Arkansas offensive tackle Colton Jackson talked with the media after practice Tuesday and recapped the Ole Miss game while looking ahead to homecoming against the Gold Hurricane.
Timely hitting gives White early lead in Fall World Series
FAYETTEVILLE — Freshman right-hander Patrick Wicklander struck out six of the first 10 batters he faced Tuesday, but his teammates on Team Cardinal couldn’t provide the run support as Team White won game one of the Razorback Fall World Series, 9-1, behind timely hits from Matt Goodheart, Casey Opitz and Andrew Stanley.
The Team White trio of Goodheart, Opitz and Stanley went a combined 6-for-13 (.462) and drove in seven of their team’s nine runs.
The only other players on the team to reach base via a hit were sophomores Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin, both going 1-for-4 at the plate.
Wicklander was Team Cardinal’s lone bright spot even though he was forced out of the game in the middle of the fourth inning.
Before his exit, he had only allowed three base runners, two reaching from walks. He ended up with eight strikeouts in the game while throwing 70 pitches.
Unfortunately, Wicklander was saddled with the loss after a walk to Jacob Nesbit followed by an error by his left fielder allowed Goodheart to reach with Opitz coming to the plate.
Opitz came through with the game’s first hit, an RBI single up the middle to score Nesbit, giving Team White the 1-0 lead.
Connor McCullough tried to limit the damage after coming out of the bullpen, but gave up an RBI single to Stanley out of the gate in the fourth and followed that with three more runs allowed in the fifth, two off the bat of Goodheart.
Team Cardinal had no response, offensively, after Team White took the 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth.
Freshmen Christian Franklin and Bryson Lierle provided the team’s only hits in the game, while Tyler Isenberg drove in its only run of the game on a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
Team White starter Caleb Bolden was solid through four innings, allowing only one baserunner, but started to tire in the fifth when he walked three of the first four batters he faced.
Caden Monke came in to relieve Bolden with the bases loaded and a 3-2 count on Isenberg. Even though he ended up walking Isenberg, Monke got Zack Gregory to strike out and Jack Kenley to fly out, ending the threat and leaving the bases jammed.
Bolden finished his outing with only one run and one hit allowed in 4.1 innings with three walks and three strikeouts on 67 pitches.
Monke was nearly perfect, giving up just one walk on 30 pitches while striking out three over 1.2 innings.
With a 1-0 lead in the series, Team White will hope to close it out on Thursday as game two is set for a 4 p.m. start at Baum Stadium.
If Team Cardinal is able to force a game three, the deciding game will be on Friday at 3 p.m. and it will last only seven innings.
2018 Fall World Series Schedule
Game 1 – White 9, Cardinal 1 (Team White leads series 1-0)
Game 2 – Thursday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m.
Game 3 – Friday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. (if necessary) (7 inning game)
???? Tuesday Halftime Pod — Featuring Nikki Chavanelle
Phil Elson & Tye Richardson discuss Chad Morris/players talking injuries, Get Off My Lawn, and Nikki Chavanelle!
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Tuesday
John & Tommy are joined by Tyler Wilson to discuss coffee vs Red Bull, your calls and Would You Rather Tuesday!
Bentonville leaps back into state’s High School Football Poll
Bentonville’s 24-20 win over Fayetteville last Friday night has pushed the Tigers back into the Arkansas High School Football Media Poll at No. 5 in a shakeup after the top two spots.
North Little Rock and Bryant stayed atop the poll while Conway moved up one position to third. Class 6A leader Greenwood is fourth.
After Bentonville is Fayetteville, tied with Bentonville West at No. 6 followed by Class 5A Pulaski Academy, then Fort Smith Northside and Benton.
Class 4A Warren dropped out of the poll with Bentonville leaping back in, but the Lumberjacks are still atop their division poll.
In Class 6A, Greenwood is still on top ahead of Benton, West Memphis, Searcy and Marion.
In 5A it’s Pulaski Academy, Little Rock Christian, Harrison, Texarkana and Little Rock McClellan.
???? Monday Halftime Pod — Featuring Tom Hart
Phil and Tye discuss the Ole Miss loss, 3 up & 3 down segment, and interview SEC Network’s Tom Hart!
