Ryan, Valley have career days in 3-1 loss at Missouri

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas dropped its first home SEC match in a 3-1 decision Sunday afternoon.

Two Razorbacks had milestone matches, with Okiana Valle recording a career 1,500 digs and freshman Gracie Ryan earning her first career start and double-double.

The Hogs will return to the court next weekend with a pair of road matches at Kentucky and Tennessee.

Sunday’s match at Tennessee will be streamed live on the SEC Network+ which is available through the WatchESPN app.

FINAL
Missouri 3, Arkansas 1 | Box Score
Attendance: 771 | Time: 1:58
Barnhill Arena

#RazorStats
• Stat leaders vs. Missouri
o Kills: Hailey Dirrigl – 17
o Digs: Okiana Valle – 22
o Blocks: Elizabeth Pamphile, Kelly O’Brien – 3.0

After dropping the first two sets, despite an early lead in the second, the Razorbacks dominated the third set with a 25-14 win. Arkansas had a .375 hitting percentage compared to Missouri’s .188, led by Ryan and Dirrigl’s .800 hitting percentage.

The Razorbacks maintained a close score in the fourth set, trailing by no more than six points until the Tigers pulled ahead and closed out the match.

Dirrigl’s 17 kills put her at 451 career kills, 216 away from ranking No. 25 in program history with 667.

Ryan’s 28 assists and 13 digs gave her the lone double-double of the match, while Valle’s 22 digs gave her 1,508 career digs.

The senior libero is now just 151 digs away from rankings No. 2 in program history.

KNWA VIDEO: Boyd with media after loss to Tigers Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Video courtesy of KNWA

Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd talked with the media after the 34-3 loss to Auburn about how the Hogs are close to being much improved team when “everyone buys in.”

KNWA VIDEO: Greenlaw after loss to Tigers Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Video courtesy of KNWA

Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw said he wasn’t 100 percent healthy Saturday night against Auburn, but wanted to be out there and he provided a spark.

KNWA VIDEO: Hogs offensive lineman Gibson after game

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Video courtesy of KNWA

Arkansas offensive lineman Johnny Gibson talked with the media after the 34-3 loss at Auburn on Saturday night.

Storey provides step forward, but it has to continue

Andy Hodges
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Chad Morris has said since the beginning of spring practice that being the starting quarterback at Arkansas is not a lifetime appointment.

That’s the way coaches point out you can lose it if you don’t perform. Ask Cole Kelley. For the last year it’s almost seemed like he was the one coaches kept trying to push into the starting role.

Storey, meanwhile, has been the guy who just quietly does what he’s supposed to, doesn’t create waves or do a lot to jump into the spotlight.

But when he’s in the spotlight it doesn’t particularly bother him.

“The moment was not too big for him,” Morris said in the wake following the 34-3 loss at Auburn on Saturday night.

Unless Storey somehow does something completely out of character, you got the idea listening to Morris after the game the quarterback position is now fixed.

“Ty was a warrior,” Morris said later. “He was a warrior and he was gritty. He played with a chip on his shoulder.”

Of course there are critics. Every Arkansas quarterback since the beginning of time have had the social media Hall of Fame armchair quarterbacks who THINK they have a clue and nitpick things most have no idea about.

By the numbers, Storey outplayed his counterpart Saturday night. The Hogs put up 290 yards of offense while Jarrett Stidham led Auburn to 225. That says a lot about the job John Chavis did with the defense in one week.

It also showed some ability for the offense to move the ball. Yes, there were miscues, but not as many as before. Only one interception. More concerning were the drops of perfectly placed passes that were dropped for no reason at all.

Let’s not forget, either, coming into this season Auburn’s defensive front was one of the most highly-touted in college football, in the top five of every discussion.

And Arkansas ran the ball for 182 yards. Take away the 19 yards in losses Storey had while trying to extend plays or just avoid the pressure, not have receivers drop wide open passes and we’re talking about a fairly solid night.

But they just couldn’t get into the end zone.

“It starts with me,” Storey said later. “I’ve got to make more plays, and we’ve got to put the ball in the end zone.”

What he did, though, was establish himself as the leader of the offense going forward.

“Obviously, there were some throws we wish he could have back,” Morris said. “But this is a guy who kept fighting, just like they all did.

“I’m very proud of Ty. I’m extremely proud of him moving forward and the way he played tonight. Ty did some really good things tonight.”

What Storey did was give this Razorback team something they can build on going forward.

“He carried the offense on his back tonight,” senior defensive end Randy Ramsey said later.

Ramsey was a big reason Stidham and the Auburn offense appeared out of sync nearly the entire evening. He only had one sack, but it’s a safe bet everyone for the Tigers knew his number all night.

