Based on the reports we media trolls hiding under the bridge around Arkansas football in preseason camp get to hear, the freshmen wide receivers are doing exactly what they were recruited to do.
That is to be playmakers in the Razorbacks’ offense. Immediately.
And it’s all of them — Trey Knox, Treylon Burks, Shamar Nash and T.Q. Jackson
“The freshman wide receivers were just guys making plays,” Chad Morris said later. “I mean, that’s really it. We had several deep balls.”
With senior wide receiver Deon Stewart going down with an apparent ACL tear in the scrimmage Saturday, the spotlight is going to get even brighter.
It was reported at WholeHogSports.com that Stewart’s mother confirmed the injury on Facebook on Saturday evening.
Now they will need to be playmakers. Junior De’Vion Warren is one of last older guys standing (Jordan Jones and Tyson Morris are, too), who talked about the freshmen Saturday, particularly Burks.
“Mr. Burks had a really good day,” Warren said. “He’s moving real well with his knee, so it’s not bothering him. He was moving real well and had a couple of touchdowns actually.
“He had two today. It was good to see him move.”
Some have noticed a different attitude throughout the entire team and it starts with the coaches. There is a calmness that wasn’t seen often last year.
You get the idea they actually feel they have something that’s completely different from last year’s gut-wrenching 2-10 season.
It starts with the overall team attitude, but a group of young receivers that show the promise to be playmakers reinforces it. Last year there simply weren’t consistent playmakers, probably for a variety of reasons.
“These guys were making plays,” Morris said after Saturday’s scrimmage.
As usually happens in fall camp, injuries are starting to be a little more frequent. Stewart’s injury was the latest. C.J. O’Grady and Koilan Jackson have already had what is termed “clean-up” surgery and are expected back before the season opener.
Last year, the lack of playmakers was part of the problems. Particularly the consistency.
That’s what Morris saw Saturday.
“They’ve done that through the course of camp, but today they were more consistent than I’ve seen them,” he said.
Even the defensive secondary guys notice. Safety Joe Foucha, who won the summer PAT award (passion-attitude-trust) Friday, is expecting a big change.
“Every day they show me something different,” he said about the freshman receivers. “To me, those guys are going to explode because they came in ready. They didn’t have to come in and get physical or have to learn the playbook. It’s all there.”
The receivers aren’t the only ones shining in camp. The running back trio of Rakeem Boyd, Devwah Whaley and Chase Hayden have quietly put together a solid start, mostly by staying on the field.
“They were patient with their runs and knew when to hit it,” Morris said. “Some of them might have had four- and five-yard gains, but that’s what we’re after. We’re after being patient with that running game and finding that crease, so it was good to see those guys.”
As I suspected, as it comes together, the offense is starting to catch up to the defense.
Any coach will tell you if a team plays it’s best in September, it’s going to be a rough November.
Now where all of this stacks up right now against SEC competition is something we won’t know for awhile.
Chad Morris made it pretty clear after Arkansas’ scrimmage Saturday how the decision-making process to pick a starter is going to go.
“We’ll sit and talk as a staff,” he said. “They all have one vote and I’ve got one more than all of them.”
Morris may like some new things in football (temp offensively, using two practice fields), but make no mistake that there is still that old-school coach.
Whether you like his decisions or not, the final one on everything with Razorback football is his decision. Others may have some input, but it’s his call and he doesn’t try to dodge the responsibility at all.
“We’ll decide as a staff,” he said about choosing a quarterback. “When we walk out of the staff room…we’re all 100 percent on board, whether that’s the starting center or the starting linebacker. We’re all on board at that point.”
The prevailing thought all through summer and the first few weeks of fall camp has been Ben Hicks will be the starter against Portland State in less than two weeks, but Nick Starkel may take over … sooner rather than later to some.
On Saturday, though, it was John Stephen Jones that got the first name mention by Morris.
“The guy’s a player,” he said about a redshirt freshman most keep trying to dismiss, including a lot of folks who think they know what they’re talking about. “He gets out there and there’s a lot of really good things happening.”
Last week, offensive coordinator Joe Craddock talked about Jones’ ability to put the ball in the end zone. Saturday he took the first team on a drive in a two-minute drill and put another touchdown on the board, then Connor Limpert came on to kick a situational game-winning extra point.
“I was very impressed with him,” Morris said.
In reviewing the scrimmage, Morris had positives about Hicks and Starkel (apparently it wasn’t a great day for freshman K.J. Jefferson, who failed to get into field-goal position during his two-minute drill).
But for the second Saturday scrimmage it was Jones making a key play that got everybody’s attention.
“It’s a tough battle,” wide receiver De’Vion Warren said. “Like I said, they have their good days and their bad days. Today was pretty even and both were making good plays. Even John Stephen was making good plays with his feet and his arm. It was an even battle today.”
