ESPN’s acclaimed series of documentaries has finished with one on former PGA golfer John Daly from Dardanelle.
It will make it’s debut Nov. 1.
Bielema on supporting his team, both on the the field and off
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema discusses flying to Minnesota following the death of Frank Ragnow’s father.
Alabama 14-point favorite in early week lines; Aggies by 7 over Vols
In the early week betting lines out of Vegas, Arkansas is a 14-point underdog to Alabama on Saturday at Razorback Stadium.
Ben Fawkes at ESPN.com has compiled a list of all of the lines this week in college football. These are the early lines.
In the rest of the SEC, it breaks down like this:
• Georgia (-7.5) at South Carolina
• Tennessee at Texas A&M (-7)
• Vanderbilt at Kentucky (-2.5)
• Auburn (-3) at Mississippi State
• LSU at Florida (No line)
• Alabama (-14) at Arkansas
Bielema, Saban talk about key SEC matchup Saturday
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema and Alabama coach Nick Saban talked about the game Saturday in Fayetteville at their press conferences Monday.
Johnson won’t be in starting lineup against Tide following arrest
Hayden Johnson apparently celebrated Arkansas’ win over Alcorn State a little too much Saturday night.
The 19-year-old freshman was arrested in the early morning hours Sunday and charged with public intoxication and minor in possession of alcohol.
“The good news was he wasn’t driving, wasn’t causing any harm to anyone but himself,” Bret Bielema said on Monday. “He showed a lot of remorse. It was not only a learning experience for him, but all our freshmen.”
Bielema said Johnson will play Saturday, but will probably sit out for the first quarter at least.
Kendrick Jackson, who was Arkansas’ starting fullback last season, is listed as starter on the depth chart. Tight end Austin Cantrell is listed as the backup at the position.
Johnson was arrested at 1:42 a.m. Sunday after police were called for a welfare check, according to a preliminary arrest report. According to a caller, Johnson was stumbling and nearly fell off the stage at the Greek Theater on the University of Arkansas campus.
The arresting officer reported he found Johnson laying down and not moving when he arrived on the scene. The officer noted Johnson was unable to stand and nearly fell over when he sat up.
Arkansas, Allen make quick work of Alcorn State in 52-10 win
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas got a complete performance on offense and defense Saturday afternoon, putting up 559 yards, 353 on the ground, as well as holding Alcorn State to just 10 points to cruise to a 52-10 victory over the Braves at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The win improves Arkansas’ record to 4-1, marking the first 4-1 start for the Razorbacks since 2011. It was also the 150th win all time for the Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium.
Sophomore Rawleigh Williams III and freshman Devwah Whaley each totaled over 100 yards rushing in the game with Whaley leading all players with 135 yards and one touchdown. Williams finished just behind Whaley with 126 yards, his third 100+ yard performance in the last four games.
Quarterback Austin Allen was 13-of-18 through the air for 206 yards and tied a career-high three touchdown passes. Six different receivers caught at least one pass in the game and it was the second game in a row that junior Jared Cornelius hauled in 100 or more yards as he led all receivers with 106 yards on four catches and a career-high two touchdowns.
Austin Allen Finds Jared Cornelius For TD#1
How It Went Down
Arkansas took a quick 10-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game with the help of a 25-yard Cole Hedlund field goal on the first possession and then a 29-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Cornelius. Cornelius added his second touchdown catch just before the end of the first quarter on a 35-yard throw from Allen to cap a 24 point first quarter by the Razorbacks, its highest scoring quarter this season..
Before the end of the first quarter Cornelius had already amassed 64 yards receiving on two catches with two touchdowns.
Freshman Devwah Whaley got in on the action early scoring his first career touchdown on a 75-yard dash up the middle to make it 17-0. It was Arkansas’ longest play from scrimmage this season and longest run by a Razorback since Alex Collins broke an 80-yard run against LSU last season.
Whaley was the most efficient back on the field in the game, running only nine times but averaging 15 yards per carry.
Devwah Whaley Rushes 75-yards For First Career TD
Austin Allen Finds Jared Cornelius For 2nd TD Connection of the Quarter
Of the three caused turnovers in the game, two were brought in as interceptions for the Arkansas defense. Henre’ Toliver and Josh Liddell each totaled an interception in the third quarter with Toliver’s going all the way for six points to push Arkansas’ lead to 31-7.