And having an established leader at quarterback tends to have that carry-over affect for the entire team.

“Now we don’t have to worry about who’s playing this game, this game,” Ramsey said. “It’s good to know we have a solidified starter on the offense.”

Nobody’s ready to put Storey into the Hall of Fame after one solid performance that resulted in a 31-point loss and the offense didn’t get into the end zone, but it is a step forward.

Which is what Morris told us last week he was trying to do. He is looking for improvement every practice, every game.

At quarterback he got that Saturday night.

Now we see what happens moving forward.

KNWA VIDEO: Morris talks about loss to Tigers Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Video courtesy of KNWA

Arkansas coach Chad Morris talked with the media in the aftermath of a 34-3 loss on The Plains at Auburn and said Ty Storey is the quarterback going forward.

KNWA VIDEO: Storey knows Hogs need touchdowns

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Video courtesy of KNWA

Razorbacks quarterback Ty Storey talked with the media after the game about the offense needing to score touchdowns after the defense made big improvements against Auburn.

KNWA VIDEO: Ramsey after loss at Auburn Saturday night

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Video courtesy of KNWA

Arkansas senior defensive end Randy Ramsey talked about the game against the Tigers and the 34-3 loss, despite the defense having to step up repeatedly.

Hogs lose to Auburn, but special teams made it worse

Andy Hodges
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No one expected Arkansas to have much of a shot on the road against Auburn on Saturday night, but horrendous special teams play made the 34-3 final score worse than it should have been.

The Razorbacks weren’t nearly as bad against the Tigers as they were at home against North Texas last week, but the problems were glaring.

Especially in the special teams which consistently gift-wrapped field position for Auburn all night long.

Take a look at where the Tigers’ scoring drives started:

• Arkansas 27 after a punt return, resulting in a touchdown
• Arkansas 2 after a fumble recovery, resulting in a field goal
• Arkansas 9 after a punt return, resulting in a touchdown
• Kickoff return for a touchdown
• Auburn 28 after stopping the Hogs on downs, resulting in a touchdown
• Arkansas 15 after a punt return, resulting in a field goal

You’re reading that right. The Razorbacks gave up one sustained drive for a score and that came late when the defense was flat give-out.

The Hogs’ offense put up bigger numbers than the Tigers, but gave up 191 yards in punt and kickoff returns.

There will be some pointing out that’s what happens when you don’t have a special teams coach. Arkansas more or less does special teams by committee with several assistants handling different areas.

It all fell apart down on The Plains.

In addition to the returns, Arkansas punter Reid Bauer nearly had rushers beat the snap back to him and there really is no explanation how a guy can run past three blockers standing just in front of the punter.

When Bauer did get off a decent punt, nobody seemed to have a particular interest in tackling the guy who caught the ball.

The result was a track meet on special teams most of the night and Auburn won that with little competition.

There’s an old saying that statistics are for losers, but for the Hogs — a team looking for any kind of positives after six quarters of having an offense that resembled recess at kindergarten — winning the offensive game against the Tigers is a step in the right direction.

Yes, the offense did struggle. You will hear some talking heads mention that Ty Storey missed open receivers. In case you didn’t notice, his jersey turned from white to green sometime before halftime.

No quarterback has a great night completing passes from a horizontal position.

To be fair, Storey didn’t play that poorly. Yes, he threw an interception, but as you can see from the drive starts for the Tigers above, that wasn’t the issue in this game.

No, the offensive line was facing a defensive front as good as anything they’ve seen or likely will see.

The Tigers only had two sacks, but seven tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries.

Don’t blame Storey for this one.

Or the defense for that matter.

The Hogs had four sacks, two quarterback hurries and nine tackles for loss. The only thing they didn’t do as well as they’ve done in the first two games was get a turnover. Credit that to a fourth-year junior quarterback in Jarrett Stidham with a full season under his belt in the SEC.

No, the defense played well enough to at least make this game competitive into the fourth quarter when the Tigers scaled their usual offense back, just trying to close out the game. Malzahn clearly had no interest in running up the score on his good friend, Chad Morris.

In the end, this was a building block for the Hogs.

Which is good because the road doesn’t get easier, going to Arlington, Texas, next week to face a Texas A&M team that was hammered by Alabama on Saturday, 45-23, in a game that wasn’t really that close.

Conversations with a sports writer: Arkansas-Auburn

Pete Morgan
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Ever seen the unthinkable? You know, like the abominable snowman, Stephen A Smith with his mouth shut, or a football coach crashing his motorcycle along with all our hopes and dreams into a Crosses, Arkansas, ditch solely to impress a volleyball player?

“Why do you always bring up old stuff?”

Hey, speaking of old stuff, remember last week when I said we should not be nervous about the North Texas game? I do not know if you would forgive me of a lie and classify it as simply my being mistaken, however, I would certainly appreciate the thoughtful consideration.

