Briles may be looking for escapability at quarterback more than power
New offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has done a few interviews in his few weeks at Arkansas, but it’s clear he’s not looking for a quarterback to be an extra running back.
He hasn’t put it like this, but the interpretation of what he’s telling people in interviews he wants a quarterback that can escape and make something out of nothing.
He’s not looking for somebody to play running back.
A lot of people don’t really understand that. When freshman K.J. Jefferson finally got into a game against Mississippi State this past season, everyone was excited that he ran over a little ol’ safety who didn’t have an angle or momentum to do anything but get run over.
That’s not something a quarterback in the SEC West will be able to survive long doing.
“You do that too much in the SEC West, you’re going to beat him up,” Briles said in an interview that aired on Pig Trail Nation recently.
Jefferson found that out the hard way, getting knocked out in his first start against LSU the next week. Jack Lindsey also got dinged in the final game against Missouri.
A lot of quarterbacks don’t know HOW to run against big-time college players. A lot of them played in high school against opponents who weren’t as big or as athletic. Most never played after high school.
They could get away with running over the occasional opponent.
LSU’s Joe Burrow won a Heisman Trophy this past season not for his running ability but throwing the ball. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence will start next season as the leading candidate for the Heisman and that’s not for his legs.
Oh, nearly every winning quarterback has a few plays on film that have him running the ball for a big gain. Nearly all the time they either dodge people or step out of bounds.
It’s called a business decision.
For the last four years, the Hogs have had quarterbacks that somehow thought proving their toughness involved trying to run over people. Every one of them ended up missing action due to injuries, mostly concussions.
Let’s face it, things were bad enough trying to dodge pass rushers considering how the offensive line played too often. They made it worse by trying to run over defenders.
“I like a guy that’s mobile enough that he can extend plays,” Briles said in the interview on Pig Trail Nation. “I don’t necessarily want to run a guy.”
In other words, being able to escape trouble, make something out of nothing and get out of bounds.
Preferably after getting past the first down marker.
Tolefree continues hot pace leading Hogs to win over Vanderbilt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas dominated its way to a second straight win Sunday, beating Vanderbilt, 100-66, in Memorial Gymnasium.
The Hogs’ 100 points marked the first time the Hogs hit the century mark in a road game since 1991, when the Razorbacks hung 108 on Baylor.
The Razorbacks also snapped a 12-game losing streak in Nashville, winning in the Commodores’ gym for the first time since 2001.
The Hog attack was once again led by senior guard Alexis Tolefree, who put up a career-best 25 points against the Commodores on an ultra-efficient 9-of-14 clip from the field.
Sophomore guard Rokia Doumbia also turned in a career-best performance, posting her first-career double-double, going for 13 points while also snaring 10 rebounds.
Joining Tolefree and Doumbia in double-figures were Amber Ramirez (18) and Chelsea Dungee (12).
Turning point
A close game in the first quarter, Arkansas broke it wide open in the second, using a barrage of three-pointers to stretch the lead out to as much as 21 in the first half.
Arkansas went on a devastating 28-10 run in the second, getting contributions from Tolefree, Dungee, Ramirez and Erynn Barnum.
The Hogs came out of the halftime break even more locked in, outscoring the Commodores 39-16 in the third period.
It was the Hogs’ third 30-plus quarter of the season, and their 39 points in the period was the most in a single frame this season.
Hogs highlights
• Tolefree scored 20-plus for the seventh time this year and for the ninth time in her career.
• Ramirez was perfect from the field against Vandy, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the field.
• Doumbia scored 13 points as part of her double-double, a career-high in points scored.
• The sophomore guard also drilled all three of her three-point attempts.
• Freshman center Destinee Oberg scored her first points as a Hog, going for four points. She also pulled down four rebounds.
Next time out
The Razorbacks return to Bud Walton Arena for a two-game homestand, kicking off against Georgia on Thursday.
The game will air on the SEC Network, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Hogs’ rebuilding gets started with solid start indoors Friday night
FAYETTEVILLE — Defending national champion Arkansas opened the team’s 2020 indoor season with a solid start on Friday night inside Randal Tyson Track Center.