Morris recaps loss to Ole Miss, previews Tulsa game
Arkansas coach Chad Morris gave an update on injured players Ty Storey, Rakeem Boyd, Devwah Whaley and McTelvin Agim and talked about playing Tulsa on homecoming Saturday.
Craddock on direction of offense with key injuries
The offense stalled in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss last week and on Monday, offensive coordinator Joe Craddock talked about that, plus dealing with multiple players injured in the game.
Chavis still working to get defense better after collapse
Razorbacks defensive coordinator John Chavis talked with the media Monday about the problems in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss and looked ahead to game with Golden Hurricane.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday
John, Tommy and Tyler discuss the Ole Miss loss, what to do with the QB situation, plus Tom Murphy!
When bad luck isn’t better than no luck at all for Hogs
In the post-mortem of a crushing 37-33 loss to Ole Miss in Little Rock on Saturday night, it became crystal clear midway through the third quarter, Arkansas had a problem.
When Ty Storey scrambled for 10 yards and a first down on the Hogs’ second play of the fourth quarter, he should have stepped out of bounds after a 9-yard gain when he had the chance.
Storey was decked by Rebels free safety Zedrick Woods and it was pretty clear the Razorbacks suddenly had a full-blown issue on offense.
It became clear Chad Morris’ plan of controlling the game by running the ball was working like a charm on an Ole Miss team with an offense that could light up the scoreboard in a hurry. The best way to stop them was keep them on the bench.
Looking at the big picture, it became crystal clear why the Hogs’ depth chart offensively has the running backs listed where they are.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Morris said later. “We had Devwah (Whaley) and Rakeem (Boyd) going. The pace they were going at was very impressive. I hate that they couldn’t finish the game.”
Boyd finished with 109 yards rushing, but left the game for good with what was reported as a back injury after his only carry after the first quarter, a 3-yarder. That was on Arkansas’ second offensive play in the second quarter.
Whaley was welcomed to the party and looked perfectly capable of picking up most of the slack behind Boyd, providing a rushing compliment to Storey and that was good enough for a 33-24 lead with 2:33 left in the third quarter.
That was it, though.
Chase Hayden, who did his best, simply isn’t the threat that Whaley is and he’s not the threat Boyd is.
Yes, the Hogs were down to their third-string running back and a backup quarterback that can’t run more than a couple of yards consistently in a game where keeping the ball on the ground was the plan to keep it out of Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu’s hands.
Danged if it didn’t almost work out.
Ta’amu did more damange to the Hogs’ defense than Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa did last week. Ta’amu threw for 387 yards, which the Hogs could have dealt with.
What they couldn’t handle was Ta’amu’s 154 yards on the ground, with runs of 27 and 15 yards in the fourth quarter that that were killers.
“They made some plays on that last drive,” Morris said. “They picked up some key first downs in the second half, which was critical.”
Mobile quarterbacks can beat a defense that covers everything else. No matter how hard defensive coordinators try, a quarterback who can run turns a chicken mess into chicken salad.
“His ability to see the field when the pocket collapses around him, to keep his eyes open
and down the field,” Morris said of Ta’amu. “That’s why he’s one of the top quarterbacks in our league from passing efficiency to running the football.”
Storey was doing that for the Hogs before he was knocked out of the game. He wasn’t as spectacular as Ta’amu, but he did have 73 yards rushing. That tied him with Whaley for the second-leading rusher on the night for Arkansas.
To his credit, Morris wasn’t using the injuries as an excuse.
“I’m not here to make an excuse,” he said. “We would love to have those guys out there. I think that Rakeem (Boyd) was on pace to have another career night. Devwah (Whaley) as well.”
Coaches won’t use injuries as an excuse, but losing those three guys was the reason the offense wasn’t as effective in the fourth quarter.
You wonder what Morris and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock will do this week in those three spots.
Is it time for Connor Noland to get a start if Storey can’t go?
It’s become clear Cole Kelley is good on certain packages. He can get you some hard-earned short yardage into the middle. He can even throw a pass when the defense doesn’t expect it.
But he can’t run this offense very well.
Hayden is in the same spot at running back. Nobody knows what’s up with T.J. Hammonds, who didn’t see the field again Saturday night.
With Tulsa the next opponent, there will be plenty of questions for the coaches to come up with an answer to.
But hopefully they can have some good luck, which coaches despise talking about, but it does play a role.
Because Saturday night bad luck was far worse than no luck at all.
