Phil & Tye hit on Arkansas being picked last in the SEC West again, interview Steve Sullivan, and more!
Razorbacks to open 2019 season at end of August in Barnhill Arena
FAYETTEVILLE — Featuring 13 home matches at Barnhill Arena, fourth-year head coach Jason Watson has released the Razorbacks’ schedule for the upcoming year.
The Hogs will open the 2019 slate with the Arkansas Classic beginning Aug. 30.
- Season and home opener: Aug. 30 vs Northwestern State
- SEC opener: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at LSU
- SEC home opener: Friday, Oct. 4 vs Texas A&M
- Six opponents that participated in the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Tournament
- 30 regular season matches | 13 home – 11 away – six neutral
- Four first-time opponents: Arkansas – Pine Bluff, Princeton, San Diego State and West Virginia
For the eighth time in ten years, Arkansas will kick off the fall with a home tournament. This year’s classic includes Southland Conference opponent Northwestern State, as well as the Sun Belt’s Little Rock Trojans and Montana State from the Big Sky Conference.
“Our home schedule begins with a competitive home tournament,” Watson stated. “Opening home is a great way for us to prepare for the season.”
The Razorbacks will be playing with some new flare under their feet, as a newly designed volleyball court will be revealed at the home opener in late August.
“The Arkansas classic will be a great chance for Razorback fans to see our new court design among all the exciting things happening in Barnhill,” said Watson. “I greatly appreciate the cooperation of both our graphics and facilities departments for making our new court come to life.”
After opening the season at home at the Arkansas Classic, the Razorbacks will hit the road for a busy September, making stops for invitationals in San Diego, Calif. (Sept. 5-7), College Park, Md. (Sept. 13-14) and Athens, Ga. (Sept. 19-20).
Under Watson, Arkansas is 16-6 against non-conference opponents over the last two seasons. The Hogs will look to capitalize on a heavy road non-conference schedule, taking advantage of facing diverse opponents early in the season.
“We have been able to put together a schedule that exposes to a lot of different conferences and style of play. Traveling to different coasts and seeing such different opponents is meant to challenge us, and it will,” Watson said. “I am especially excited to play Little Rock and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“This is a unique opportunity for each program. It’s a blend of teams that are competitive within their respective conferences.”
This year’s home schedule features nine conference matches, including a four-match home stand during November, including NCAA Tournament team, Tennessee. Arkansas will face Texas A&M on Oct. 4 for its SEC home opener.
“The SEC is a conference that is growing in its competitive depth. It’s an exciting conference. Our athletes are committed to making the 2019 season a season where we add to that depth.”
Arkansas is coming of a season in which it posted an 11-17 overall record, a step back from the 2017 campaign. Earlier this summer, the Razorbacks were picked to finish ninth in the SEC in the preseason coaches’ poll.
The 2019 postseason begins on Dec 5. with the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with the regional round set for Dec. 13-14 at four non-predetermined sites. The national semifinals and championship matches will be played Dec. 19 and 21 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburg, Pa.
Harris named to watch list for national award to best linebacker
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ De’Jon Harris has been named to the Butkus Award watch list, which honors the nation’s best linebackers.
Harris is the fifth Razorback placed on a preseason watch list this summer, joining McTelvin Agim (Bednarik), Rakeem Boyd (Doak Walker) and Devwah Whaley (Doak Walker) and Cheyenne O’Grady (Mackey).
It’s the second-straight year Harris has received watch list honors for the Butkus Award.
From Harvey, Louisiana, Harris led all conference defenders in total tackles and solo stops during the regular season last year, posting 118 and 62, respectively.
It marked back-to-back years Harris has paced the Razorbacks in total tackles, recording 115 the year before. He was the first Arkansas defender since Jerry Franklin (2010-11) to hit 100 tackles in consecutive seasons.
Seven of his 12 games resulted in double-digit tackle performances last season, the most in the SEC, including five during conference action. He finished the year needing 15 tackles to crack the top 10 for most stops in a single season by an Arkansas defender.
Harris also recorded nine tackles for loss, including two sacks, with five pass breakups, a fumble forced and a fumble recovered last season.
Harris’ performance in 2018 landed him on the Associated Press All-SEC second team. He’ll enter his senior campaign as the SEC active career tackles leader with 270, needing 60 stops to move into 10th on the career tackles list Arkansas.
He was also named to the Preseason All-SEC second team last week by the media covering the conference, with Agim landing on the third team.
Semifinalists for the Butkus Award will be named on Nov. 4, finalists on Nov. 25 and winners on or before Dec. 10.
Harris and the Razorbacks will open the 2019 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Portland State at 3 p.m. at Razorback Stadium.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday
John & Tommy discuss the QB situation, Pat Fitzgerald on cell phones, Tom Murphy and more!
Accountability, attitude clearly different for Hogs with ‘every’ thing
It wasn’t really surprising when the SEC sent out a press release Friday on the media’s voting at SEC Media Days that put Arkansas squarely on the bottom of the West.
