Arkansas women’s coach Mike Neighbors worked at the airport in Mena when there were some interesting places in town plus he finished the “Ozark” television series.
He was with Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns (Ruscin & Zach) on ESPN Arkansas last week.
Sooners start year of juggling schedules getting opener moved forward
Oklahoma has gotten approval from the NCAA to move its season-opening game against Bobby Petrino’s Missouri State team up to Aug. 29 in a year where schedules will be fluid.
Nobody really even knows how many games Power 5 conferences are going to try and squeeze in but going through all this to have the Big 12 go to conference games only seems to be a waste of everybody’s time.
It could be a clue. Maybe it’s not.
While some people like to look at the knee-jerk reactions in the Big 10 and Pac 12 have gotten everybody looking at 10-game seasons, it might be a little premature. The Pac 12 has tried for the last century to do everything the Big 10 does.
Maybe the SEC, Big 12 and ACC will follow along, but don’t count on it.
At this point, the normal pre-planning required for a school to host a game is a little different. Fans aren’t really much of a consideration although it should be up to each individual and how much risk they’re willing to take.
In Arkansas, even with a positive test regardless of your age or health the odds of survival after Saturday’s numbers are 99%.
For the athletes at the UA down to the pee wee level, the chance of dying or even getting seriously ill has so many zeroes on the right side of the decimal it’s literally negligible. Folks who are at-risk should stay away from as many people as possible.
The Sooners, though, aren’t quite ready to just throw the green light up high and tell fans to start making their travel plans.
“If the season is indeed permitted to start as scheduled, the benefit of extra time between games will help our teams manage any variety of possible circumstances that may occur,” Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. “Our original schedule had an open date between the second and third games, so now we will have a span of five weeks to play three games.
“It provides us a more gradual approach to safely manage the conditions of these unprecedented times. We’re thankful to Missouri State for their cooperation during this process and to the NCAA for allowing both teams to start the season a week earlier.”
The Sooners won’t be playing a 10-game conference-only schedule. They already play the other nine schools in the conference.
It does give them some flexibility in the scheduling, though.
Which is probably going to be the first shuffle in what’s going to be a schedule that could change frequently.
Boyd’s numbers puts him on watch list Friday for Maxwell Award
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd added another preseason honor to his resume, as the senior has been named to the Maxwell Award watch list.
The award is presented annually to the college football player of the year and will be awarded for the 84th time at the conclusion of this season.
Boyd ran 184 times for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns last season, leading the Razorbacks in rushing yards for the second consecutive season.
The Houston, Texas, native ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th nationally averaging 94.4 yards per game on the ground; in addition, Boyd’s 6.4 yards per carry ranked ninth in the conference. On just eight carries, he rushed for a career-best 185 yards against Western Kentucky, averaging 23.1 yards per attempt, including two touchdown runs of 76 and 86 yards with the latter being a season-long.
Boyd joined Clemson’s Travis Etienne and LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the only backs in the country to record over 180 rushing yards and 23 yards per carry in a single game in 2019.
He accumulated five 100-plus yard rushing games last season against: Portland State (114), Colorado State (122), Kentucky (134), Mississippi State (114) and Western Kentucky (185), joining a club of just 16 running backs in school history to register at least eight career 100-yard games.
Boyd scored two touchdowns in a game three times in 2019 versus Colorado State, Kentucky and Western Kentucky. Boyd also caught 19 passes for 160 yards (8.4 ypc), accruing a season-high 55 receiving yards against Alabama.
He ran for 734 yards on 123 attempts (6.2 ypc) in his first year with the Razorbacks in 2018 and scored two touchdowns. Boyd earned the inaugural Darren McFadden Running Back of the Year award from the Little Rock Touchdown Club for his performance.
Last week Boyd was tabbed to the Doak Walker Award Watch List, given annually to the best running back in the country.
Earlier this week, senior kicker A.J. Reed earned Lou Groza Award Watch List honors as one of the nation’s best placekickers, while sophomore wide receiver and return man Treylon Burks picked up Paul Hornung Award Watch List recognition for being one of college football’s most versatile players.
The Maxwell Award has been awarded annually since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a former standout at Swarthmore College, and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
ON HALFTIME: Torres glad to see baseball starting again, living life without fear
Aaron Torres of the Fox Sports Podcast is remaining careful but ready to start living life again in midst of pandemic, he told Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas Friday afternoon.
Notre Dame has Hogs game in discussions for ACC’s 10-plus-one schedule
South Bend Tribune writer Eric Hansen said on The Morning Rush that a 10-game ACC schedule plus one non-conference game keeps Hogs in mix for game with Irish.
“They are happy to fall in line with what the ACC is doing,” Hansen told Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas on Friday morning.
Right now, he said, the ACC is looking at a 10-game conference schedule plus one non-conference game to preserve traditional matchups.
Notre Dame’s sticking point is a 93-year rivalry with Navy and the Arkansas game. The Razorbacks at least have a fighting chance with that one because it would be a home game for the Irish while Navy is a road game.
Hansen said Irish coach Brian Kelly is more in favor of playing the Hogs, a game fans have been looking to for years.
Busch Light Apple Morning Rush Podcast — Coaches deferring bonuses, Eric Hansen joins and more!
Tye & Tommy on the AR coaches deferring bonuses, Pitt ranked 14th SEC coaches, Eric Hansen joins and more!
Holt on how financial impact of virus could cause non-conference issues
Democrat-Gazette writer Bob Holt on Thursday afternoon got a question from Matt Jenkins on Halftime along with Phil Elson and Matt Jenkins he didn’t know the answer to, so he will probably be asking.
Niesen on strange opening day for baseball, football uncertainty this year
Joan Niesen talked with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) Thursday afternoon on ESPN Arkansas about how weird it feels starting baseball in July and questions about football.
Burks named to watch list for ‘Hornung Award’ for most versatile player
FAYETTEVILLE — Sophomore Treylon Burks has been named as one of the 50 multi-talented student-athletes on the Paul Hornung Award watch list, according to an announcement Thursday.
Burks earned SEC All-Freshman status as a wide receiver and second-team honors as a returner. He started nine of the 11 games he played in and led the Razorbacks with 475 receiving yards, catching 29 passes for a team-best 16.4 yards per reception.
The Warren native also added punt and kick return duties to his list of responsibilities, returning 10 punts for 130 yards and 10 kicks for 226 yards for a team-best average of 22.6 yards. He ended his first season on the Hill second on the team with 866 all-purpose yards, trailing only Rakeem Boyd’s 1,293 yards.
Burks is just one of nine sophomores on the preseason list and one of eight players from the Southeastern Conference, which leads all conferences on the list.
In the first 10 years of the award an amazing six winners have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft not including last year’s winner Lynn Bowden Jr. from Kentucky, who was a third round selection by the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Paul Hornung Award, now in its 11th season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission and football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung.
The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville on March 2021.
Burks joins teammates Rakeem Boyd and A.J. Reed on award preseason watch lists, Boyd was named to the Doak Walker Award list and Reed was named as one of 30 kickers to the Lou Groza Award list on Wednesday.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
