Arkansas got it’s first win since the opening game of the season Saturday when they shut out Tulsa, 23-0, on homecoming in Fayetteville and here are some of the best in pictures.
Photos by Ted McClenning | HitThatLine.com
Noland not perfect, but impressive in first start
Connor Noland found out midweek he would be starting for Arkansas against Tulsa on Saturday.
No problem.
He started with an interception on his first drive, but that was his only turnover and ended up with a steady day leading the Razorbacks to a 23-0 win over the Golden Hurricane before an intimate gathering of 40,128.
All week in practice, Ty Storey was out there. Nobody really knew what the final verdict was going to be after he suffered a concussion against Ole Miss last week.
“We probably had an idea, and we were preparing for it,” Chad Morris said after the win Saturday.
That preparation was for Noland, a highly-touted freshman from Greenwood, to get his first collegiate start.
“He’s probably dreamed of this moment his entire life,” Morris said. “To be able to come out and lead the Hogs to a win, I’m very proud of him.”
Noland tried not to think about it, but it did creep in there.
“I tried not to think about it, but when you grow up watching the Hogs play then get the opportunity be out there on the field with my first start meant a lot to me, so it was a big moment,” Noland said later. “But I just tried to downplay that a little bit and focus on the game.”
That first interception wasn’t due to the moment being too big for Noland. He just made a mistake.
“It’s a game so there’s gonna be mistakes like on that first drive,” Noland said. “I’ve had a lot of experience with just moving on and going to the next play. That was kind of my mindset after it happened, then coach came up to me and patted me on the back and told me to focus on the next play.”
While it may sound a little strange to some, Morris obviously liked what he saw in Noland after that interception.
“It did not faze him one bit,” Morris said. “That says a lot about a young man that’s a competitor. He’s been in these situations before, you can definitely tell that. First freshman starter in 12 years, to come in in an environment where we are in our program of needing a win.”
Senior offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt noticed and was impressed.
“For a young guy to be that fresh and enthusiastic about getting back out on the field, it’s extremely impressive,” he said later. “He never froze up or gave you the deer in headlights look and didn’t say anything.”
That’s what we’ve heard about him since fall camp. He appears to have a level of maturity not a lot of freshmen have.
“He was comfortable with himself and said, ‘Well, I threw a pick, but now to the next play,’” Froholdt said. “His mood was still up, he was enthusiastic about the game and it was really good to feel that. He made a mistake, but he understands that and you can’t let it rollover and that was awesome to see from a freshman.”
One of the things Morris and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock try to do is not put any of their quarterbacks in a bad situation. With a true freshman, the running game became key.
“We knew Connor (Noland) was going to have a good day, but we did not want to put the pressure strictly on Connor,” Morris said. “We challenged out guys up front.”
And Tulsa’s defense had been pretty decent against the run. Arkansas ground out 196 yards rushing and controlled the game (over 35 minutes in time of possession).
“We had a heavy run game plan going in, just, making sure Connor is comfortable back there by not putting him in any bad situations and trying to stay ahead of the chains and not get in any third and long situations,” Froholdt said. “But we had all the confidence in Connor, he can run the ball really well as well so we just put him in situations to do that.
“He did a tremendous job making sure we’re all on the same page whenever we had checks and making sure we check from run to pass or pass to run. We definitely relied on our run game and I’m happy my guys stepped up and played well.”
With that solid performance, you wonder which way Morris will go next week against Vanderbilt. While the Hogs’ offense wasn’t flashy, it was workmanlike.
If there was an issue it was Rakeem Boyd getting 99 yards on 19 carries in the first half and not seeing much action in the second half after a fumble, then two carries that netted just three yards.
“Dehydrated,” was how Morris termed it later.
He fumbled twice. Noland jumped on the first one, but it was on the Hogs’ first play of the second half that Boyd fumbled a second time, losing this one to the Golden Hurricane.
That’s when Arkansas’ defense stepped up. They made the key plays in the second half, delivering defensive coordinator John Chavis his first shutout with the Hogs.
“He was smiling,” defensive lineman McTelvin Agim said later. “He didn’t do any of the crazy antics he did before. He just came up to us and told us he appreciated us. He kept it simple, but you could tell he was joyful.”
That means we may see Chief smiling at the Monday press conference.
