a career-high in TFLs with 1.5 at Kentucky (Oct. 12), while posting a career-best 13 stops vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 2). He finished the year with three tackling grades over 81.0 from Pro Football Focus, with a season-best 83.5 against Western Kentucky (Nov. 9).
Silver, a native of Branson, Missouri, played in all 12 games for the Razorbacks last season, serving as the team’s long snapper on field goal/extra point players, as well as punts.
He totaled 112 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, on special teams. He also recovered one fumble on a muffed punt against Mississippi State on Nov. 2, his first fumble recovery of his career.
Warren, from Monroe, Louisiana, appeared in nine games for the Razorbacks in 2019, seeing time as a regular on both offense and on Arkansas’ special teams units.
He returned a team-high 16 kickoffs for 326 yards, averaging 20.4 yards per turn. His longest of the year came on a 37-yard return at Ole Miss on Sept. 7, coming a yard shy of it the following week against Colorado State with a 36-yard play.
Warren finished the year with nine of his 16 returns going for 20+ yards. He also caught four passes for 19 yards, while also rushing five times for 51 yards, providing a threat every time he touched the ball.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