The Razorbacks’ roster has a different look to it opening the indoor season compared to a year ago when the squad captured national championships in indoors and outdoors.
But Lance Harter’s program is not rebuilding, simply reloading.
“As coaches, we’ve realized how spoiled we were last year with one of the most talented teams in Arkansas history so having to reload with a lot of youth and transfers, we’ve had a really positive start,” Harter said. “Led off by our pole vaulters, Coach Compton continues the Arkansas dynasty there, complimented by some really good sprint crew and wrapped up with our 1,000-meter runners and our milers we had a good start to indoors. We look forward to the weeks to come as the competition level continues to rise.”
On the track
• Paris Peoples led the Razorbacks to a dominant performance in the 400-meters as Arkansas swept the top-three spots, including four of the top-five. Peoples won the title with a time of 54.29 with Morgan Burks Magee and Rosey Effiong following.
• Arkansas picked up another 1-2-3 sweep in the 800-meters in which Krissy Gear won her first race as a Razorback by almost eight seconds with Lainey Quandt and Alexandra Byrnes following behind.
• Kennedy Thomson and Maddy Reed led the pack the entire way as the two battled it out for a win in the 1000-meters. Thomson would hold off her Razorback teammate and took the title with a time of 2:47.79.
• Carina Viljoen (4:37.78) and Katie Izzo (4:39.64) ran away from the field in the mile as the Razorbacks swept the podium with Abby Gray (4:50.90) taking third. Viljoen’s and Izzo’s times are the top two in the nation in the mile this year.
• Arkansas’ 4×400 relay team wrapped up the night with a victory in 3:46.58 thanks to Morgan Burks Magee, Paris Peoples, Rosey Effiong and Shafiqua Maloney.
• Tiana Wilson took home third in the 60-meters, clocking 7.44 for a new personal best.
In the field
• California transfer and All-American Lauren Martinez won the pole vault title over Arkansas teammate Bailee McCorkle, clearing the bar at 13-11.25 (4.25M) in her first meet with the Razorbacks. Kaitlyn Banas finished in a tie for third with a height of 12-11.5 (3.95M).
• After redshirting last year’s indoor season, sophomore G’Auna Edwards was a double winner at the spring season opener. Edwards just beat out Razorback teammate Daszay Freeman by .05 in the 60mH and won the high jump title in her first time competing in the event at Arkansas.
The Razorbacks return to the track next weekend at Clemson for the Clemson Invitational before hosting the Razorback Invitational inside Randal Tyson Track Center on Feb. 1.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Calipari’s ejection works heavily in Kentucky’s favor, sinking Hogs
The only person that knows if John Calipari got himself tossed on purpose Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena isn’t talking, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he did.
“The whole momentum changed after that in Kentucky’s favor … in every way, shape and form,” Eric Musselman said later. “We had the momentum during the dead ball, and after that, it completely changed.”
The Wildcats turned a three-point Arkansas lead with 8:19 to play into a 10-point lead four minutes later and held on the rest of the way for a 73-66 win.
With the game tied at 44 and most of the 19,200 in attendance smelling blood in the water, Calipari wandered too far onto the floor and get hit with a technical, which he then pushed into an ejection.
The guess here is none of that happened by accident. Calipari has been around the block before, his team was not exactly playing its best and needed a spark.
Apparently he didn’t tell anyone. A lot of coaches will alert his second-in-command to be ready when he’s planning on getting tossed. Kentucky associate coach Kenny Payne didn’t get that at all.
“Unfortunate,” he said later about Calipari’s ejection. “For me especially.”
Payne, who was part of Louisville’s 1986 national championship team, said later he didn’t think Calipari was trying to get thrown out.
“I seriously doubt it,” he said with a big grin. “I wish if he had done it on purpose he would have given me a heads-up.”
He simply told the players it was crunch time.
“It’s an execution game,” he said. “They last thing [Arkansas] is expecting us to do is rebound and push the ball up the court. Well, that’s what we did.”
He said Calipari gave him a big hug in the locker room after the win and congratulations. If they didn’t have it in their game plan to do that, Payne made a decision that may have completely changed the course of the game.
