Hayden named SEC Freshman of the Week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — One of just two FBS true freshmen to rush for 100 yards in a game through the first two weekends, Arkansas running back Chase Hayden earned the first SEC Freshman of the Week award of the 2017 season on Tuesday.
The Memphis, Tennessee, native is the fifth running back in Arkansas history to be named the SEC Freshman of the Week, joining Felix Jones (2005), Darren McFadden (2005), Dennis Johnson (2008) and Alex Collins (2013). Only McFadden and Collins have done it twice in a season.
Hayden joined another exclusive list last Thursday night in Little Rock, as he rushed for 120 yards on 14 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, to become just the third Razorback to hit the 100-yard plateau on the ground in his freshman debut. That list also includes Jones and Collins.
Hayden Hits From Game 1
• Only true freshman player in the FBS to rush for over 100 yards and score a TD last week.
• One of seven FBS freshmen to rush for over 100 yards this season and one of just two true freshmen to do so.
• His 120 yards on the ground rank fifth in the SEC and are the 14th-most by a true freshman in Arkansas single-game history.
• Five of his 14 runs went for 10 or more yards – tied for most by an SEC player in Week 1.
• Half (7) of his runs resulted in a first down.
• Six of his last eight runs against Florida A&M resulted in a first down or touchdown.
• 10 of his 14 runs against Florida A&M went for eight or more yards.
What Hog fans need to watch from SEC’s opening week
The first thing I heard immediately after Texas A&M’s epic collapse against UCLA on Sunday night was, “after that, we’ll get them this year.”
To blatantly steal from ESPN’s Lee Corso, not so fast, my friend.
The Aggies, particularly on defense, had an incredibly fast start against UCLA. The Bruins showed in the second half why building a 44-10 lead was an accomplishment.
With the a rotating situation at quarterback, A&M wasn’t exactly settled there. Starter Nick Starkel was lost “for a long time” with a fractured ankle that was operated on Monday morning.
“Aha!” say fans of the Aggies. “See? They’ve lost their quarterback!”
Starkel was a whopping 6-for-13 and 62 yards in the first half.
No, what killed Texas A&M was coach Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator Neil Mazzone somehow overthinking things and deciding to start passing with true freshman Kellen Mond, who will likely be the starter in AT&T Stadium against Arkansas on Sept. 23.
The problem is he’ll have two warmup games against Nicholls and Lousiana-Lafayette.
The guess here is the Aggies are going to run the ball with an up-tempo attack and the Razorbacks’ defensive depth will be tested early and often.
Which will pretty much be the norm the rest of the way. With LSU and Alabama mixing in a good deal of no-huddle, up-tempo to their offenses, nearly everybody on the schedule will be rushing and playing fast.
But don’t expect Texas A&M to be an easy game.
Mississippi teams strong offenses
Neither Ole Miss or Mississippi State has a defense that scares Hogs offensive coordinator Dan Enos.
But their offenses will likely cause defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes a few sleepless nights.
Both want to go at a breakneck pace, both have quarterbacks who looked good on the first week. The Rebels have maybe the best group of receivers in college football and Shea Patterson can create plays out of thin air it seems.
The Bulldogs’ quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is showing the effects of his time with Dan Mullen, who may be the best quarterbacks coach in college football.
Most Arkansas fans figure those are wins, but the guess here is they’ll be tougher than anybody is expecting now.
Auburn and LSU second best
Their matchup is the week before the Tigers come to Fayetteville. The Hogs won’t be able to pay much attention as they will be busy with Alabama.
Auburn, of course, faces Clemson this week and that will give us a read on them.
LSU plays Mississippi State in two weeks, then Florida on Oct. 7, but we won’t know much about them until those games, then the Auburn matchup.
Alabama?
Forget it. The only team in the SEC that can beat the Crimson Tide this season is Alabama.
No, that’s not a typo. For anyone to beat them, the Tide is going to have to mess up … a lot.
It wouldn’t be totally shocking to see Alabama-Clemson for the third straight year in the title game.
Allen cut by Jaguars, claimed off waivers by Rams
Brandon Allen is getting welcomed to the life of a journeyman backup quarterback in the NFL.
After spending last season on Jacksonville’s 53-man roster, he was cut Sunday. On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams picked him up.
The Jaguars reported planned to sneak Allen through waivers, then re-sign him to the practice squad, but that didn’t work out as the Rams jumped in an claimed him. He initially was projected to be on the 53-man roster.
Allen is projected to be the No. 3 quarterback for the Rams behind Jared Goff and Sean Mannion, but it does get him back with quarterback coach Greg Olson, who was Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator last year.
In four preseason games, Allen completed 38 of 58 passes for 516 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He arguably outperformed the Jaguars’ top two quarterbacks, Blake Bortles and Chad Henne.
The Rams don’t have any other former Razorbacks on their roster, but Allen will be playing in the same city as former teammates Hunter Henry and Darius Philon, who play for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Saban: Fresno State will be ‘different type of challenge’
Alabama head coach Nick Saban previews the Crimson Tide’s Week 2 matchup against the Bulldogs.
Bielema on redshirts, facing TCU on Saturday
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema talked about clearing some things on redshirts and getting ready for the Horned Frogs on Saturday.
Enos on respect for Patterson’s defenses
Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos met with the media Monday and talked about TCU coach Gary Patterson’s innovative 4-2-5 defense and what to expect.
Rhoads on TCU’s athleticism, quarterback Kenny Hill
Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes met with the media Monday and talked about the Horned Frogs’ overall athleticism, coach Gary Patterson.