“Do not forget, you also said something about the panic button not needing to be depressed.”

Again, I was wrong. For roughly three-and-a-half hours last Saturday I was fully aware of depression.

What’s worse is if you are a diehard Razorbacks fan like me, then this Saturday evening will also be tough. How tough you ask? Here’s a hint: call your doctor and have them fax in a last-minute prescription for the highest dose of Klonipin available.

If that’s not an option, then a solid 5 p.m. dose of ZzzQuil ought to slumber you throughout the game well into Sunday morning.

Oh, back to the unthinkable.

Arkansas’s offense will turn a page.

“Peter, you had a typo there, leaving out the word ‘not’.”

No, sir. I stand by my statement: Arkansas’s offense will turn a page. Ty Storey at the helm will have a breakout game establishing him as QB1 for the remainder of the season.

The offensive line will step up one game which will reestablish some confidence and hope for the season amongst the fans. Granted, it may not last into the following week, but for one Saturday in September, everything will fall into place.

“Even if the offense plays one of its best games, the defense will struggle with Jarrett Stidham and the talented Auburn offense.”

I beg to differ. Dre Greenlaw (for real this time) and Kevin Richardson are back on defense.

Can two players make an impact? Absolutely. Will they change who has the ‘W’ at the end of the evening?

Probably not, but they can definitely reduce the differential.

Also, Chip Lindsey (the offensive coordinator at Auburn) really does not have the Tigers offense firing on all cylinders like they have done in the past.

They are not averaging as many yards per play this season, nor have they been successful with long plays — only one pass greater than or equal to 40 yards and all rushes have been less than or equal to 30-yards.

“Greater than, less than, equal to? What the heck, man? Does your editor even read your stuff?”

Sorry, bro. My little girl is studying equivalents, and I need as many readers as I can get. And if any of you have made it this far, I will now go on record by saying the Hogs can limit this ninth nationally ranked opponent from a high scoring game.

“Moving on before you compare parts of the team to the periodic table of elements.”

I wasn’t going to backtrack to the offense and mention it, however, since you brought it up, I fully believe our receivers could go the way of acetone peroxide and play with some explosion against Auburn.

It’s time for this unit to meld into a cohesive, functional unit.

“Special teams this week — will they create an impact?”

Let’s just state if Auburn even considers a fake fair catch, then the impact Grant Morgan will have on the receiver will rival that of the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora.

Oh, and our punting unit had better figure something out so we can better control field position.

“That’s great, but what’s with the science references?”

Progress reports came out this week. I am just trying to multitask.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

For two weeks now, NCAA Football guru Andy Hodges and I have tied on our weekly picks. This weekend will be mine, and my current 30–6 season mark will find a way to surpass his very respectful 31 – 5.

Word on the streets is Andy decided to go against the HOGS this week. Therefore, I’ll go opposite just to avoid yet another draw by picking our beloved Razorbacks, 34 – 17.

“What are you nuts?”

No, just a little overly optimistic. And, unfortunately, after listening to a few seconds of my instinct’s rebuttal, I will have to go with my true thoughts.

Simply enough, Arkansas is down this season. Way down. And the coach from Shiloh wants nothing more than to run up the score on us.

And even though the Razorbacks have a solid all-time record (11–15) against Auburn, mixed in with a frequency to upset the Plainsmen when they are highly ranked, the Tigers’ loss to LSU last week has only made them hungrier.

Auburn 38–20

“Are you going to pick the rest of the SEC?”

Uh, yeah, that’s what we do.

• (2) Georgia @ Missouri – The Tigers’ winning streak ends. Bulldogs by 24.
• Kent State @ Ole Miss – Rebs by 20.
• (22) Texas A&M at (1) Alabama – Tide by 22.
• South Carolina @ Vanderbilt – Toss-up? Gamecocks by 12.
• Louisiana Tech at LSU – Tigers in a cakewalk by 38.
• (14) Mississippi State @ Kentucky – Bulldogs by 18.
• Florida @ Tennessee – This old rivalry has fizzled… So will the Vols. Gators by 14.

There’s something odd about this season as the opportunities to pick an (on paper) upset within the SEC have been extremely slim.

Therefore, just to hear the Big Ten faithful grumble, Iowa will put an early season damper on Wisconsin. You heard it hear: the Badgers are on a full-blown UPSET ALERT.

Oh, and, uh, Go HOGS!!!

Follow me on ‘Twitter’: @PeterMorganWPS

Halftime on location Ferris Wheelers BBQ in Dallas TX next Friday

Tye Richardson
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Halftime on location Ferris Wheelers BBQ in Dallas TX next Friday

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