That was pretty much the prevailing view everybody has, including a large segment of the Razorbacks’ fan base more afraid of being let down than having a positive view.
“I’m not going to put a number on it,” Chad Morris said Wednesday when asked point-blank at one point about wins-and-losses.
If he had, it likely would have been the biggest newsmaker to come out of the four days of mostly boredom where the press spends a large amount of time, well, interviewing each other.
But you get the idea Morris feels like they’ve turned the corner in building the “culture,” which may have been the most often-repeated phrase from every coach over the four days.
“Inside our program and talking to our seniors and our leaders, and they want to leave their legacy,” he said. “Getting this program into the post season is definitely a goal of ours, and it’s something we have talked about. We started talking about it 235 days ago, but it was going to take a lot.”
What Morris inherited was a group of players that had little direction, motivation or accountability. When the head coach has a private room in the back of a club down on Dickson Street to sleep off social hour, well, it filters down.
Morris has taken steps in all three of those areas.
“How far do you really want to go with this?” he talked at Media Days about asking everybody in the program. “I’m asking for our football program and our staff to be consistent and to be the best they can be each and every day.”
Like coaches winning the championships these days, Morris has his own process that he’s banking on getting the Hogs back to a level of success. Don’t forget last year, but don’t particularly use it as a baseline going forward.
Morris is changing just about everything.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” he said Wednesday.
When you’re competing for (and winning) championships, it’s more about that culture word we keep hearing these days. What it means, simply, is the players take accountability for themselves and the other players.
It’s exactly how John McDonnell used to explain piling up all those championships. If there was an issue with an athlete, he often found out about it after it was resolved by the athletes themselves with the leaders taking charge.
There was none of that the last few years at Arkansas. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of the upperclassmen weren’t teaching the exact wrong things.
“The process has gone from being a coach-led team to a player-led culture following three steps we always talk about: I know it. I do it. And I own it,” he said of what he expectins each player to be saying to himself.
The little things usually make the difference in college sports these days. The Razorbacks found themselves falling farther and farther behind, starting over a decade ago. Coaches still trying to make what worked 20-30 years ago in an ever-changing modern world was a path heading downhill and picking up speed.
One coach thought he couldn’t be fired. The other didn’t care with the amount of money he was owed. He didn’t demand the ridiculous buyout after a less-than-mediocre .500 season, but he wasn’t going to turn it down, either.
The result was a snowball rolling down a mountain for a decade and Morris inherited it.
At that point, well, it may have just been better to go ahead and get to the bottom so you could start back up, which may explain last season.
It was a year of cleaning house. The direction it goes this season will say more than last year.
Attitude is a big part of it.
“Our vision is Every,” Morris told the gaggle at Media Days. “The word Every. Every matters. Every rep. Every day of those 235 days, that day one really does matter. What we did on that first day matters and what this year looks like. Everything matters and everything counts.”
He said it last year. It comes back to the accountability thing we mentioned earlier.
The players likely know he means it now.
???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — w/ Aaron Torres
Phil & Tye touch on Mitch Petrus’ passing, interview Aaron Torres, plus FOMO Friday!
Harris, Agim named to preseason All-SEC teams by media
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas seniors McTelvin Agim and De’Jon Harris have been placed on the 2019 Preseason Media Days All-SEC Teams, which wraps the week-long event held in Hoover, Alabama.
Harris was named to the second team by the media in attendance, while Agim highlights the third team defensive unit. It’s the second-straight year Harris was recognized on an All-SEC preseason squad, picking up three accolades heading into the 2018 season.
From Harvey, Louisiana, Harris led all conference defenders in total tackles and solo stops during the regular season last year, posting 118 and 62, respectively.
It marked back-to-back years Harris has paced the Razorbacks in total tackles, recording 115 the year before. He was the first Arkansas defender since Jerry Franklin (2010-11) to hit 100 tackles in consecutive seasons.
Seven of his 12 games resulted in double-digit tackle performances last season, the most in the SEC, including five during conference action.
He finished the year needing 15 tackles to crack the top 10 for most stops in a single season by an Arkansas defender. Harris also recorded nine tackles for loss, including two sacks, with five pass breakups, a fumble forced and a fumble recovered last season.
Harris’ performance in 2018 landed him on the Associated Press All-SEC Second Team. He’ll enter his senior campaign as the SEC active career tackles leader with 270, needing 60 stops to move into 10th on the career tackles list Arkansas.
Agim, a native of Texarkana, Arkansas, put together a strong junior campaign for the Razorbacks, racking up 45 total tackles, 16 unassisted, over 12 starts in 2018.
He led the team in tackles for loss last year with 10, making him the first Arkansas defender to reach double-digit TFLs since Deatrich Wise Jr. in 2015.
Nearly half of his tackles for loss were sacks (4.5), as he’ll enter the season as Arkansas’ active career leader in both categories.