For all of their preparation work, Musselman may not have put in the plan. Dejected after the game, he sounded like he was expecting something different.
“Surprisingly, their post-ups didn’t really hurt us with our lack of size,” he said. “The rebounding did, for sure, but it wasn’t like they were just throwing it in the post and that was hurting us.”
The sold-out crowd was there for the tip and didn’t leave early. On the floor you could sense the momentum starting to swing to the Hogs with the crowd getting more amped up as the score tightened.
Then it slipped away when Calipari either made a shrewd coaching move … or just flat got lucky.
Musselman actually looked almost shocked later.
“This one hurts,” he said. “We had an incredible environment in the building. We don’t want to let our fans down and it’s hard to create that atmosphere and get that atmosphere back. The locker room’s hurting.”
Now he’s got a different challenge in that he can’t let Kentucky beat the Hogs twice in one week.
Arkansas has to go on the road to Mississippi State for a Wednesday night game.
“Right now we’re all hurting,” Musselman said. “We need a day to regroup. We’ve got to try to learn from a loss.”
Calipari made some coaching moves like shutting down Hogs’ guard Jimmy Whitt, Jr., who ended up with 14 points … all in the second half.
But the biggest move may have been getting thrown out, which wasn’t planned before the game, but might have been one of those in-game decisions.
It was one Musselman couldn’t counter.
Musselman on not taking advantages of chances against a good team
Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman talked after the 73-66 loss to Kentucky on Saturday evening about the chances they had in the second half before see it vanish quickly.
Whitt, Jones, talking about missed opportunities in loss to Kentucky
Arkansas players Jimmy Whitt, Jr. (14 points, 5 rebounds), and Mason Jones (19 points, 6 rebounds) realize the chances they missed after tying the game with the Wildcats in the second half before it slipped away.
Payne fills in for Calipari to recap Wildcats’ effort in win over Hogs
After Kentucky coach John Calipari was ejected in the second half, associate coach Kenny Payne took over and guided the team to a 73-66 win over Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.
Kentucky game big for Razorback fans and it’s really been awhile
Who: Arkansas Razorback (14-2, 3-1 SEC) vs. #10 Kentucky Wildcats (12-4, 3-1 SEC)
What: Razorbacks to play in SOLD-OUT Bud Walton Arena for the second time this season.
When: Saturday – Jan. 18 – 3:00 pm
Where: Fayetteville, Ark. – Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena
• TV: ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale and Kris Budden)
• CLICK HERE to Watch ESPN Online
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
• CLICK HERE to listen on HitThatLine.com
• Sirius/XM: XM Channel 381, Streaming Online on channel 371
• Live Stats: www.Arkansas.StatBroadcast.com
You know Arkansas’ annual game with Kentucky is a big deal because the ESPN mother ship is coming to town with the top broadcasting crew and that includes a color commentator some thought retired years ago.
Assuming he doesn’t automatically end up somewhere in the ACC by accident.
Seriously, though, this is a big game for Eric Musselman in his first season mainly because, well, the Razorbacks and Wildcats are tied in the SEC standings.
Raise your hand if you saw that coming before the season. Forgive me, though, if I don’t wait around.
You can listen to the game on the radio with the TV sound muted at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Online, you can listen to the game here at HitThatLine.com.
Kentucky coach John Calipari has been on record as being impressed with Musselman’s hiring since October after congratulating Jerry Jones, which may have been the first he’d heard of the Hogs’ new basketball coach.
He’s done nothing since then to give Arkansas any bulletin board material.
“They play really hard. They play rough,” Calipari said Friday. “They aren’t big but that doesn’t seem to hurt them on either end of the court. They have specific roles of what guys are going to do, what kind of shots they’re going to take and they do it.”
Musselman probably just shrugged when he heard that.
“Every game has got its own identity and comes up with its own theme the minute the refs throw the ball up,” he said Thursday afternoon.
Not for the fans, who have always approached the games with Kentucky at a fever pitch, regardless of the record or rankings.
The SEC let the Razorbacks in back in 1992 to give a different color to the league’s basketball tournament. In other words, somebody who could pose a challenge to Kentucky that had a color other than blue.