The players have made it clear they aren’t picking a side … at least publicly. Even center Ty Clary.
“Typically to my knowledge, I’m not the OC or the head coach,” he said Saturday. “I don’t get to make this decision.”
He sounded kinda like he was glad he doesn’t have to make that call. Apparently there are positives and negatives with every one of them.
And despite everybody’s best efforts, Morris is actually pretty convincing when he is asked who’s out front on the whole thing.
“It just depends on what day you ask me,” he said. “Some days it’s one, some days the other.”
The guess here is we won’t hear anything until Wednesday evening at the absolute earliest. That’s the next media avail.
“We’re getting closer, but again, we’re evaluating it,” Morris said. “I want to go through definitely Wednesday and see where we’re at.”
Guessing who it will be is pointless. Nobody has seen enough to really be making that call.
Arkansas ran 100-110 plays in Saturday’s scrimmage and Chad Morris talked afterwards about John Stephen Jones at quarterback, freshmen wide receivers and big plays on defense.
Arkansas coach Chad Morris gave the PAT award Friday to safety Joe Foucha for Passion-Attitude-Trust after the voting by UA people outside the football building.
Razorbacks center Ty Clary talked after Saturday’s scrimmage about how he’s improved his snaps (only two bad ones in fall camp) and not hearing his name is usually good.
I’ve gone with the ‘over’ on the Hogs’ football win total the past three years. I’m not going to do that this year.
I was too optimistic in the Bret Bielema Era, and even last year I figured Chad Morris could win at least five games. I didn’t realize how bare the cupboard was.
Heck, I don’t think he did, either. To be blunt that was a very bad team with little athleticism.
They were so bad; I can’t really pick them to be a lot better this year — still too many question marks. The Hogs could be better at quarterback with senior graduate transfer Ben Hicks or junior transfer Nick Starkel. Maybe even with redshirt-freshman John Steven Jones.
But we don’t know for sure.
It’s the same thing with the receiving corps. Freshmen Trey Knox and Treylon Burks look the part, but how will they match up with experienced SEC defensive backs? Will the returning receiver show up and will talented tight end Cheyenne O’Grady grow up?
And then there is the offensive line. Pathetic is the best way to describe the play from last year. It would have to be markedly improved to get this team to six wins this year.
It’s not impossible, but anything but a sure thing. If they can produce, the running back tandem of junior Rakeem Boyd and senior Devwah Whaley could be extremely effective.
Running back is the strongest position on the team, and if Whaley and Boyd can avoid injury, they could really help this offense.
So, if the line blocks, a quarterback steps up and the receivers mature quickly, this team could score some points. Those are some big ‘ifs,’ though.
Defensively, Sosa Agim leads a talented defensive front, and Scoota Harris is legit at linebacker, but there isn’t enough depth at linebacker or defensive back. Maybe moving D’Vone McClure from the secondary to linebacker is a good move.
He did show flashes last season, but playing linebacker is completely different.
The defense will have to be much better to keep Arkansas in games, but if the offense can increase its production that will help.
Morris says the team is much further along than last year at this time, which stands to reason. The players and staff are on the same page and after a stellar recruiting class, with one on the way; there is a lot more athleticism on display.
However, I’m not confident enough to pick the Hogs to win any SEC games. I’ve got Arkansas finishing 4-8. I am confident they will double the win total from last fall by going undefeated against soft non-conference opponents.
The Hogs will be more competitive in the SEC and will have some close games and play with some teams you don’t expect.
The three games they have the best shot at winning are at Ole Miss and at home against Mississippi State and the regular-season finale against Missouri at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
I am not among the group who thinks Arkansas has a chance at Kentucky. I am not sure why so many fans and pundits are picking that as a winnable game, but I don’t see it.
Ole Miss is very similar to Arkansas and could be very vulnerable Week 2 if they lose in the opener against Memphis. Many have pointed to that game as the biggest of the season and rightfully so.
A win at Oxford would mean if the Hogs win the games they are favored in the non-conference they’d only need an additional SEC win to go bowling.
Mississippi State must replace star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald among others. If Arkansas isn’t favored in the home game, they won’t be heavy underdogs.
Mizzou is the real wildcard.
The Tigers are highly rated in most preseason polls, but with a postseason ban, it could sink quickly if things go south early. If not, they may treat the Arkansas game as a bowl game and be highly motivated to win.
The more likely scenario, however, is the Tigers underachieve and limp into the Little Rock with little to play for. That would increase the odds of a Hogs’ win.
If Arkansas is sitting at five wins, that game would be especially big for them.
I am just hoping for an electric atmosphere in the final regular appearance at War Memorial Stadium for the Hogs before they start a rotation of playing in Little Rock every other year.