Which will be a first. Getting goose eggs on the scoreboard will do that.
And having a freshman quarterback break the losing streak gives this team and fan base a shot of sorely-needed optimism.
“Our players, as we know, have battled all year long,” Morris said. “The outcomes have not gone our way, but these guys continue to fight.
“It says a lot about who we are, it says a lot about our program, and it says a lot our state and it says a lot about what we’re trying to build here.”
With a big recruiting weekend going on, including an official visit from former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant, it went well for Morris, who is always recruiting.
“We had a lot of great recruits here today,” Morris said. “I can’t wait to show off Fayetteville tonight to our recruits.”
It wasn’t hard to tell he’s happier doing it after a win.
Morris talking about win over Tulsa on Homecoming
Arkansas coach Chad Morris recapping the win, glad for the players, but they will be back tomorrow getting better.
Noland on first start in 23-0 win over Tulsa on Saturday
Hogs quarterback Connor Noland got his first start Saturday and talked about the win with media afterwards.
Watts, Froholdt, Agim after win over Golden Hurricane
Razorback players Armon Watts, who won the Cripp Hall Award as the outstanding senior on Homecomine, Hjalte Froholdt and McTelvin Agim after the game.
Hogs get shutout over Tulsa, 23-0, on homecoming
FAYETTEVILLE — Freshman Connor Noland got his first start Saturday on homecoming, but it was three field goals by Connor Limpert, a couple of touchowns and Arkansas got a 23-0 win over Tulsa on Saturday.
The Razorbacks came into the game with a plan to run the ball, but Rakeem Boyd didn’t play in the second half due to what Chad Morris said later was dehydration after a 99-yard effort and the offense wasn’t spectacular, but good enough.
This story will updated with press conference quotes.
Last chance homecoming dance, Tulsa turnaround
Remember the good old days? No, not when Frank Broyles, Houston Nutt, or Bobby Petrino had Arkansas Razorbacks football in the national spotlight.
Think back to a time when you had to put on your best clothes, laden your hair with the good gel, and actually take more than one shower in the same day.
I’m referring to homecoming dance night. Now do you remember? The obligatory annual gathering of purple shirts, pink carnations, and every school staff member criticizing the inappropriateness of modern youth.
For many it was where you were permanently defined eitheras a lover or a loser based purely upon the song selections by an elite group of deejays — two of your school’s finest seniors from the year before and a 45-year-old man that acts like his job is more critical than national security.
This weekend’s game against Tulsa is a metaphor of the 2018 Arkansas football season and the aforementioned anxiety attack held after a Friday night’s game.
Up to this point, the sunglasses wearing trio has only played up-tempo music of which you have no moves., no rhythm, and no chance in which to showcase your talent.
Then suddenly, right around 10:45 PM, there is this one slow song that begins to play, and the Hogs had better jump on it like it is the last Frank Sinatra [Ed Sheeran for you younger readers] song of the season.
While some were hoping to see Ty Storey back from his concussion protocol, Tommy Craft reports Storey will not be doing “The Charleston” this weekend.
Instead, Rakeem Boyd and Devwah Whaley will have to do their best versions of the running man to rack up yards against the Hurricane defense. It is possible as Tulsa has given up over 100-yards three times to individual rushers this season.
This week, the top question has become who will replace Storey as the starting quarterback? Andy Hodges gives Connor Noland his nod of approval as the player Morris should utilize to call the signals. Nate Olson also extended his opinion.
Do you agree with their perspectives?
On the opposite side of the ball (no pun intended), Arkansas must stiffen up from the meltdown that they suffered in the second half of the game against Ole Miss.
For the Razorbacks defense, stopping redshirt freshman quarterback Seth Boomer (ironic name, I know) will be key. Boomer, who has stepped in for an injured Luke Skipper, may have not played very well in their loss to South Florida, however, he had unimpressive numbers but 227-yards in a separate defeat to Houston.
In summary, for those of you that in fact had a steady date, the Hogs must play better defense than your girlfriend’s father who suddenly showed up to chaperone the dance, his daughter, and any preconceived aspirations you possessed for after the gala.
In case you weren’t nervous enough in the stag line, knowing that at any moment you could gird up enough courage to brave the floor to one of those fast songs leaves a lump in your throat.
Why?