Exactly why a league that prides itself on marketing has, more or less, dropped the ball on that. You’d think they would figure out a way for that game to be played twice a year.
This one is big at this point of the schedule. Which actually has Musselman starting to sound a little like Nick Saban in his pregame speech.
“You prepare the same way, then your level of play shouldn’t fluctuate like a yo-yo, either,” he said. “You should be ready to play every night as a player, and as a coaching staff, you should have great preparation.”
Tell me if you just read those words you come up with several coaches that could be saying it.
Kentucky leads the all-time series, 32-11, but Arkansas is 7-7 versus the Wildcats at home. The last time Arkansas defeated Kentucky was a season-sweep in 2014.
First, the Razorbacks upset then-No. 13 Kentucky, 87-85, in overtime, on Jan. 14 thanks to a Michael Qualls dunk at the buzzer. A month later (Feb. 27) at Rupp Arena, Arkansas once again pulled out an overtime win to defeat then-No. 17 Kentucky, 71-67.
30-30-30
• Jimmy Whitt Jr., scored a career-high 30 points versus Vanderbilt to become the third Razorback to score at least 30 points this season. Mason Jones (41 vs Tulsa and 32 vs Rice) Isaiah Joe (34 Ole Miss • 33 TX Southern) were the others.
• Arkansas also had three players score at least 30 last season, including Daniel Gafford (32 vs LSU) • Mason Jones (30 vs Florida 30 vs Miss State) • Isaiah Joe (34 vs FIU).
Second half surge
• Isaiah Joe averages 18.6 minutes in the second half and Jimmy Whitt Jr., averages 18.4. Mason Jones follows at 16.4, followed by Desi Sills (14.6), Adrio Bailey (11.8) and Jalen Harris (10.4).
• Despite the extended minutes, Arkansas puts up better numbers in the second half: 1st HALF: 35.0 ppg • 43.9 FG% • 29.2 3PT% * 65.9 FT% • 64 steals; 2nd HALF 39.1 ppg • 45.68 FG% • 33.9 3PT% * 82.5 FT% • 77 steals
Razorbacks among NCAA winningest teams; best start since …
• Arkansas’ .875 win percentage is 14th-T in the NCAA.
• Arkansas is 1 of 15 teams in the NCAA with two or fewer losses.
• Arkansas is 14-2 overall for the first time since 1997-98. The ’97-98 team lost game 17 to fall to 14-3.
• Arkansas is 3-1 in SEC play for the first time since 2015-16. Arkansas will be looking for its first 4-1 in SEC play since opening 9-1 in league play in 1997-98.
No. 24 in NCAA NET, No 9 in RPI
• Arkansas’ NCAA NET remained 24th after a 75-55 win vs Vanderbilt.
• Arkansas’ NET is 2nd-best among SEC schools behind Auburn (13). Others of note: LSU (26), Kentucky (35), Alabama (44). Florida (48), Georgia (55).
• Arkansas’ NET of 24 is better than 6 teams ranked in the AP top 25.
• Arkansas has an RPI of 9, better than 16 teams ranked in the AP top 25.
Mason Jones is THE TEAM LEADER
• Mason Jones leads the Razorbacks in: Scoring (18.1) • Rebounding (6.1) • Assists (54) • Steals (29)
• Jones is THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE SEC to rank among the top 20 in scoring (3rd) and Rebounding (15th and also rank among the top 11 in steals (4th), 3-pointers made (8th), defensive rebounds (7th) and FG% (11th).
Putting Arkansas 3-point defense … or Joe’s success … in perspective
• Arkansas leads the NCAA in 3-point field goal defense as opponents have shot below 29% from long range 14 times. Overall, opponents are a combined 63-of-281 from long range (28.8%).
• Arkansas opponents have made 64 3-pointers in 281 attempts.
• Sophomore Isaiah Joe has made 63 3-pointers in 176 attempts.
Arkansas has best trio in SEC
Arkansas is the only team in the SEC to feature:
• Two players in the league’s top 5 for scoring — Mason Jones (3rd / 18.1) • Isaiah Joe (4th / 17.8)
• Three players in the league’s top 20 for scoring — Jimmy Whitt Jr. (13th / 14.8)
Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List
Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
Fans can vote for their favorite player HERE.