Arkansas could win six games or more and there are winnable games on the SEC schedule, but until they do it, I am not buying in this year.
I’ve fallen into that trap before.
There is too much improvement to be made and questions to be answered to predict bowl eligibility in August.
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors released the 15-game 2019 non-conference schedule today.
Neighbors’ third season on the bench for the Razorbacks officially tips off on November 8th, as the annual Elementary Day game will feature the Hogs facing off against New Orleans.
“Seeing Bud Walton Arena come alive last March for the WNIT run made it a high priority to ensure our amazing fans have an opportunity to keep the momentum building with a quality home schedule this season,” Neighbors said. “Knowing the challenges the SEC presents at the turn of the year, it’s always vital to have your team prepared for a variety of styles of play.
“It’s important to travel enough to challenge, but not disrupt, an important academic time for our student athletes. And lastly, you have to consider what is good for the entire league to maximize potential for NCAA at-large bids come Selection Monday.”
“There are so many moving targets to hit. It’s like putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle that is one solid color. We study the past trends diligently and try our best to predict future ones.
With associate coach Todd Schaefer’s daily work on it, we feel like we have done just that, and that this year’s schedule has checked all of those boxes. The five NCAA Tournament teams we will face this early will put us in position to again be considered for play beyond the SEC Tournament.”
Eleven of Arkansas’ 15 non-conference games, including both exhibitions, will take place within the confines of Bud Walton Arena, where the Hogs went 11-7 a season ago.
Meanwhile, the Hogs will only play one true road game all of non-conference play.
Of the five games that feature NCAA Tournament teams from last season in the non-conference portion of the slate, two will come at home, one will come on the road and two will be played at neutral sites.
Before the official home opener, the Razorbacks will play two exhibition games, as they will host Pittsburg State (Oct. 24) and Oklahoma City University (Oct. 30) at Bud Walton Arena.
Following the home opener, the Hogs will play four more games at home, as they will face McNeese State (Nov. 11), Oral Roberts (Nov. 14), Stony Brook (Nov. 17) and Belmont (Nov. 20), who was a 13 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, over a nine-day span.
Neighbors’ squad will then play its first and only true road game during non-conference play, heading to the Golden State to face Cal Bears on November 24th.
Arkansas has played the Bears three times before and holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams last met all the way back in March of 1987.
Cal earned an eighth seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, but was bounced out of the tournament in round two by the eventual National Champion Baylor Bears.
The Hogs will be spending Thanksgiving in paradise, as Neighbors’ team will next head to the Bahamas to take part in the Bahamas Hoopfest.
While there, they will play Fordham (Nov. 29), the No. 14 seed in the Starkville Region in last season’s NCAA Tournament, and Wisconsin (Nov. 30), the only other Power 5 school in the event, in back-to-back days.
The trip will mark the team’s first scheduled games outside the continental U.S. since 2015-16, when the Hogs played back-to-back games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Arkansas then rounds out the remainder of its non-conference schedule in the Natural State. Arkansas’ first game back home will feature the Hogs and Kansas State (Dec. 7), as Bud Walton will be one of 10 host venues for the 2019 Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The Hogs are 2-3 all-time in the Challenge. Kansas State is the final tournament team Neighbors’ crew will play at home during the non-conference part of the schedule, as the Wildcats were a ninth seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Tulsa (Dec. 11) and Northwestern State (Dec. 15) will both visit the Hill in early December, right before the Hogs travel to Little Rock, where Arkansas will meet the Trojans (Dec. 21) in Verizon Arena.
Neighbors and Co. close the non-conference slate at home, hosting Tennessee-Martin on December 29th.
2019 Non-Conference Schedule:
Thursday, Oct. 24 – vs. Pittsburg State (Exhibition)
Wednesday, Oct. 30 – vs. Oklahoma City University (Exhibition)
Friday, Nov. 8 – vs. New Orleans (Elementary Day)
Monday, Nov. 11 – vs. McNeese State
Thursday, Nov. 14 – vs. Oral Roberts
Sunday, Nov. 17 – vs. Stony Brook
Wednesday, Nov. 20 – vs. Belmont
Sunday, Nov. 24 – at California
Friday, Nov. 29 – vs. Fordham (Bahamas Hoopfest)
Saturday, Nov. 30 – vs. Wisconsin (Bahamas Hoopfest)
Saturday, Dec. 7 – vs. Kansas State (Big 12/SEC Challenge)
Wednesday, Dec. 11 – vs. Tulsa
Sunday, Dec. 15 – vs. Northwestern State
Saturday, Dec. 21 – vs. Little Rock (@Verizon Arena)
Sunday, Dec. 29 – vs. UT-Martin
Tip times and TV designations will be announced at a later date, as will the full SEC slate.