Agim also forced a team-best three fumbles in 2018, including two at Colorado State on Sept. 8 to make him the only Razorback on the roster to force multiple fumbles in two separate games heading into the 2019 campaign.
Harris and Agim, along with fellow senior running back Devwah Whaley and head coach Chad Morris, represented the Razorbacks at the 2019 SEC Media Day on July 17.
Arkansas kicks off the 2019 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Portland State at 3 p.m. at Razorback Stadium.
O’Grady named to watch list for national tight end award
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ Cheyenne O’Grady has been named to the 2019 John Mackey Award Preseason watch list, which is presented annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.
O’Grady is the fourth Razorback placed on a preseason watch list this summer, joining McTelvin Agim (Bednarik) on July 13 and Rakeem Boyd (Doak Walker) & Devwah Whaley (Doak Walker) on July 15.
Two Arkansas tight ends have won the John Mackey Award, as D.J. Williams claimed the prize in 2010 and Hunter Henry brought home the accolade in 2015.
A native of Fayetteville, O’Grady is poised for a strong finish to his collegiate career in 2019 after a breakout season as a junior. He led the team in receptions (30) and receiving touchdowns (six) last year, racking up 400 yards for an average of 13.3 yards per catch.
O’Grady posted four of the top receiving games by a Razorback in 2018, the most by an Arkansas player last year.
Three of his top four performances featured games with receiving totals of 75 yards or higher, with a season-high 83 yards on six catches and a touchdown against Vanderbilt on Oct. 27.
O’Grady was the only Razorback to post two multi-touchdown reception games in 2018, doing so against Alabama (Oct. 6) and LSU (Nov. 10), scoring twice in both. His efforts helped make Arkansas one of four SEC teams to complete passes to four different tight ends in 2018.
The 2019 John Mackey Award will be announced on Dec. 11, and then presented live the next night at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday
John & Tommy recap SEC Media Days, plus interviews with Devwah Whaley, Sosa Agim, and Peter Burns!
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Thursday
John & Tommy hit on Chad Morris comments from yesterday, plus interviews with Greg Sankey and Paul Finebaum!
Hicks big reason for Morris’ confidence going to second season
Chad Morris got his shot at the SEC Media Daze circus Wednesday and it became clear he’s not forgetting last year, but taking steps to make sure there’s not a repeat.
“Last year was hard,” he said in probably as big of an understatement as anything uttered.
There are obvious changes with the players that have stuck it out after a season many would like to forget last year.
And at least one new face has seen it before. Quarterback Ben Hicks was at SMU during a 2-10 season.
“He’s been a quarterback of a football team that went 2-10,” Morris said. “So he stood in that team room. He stood in front of teammates before.
“And he’s also dug a team out of being in that position before.”
For the first time since being in Fayetteville, Chad has a quarterback he’s comfortable with. That’s not a knock on the guys here before, but they simply didn’t understand what he and his staff wanted and that’s the most critical position in his offense.
“He’s done a great job of taking the young guys in that room — from the day he got here in January — he took the young guys (under his wing),” Morris said about Hicks. “He took John Stephen Jones and Jack Lindsey and those guys … and at the time Connor Noland, took him under his wing and said this is what we’re doing and this is how it needs to be ran. And you’d see those guys up there.
“He’d bring receivers up on weekends and work with them and bring the quarterbacks in.”
We told you when Hicks announced where he was going that it was, for all intents and purposes, a graduate assistant in a uniform.
“His leadership has been valuable,” Morris said.
Hicks will probably start the season. Morris said he wants to make that decision sooner rather than later, but we’ll see Nick Starkel, who came in from Texas A&M with two years of eligibility left, before long.
“To watch the way the ball jumps out of his hand, how electric and how hot that ball comes out, his decision making, how he can progress and see the field, and his accuracy is what impressed me as I watched him,” Morris said. “Had it not been for an injury to him two seasons ago, the outcome for him in his season might have been totally different.”
Morris has a confidence he’ll get the Razorbacks back from the train wreck last year. At SMU, they improved from 2-10 to 5-7, but he has better talent in this approaching second season than he had then … even taking the differences in conferences under consideration when saying that.
“I’ve been in this spot before,” he said Wednesday in Hoover. “I’m confident I understand what it looks like getting out of it, because I’ve done it. And we’ve done it. We got a lot of memories of our staff that have been in this spot.”
Maybe one of the biggest believers is a key staff member that wasn’t on that SMU staff. John Chavis was dealing with a lack of depth behind some pretty good players at Texas A&M and developing the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
Chavis had an option to leave after the first year. When I saw that in his contract, it was a baseline to judge the direction of Morris’ program after the first year.
While he may catch some heat from the Lunatic Fringe of the fan base saying he’s over the hill there are a lot of coaches at some pretty good programs that would hire him in a second.
Chief stayed, getting a raise to be the highest-paid assistant in Hogs’ history.
I don’t think he stayed for another losing season.