Information, notes from Razorback Sports Communications included in this story.
History against Kentucky means little, but electric crowd might
Eric Musselman didn’t want to talk about past games with Kentucky this week, but Arkansas fans are going to turn back the clock Saturday.
“I don’t think Kentucky beating Arkansas or having any type of streak, in my opinion, doesn’t have any bearing at all,” Musselman told the media Wednesday. “That kind of sounds like a broken record, but every game comes up with its own theme and identity when the refs throw the ball up.”
Arkansas is winless in the past seven meetings with the No. 10-ranked Wildcats. That’s the part Musselman doesn’t have much to say about and why should he?
Nothing that has happened in those games has anything to do with him or this team. It doesn’t take a basketball guru to understand how impactful Musselman has been on this group, which has improved greatly since being under the tutelage of former coach Mike Anderson.
“We have played really competitive all year, and we just want to play with maximum effort,” Musselman said. “I told [the team] after the [Vanderbilt game Wednesday night] the only way we will be able to compete with Kentucky is if we bring our ‘A’ game. We can’t bring a ‘B+’ game and expect to compete.”
The past is the past, but what about a blast from the past?
Bud Walton Arena hasn’t been itself for quite some time. Once, one of the most feared arenas in college basketball the mediocrity of recent decades has removed some of the luster.
However, now with a team that is playing well and a coach who is a marketing whiz, this game atmosphere has a chance to be the most electric in 20 years. The game is sold out and at last check you couldn’t buy a ticket on broker sites for less than $100 and those were in the upper deck.
Musselman admits there is something different playing a traditional power such as Kentucky, and that he’s gotten many more ticket requests. He even has a group of friends from his youth from the San Diego area flying in for the occasion.
He’s already been impressed by home crowds. If Arkansas plays well, he is in for a real treat that he may never have witnessed before at a college venue. The Bud atmosphere has been that good.
“There’s just hype, you know. I am sure when the [New York] Yankees come to town in Major League Baseball, there is more outside noise,” Musselman said. “As a player, you should be ready to play every night. As a coach, I think if you bring great intensity every night …. I’m not going to coach any different whether it’s Vanderbilt or Kentucky.
You prepare the same way, and your level of play shouldn’t fluctuate like a yo-yo, either. You should be ready to play every night as a player and a coaching staff. You should have great preparation, and we have a game after the Kentucky game, too, that becomes important.”
However, the Wildcats won’t be intimidated. After a buzzer-beater loss at South Carolina, they will be determined. Their length and size could really hurt the undersized Hogs.
“Certainly, the teams we have had after a loss there’s a heightened awareness of what we didn’t do well and need to improve on,” Musselman said. “Many times losses grab your attention more than a win. Sometimes, when you win, you take some of the little things for granted.
“When you look at [Kentucky Coach John Calipari’s] record, he is pretty good after a loss. I can tell you that.
“They present a lot of problems with their defense, length and scoring ability,” Musselman said. “They are so well-coached, and I can go on and on.”
This is the biggest, most-anticipated game in the Musselman Era. It may be one of the more-anticipated in recent memory.
Anderson didn’t have many signature wins. The Hogs’ win at Indiana is already a good one and Kentucky would be monumental, both in his first season, with many more chances to go.
It could be a very historical day that paves the way for more of the past to become the future.
Pittman brings Georgia’s assistant strength coach to Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has brought Jamil Walker to join him here, taking another staff member from Georgia and this one has a connection to former coach Bret Bielema.
Walker, who is now the director of strength and conditioning for the Razorbacks, was with the Bulldogs the last three seasons when they won 36 games, including an appearance in the national championship game after the 2017 season.
Walker played at Wisconsin for Bielema, moving into the assistant strength coach role in 2009.
As a player, he was a part of one of the most successful periods in Badgers history. At the time of graduation, his class was the winningest in program history going 40-11 during his four years on the field. The Badgers won the Capital One Bowl in consecutive years in 2006-07.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