The Arkansas special teams are a constant reminder that at any moment you can transition from what you think is looking suave to becoming the new Elaine Benes with awkward kicks and thumbs-only tackles, not to mention a difficult Monday morning.
Dust off those dancing shoes, Razorbacks fans. This will not be an easy win, yet we will not sit the entire season with our backs to the wall, staring at the punchbowl, and wondering if there is anyone left that will allow us to cut a little rug on our own terms.
The slow song is playing, and Tulsa is that little gal willing to oblige to your extended hand. Enjoy, and for the love of all things Razorback, please, no one cut in.
Arkansas 34–24.
Last week proved tough to me, and I should have gone with my initial feeling of putting Auburn on an upset alert. I refrained, and my lowly 3–3 performance dropped me to 51–14 on the season. This week looks to be more promising.
- Auburn at Ole Miss – $50-million may sooth some of the burn from the hot seat, but it won’t provide a victory. Rebels by 3 in what some would have classified as an upset at the beginning of the season.
- (1) Alabama at Tennessee – Tide moves easily in a circular motion by 24
- Memphis at Missouri – Tigers by 11
- (22) Mississippi State at (5) LSU – The Tiger defense is too much for the hot and cold Bulldogs. LSU by 14
- Vanderbilt at (14) Kentucky – The Wildcats get back to business. Kentucky by 25.
Go HOGS!!!
Follow me on ‘Twitter’: @PeterMorganWPS
Gafford, Joe, Harris pace Red to big win over White
FAYETTEVILLE — The Red Team, led by Isaiah Joe and Daniel Gafford, defeated the White Team, 105-82, before a crowd of 7,500 in the annual Red-White game Friday night.
Joe, a freshman from Fort Smith, made 9-of-14 from 3-point range and scored a game-high 31 points.
Gafford recorded a double-double, scoring 24 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard Jalen Harris, who sat out last season per NCAA transfer regulations, also posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists.
Gabe Osabuohien just missed a double-double, scoring 20 points and getting eight rebounds.
For the White Team, Mason Jones and Adrio Bailey each scored 22 points while Desi Sills added 16 points and eight assists.
The teams combined for 187 points in the game.
However, midway through the second half, the scrimmage had a running clock but the teams still combined to score 88 points, compared to 99 in the first half playing with a conventional clock.
In addition to the game, festivities for the evening included a slam dunk competition by the Razorbacks as well as assorted Homecoming activities, highlighted by a halftime pep rally.
It was no surprise that Gafford, who had a school-record 75 dunks last season, won the slam dunk contest with freshman Ethan Henderson giving a good run for his title. In the game, Gafford finished with six dunks.
The Red Team jumped out early as Gafford controlled the tip to Harris, who hit a wide-open Joe for a layup just seconds into the game. It was one of Harris’ seven, first-half assists.
Red led White 15-8 at the first media timeout behind five points from Joe. The White made a run behind Mason Jones, cutting its deficit to four, 22-18, at the second break.
In the first eight minutes, Jones, a junior college transfer, was the first to double digits with 11 points. A pair of 3’s from Joe and one from Jonathan Holmes helped the Red open up an eight-point lead at the 8-minute timeout, 34-26.
The White worked its way back into the game and trailed just four, 40-36, coming out of the 4-minute timeout after a basket by Adrio Bailey.
The Red once again answered as the first half drew to a close and took a 55-43 lead at the break.
True to form in coach Mike Anderson’s #FASTEST40 style, both teams had 10 fast-break points in the first half and both teams shot over 46 percent from the field.
Joe led the way with 17 points in the first 20 minutes, draining 5-of-8 from long range. Jones poured in 17 to lead the White team in the first half, making 7-of-11 shots from the field.
To open the second half, the Red Team quickly raced out to a 71-54 lead as Joe hit a coupe of treys and Gafford put an exclamation on the lead with a dunk before the first media timeout.
Despite a 3-pointer by the White’s Sills midway through the second half, the Red maintained a 20-point lead the rest of the way.
Arkansas will play the first of its two home exhibition games next Friday (Oct. 26) when the Razorbacks host Tusculum. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.
Anderson enjoyed exhibition during Red-White game
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson wasn’t looking too close at the stat sheet he had, but saw some good things in the Red-White game Friday at Bud Walton Arena.
Joe, Gafford recap Red win in annual Red-White game
Arkansas players Isaiah Joe and Daniel Gafford met with the media after the Red’s 105-82 win in the Red-White game at Bud Walton Arena to kick off the new season.
No Storey this week should put Noland up first
Ty Storey participated in practice a couple of days this week and appeared to be running for the first time, but that may have been more for the media in attendance for the first few periods.
We honestly don’t have a clue based on what we saw at practice, but I did find it interesting that freshman Connor Noland was taking Storey’s place in the individual work at times.
That may or may not indicate anything because Chad Morris changes things up at times, trying not to tip his hand in any way. I guess Tulsa is close enough they may have been slipping around trying to find out who will be the quarterback.
But really, though, is there a better time to put Noland out there from the beginning? His only game experience has been in a lost-cause situation against North Texas.
We’re hearing he is the likely starter, but that’s not on a strong enough basis to go ahead and say he will be behind center at the start against the Golden Hurricane on Saturday.
It has become clear Cole Kelley isn’t the answer. For whatever reason, his performances in games doesn’t match what coaches saw in practices because they made him the starter at the beginning of the year and replaced him after a quarter.
If Rakeem Boyd is indeed back — and he did look full speed in drills and there’s no concussion protocol to deal with there — that may take some of the pressure off Noland.
But, let’s face it, there’s not a better chance to see what Noland can do in a game situation to rest of the season. We got the idea the last couple of weeks Morris was trying to avoid throwing Noland into a no-win situation in one of those SEC games. That’s why I think he didn’t put him out there in the rain in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss.
My guess is Noland will start and the Hogs will do enough to get past a Tulsa team that has had about the same luck as Arkansas this year.
Arkansas 31, Tulsa 21
Last week was a rough one after a great three week run. My picks were just 3-3 as I hit on the Georgia over LSU upset, but I seriously under-estimated how far Auburn has fallen and South Carolina couldn’t win in overtime against the Aggies. I’m down to 56-9 on the year, or 86 percent.
This week, Kentucky over Vanderbilt is the only easy (and obvious) pick I can make
-4 Auburn at Ole Miss
The Rebels have to get the win over Arkansas out of their system, but celebrating takes awhile in Oxford for a fan base that is prouder of their never losing a party than any football win.
The Tigers have had the wagon go careening into the ditch and busted a wheel on the way. Gus Malzahn is under fire, along with everybody that signed off on what they are now calling a ridiculous contract with a $32 million buyout this season if they want to fire him.
Beating Ole Miss might not help him an awful lot, but playing this game away from Auburn will help the team avoid the chaos.
The Rebels’ defense will help with the rest.
Auburn 38, Ole Miss 24
-28.5 Alabama at Tennessee
Tua Tagovailoa is still nursing an injured knee from the Arkansas game, but do you really think that will make much difference?
The Vols seemed to get some momentum going down on The Plains last week and surprising everyone with a win over Auburn that wasn’t really as close as the final score sounded.
But Jeremy Pruitt is a former Nick Saban assistant and none of them have ever figured out a way to beat him. Saban may have taught them most of what they know, but he didn’t team them everything he knows.
Besides all that, even if Tagovailoa can’t go, Tennessee hasn’t figured out a way to beat the Crimson Tide with Jalen Hurts at quarterback.
That’s another trend that will continue.
Alabama 45, Tennessee 14
Memphis at -9.5 Missouri
The Tigers got a little attention playing Central Florida, the disputed self-proclaimed champions, to a close game, but keeping that momentum going is difficult when the talent level will be different this week.
Drew Lock is rolling along right now and this one may get a little high with the scoring, but Missouri should be able to hang on.
Missouri 41, Memphis 31
Mississippi State at -6.5 LSU
Let’s see now, a night game in Baton Rouge, where the Bulldogs tend to not exactly set the world on fire.
The Tigers have clearly proven me wrong because I predicted a meltdown by this point of the season and they are ranked No. 5 in the country right now.
The Bulldogs have stumbled a couple of times, but seem to have found themselves in an upset win over Auburn.
Welcome to Death Valley at Night.
It may not be a good night for Mississippi State as I think they will shut down Nick Fitzgerald and that offense while LSU will continue to roll in some special game uniforms with purple helmets.
LSU 31, Mississippi State 10