Toliver was able to take his 70 yards, marking the third time this season that Arkansas has returned an interception for a touchdown and first time Arkansas has returned three for a score since 2006.
Henre’ Toliver Pick Six
With the game well in hand at the end of the third quarter, Arkansas added three more touchdowns before the end of the game. Senior Cody Hollister scored his first touchdown of the season on a 26-yard end around, capping a five play, 55-yard drive.
Cody Hollister Scores 3rd Quarter TD
Freshman La’Michael Pettway and T.J. Hammonds scored their first touchdowns of their young careers in the fourth quarter. Pettway caught a 10-yard pass from Allen, his first career reception, while Hammonds finished off a seven play, 95-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run. For Hammonds, Saturday was the first action of his career at running back as he finished with five carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Allen Connects With LaMichael Pettway For Six
Quick Notes
– With 559 yards of total offense, Arkansas has now totaled 400 or more yards of total offense in each of the last four games.
– Arkansas rushed for 353 yards on 38 carries, eclipsing 250 yards rushing for the first time since the 2015 Liberty Bowl against Kansas State (254 yards).
– Arkansas had two player eclipse 100 yards rushing (Devwah Whaley, 135 yards; Rawleigh Williams, 126 yards) in the same game since doing so against Tennessee last season.
– The three defensive touchdowns this season are the most since 2014 (also three), and the three interceptions returned for a touchdown are the most since 2006 (also three).
– Austin Allen became the first Arkansas quarterback since joining the SEC (1992) to throw multiple TD passes in the first five games of a season.
– Allen is currently one of two quarterbacks in the SEC to throw multiple touchdown passes in every game this year (Chad Kelly, Ole Miss).
– Allen has thrown for 12 touchdown passes through five games this season, the most by an Arkansas quarterback since Ryan Mallett’s 13 touchdown passes in 2010.
– Devwah Whaley’s 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the longest scoring run by a freshman running back in school history since Felix Jones’ 80-yard run against Missouri State on Sept. 3, 2005.
– Whaley’s 135 yards rushing is the most by an Arkansas freshman since Alex Collins rushed for 172 yards against Samford in 2013.
– With his full sack today, Deatrich Wise Jr. moves into the top 10 in school history with 16.0 career sacks. He has 3.0 sacks this season.
Up Next
The Razorbacks are back at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas next week when they host top-ranked Alabama in an SEC Western Division matchup. Kickoff will be either at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS or at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
Taking a look inside the statistics and how it all relates to wins, losses
Arkansas has long been known as “40 Minutes of Hell” and the “#Fastest40 Minutes in Basketball,” but what does all that mean when it comes to the statistics of the game and how it relates to wins and losses?
During the Mike Anderson era over the last five years, Arkansas is tied for fifth in the country and leads the nation among high major programs in forcing the opponent to 25-plus turnovers in a game.
It’s happened nine times. Three of those games were against Southeastern Conference opponents, and the other six came in non-conference action. The result? Arkansas is 9-0 when forcing 25 or more turnovers in a game since Anderson returned to Fayetteville.
“When we step between the lines, we want to create two hours of organized chaos,” Anderson said. “We want to speed them up and disrupt what they want to do. When we do that, the turnovers will come.”
When opponents commit 20 turnovers in a game, the Razorbacks are 26-2.
What if that number is reduced to 15 turnovers per game? Arkansas has the fifth-most games forcing 15 or more turnovers in the last five years with 98, and the second-most among high major programs behind Louisville. The final outcome in those contests was 73 wins to 25 losses, including a perfect 20-0 record during the regular season two years ago.
We all know turnovers lead to points, so how often has Arkansas turned those coveted miscues into baskets on the other end? Most of the time.
During the last five seasons, Arkansas has forced 705 more turnovers than it has committed, leading to 3,149 points off turnovers or 18.97 points per game. With nearly 19 points per game coming off turnovers, the Razorbacks have outscored their opponents by 5.92 points per contest in that category over the last five years.
“It’s all about our defense,” Anderson said. “The tempo we want to create starts on the defensive end of the floor.”
The high-pressure defense that forces turnovers can usually lead to easy buckets and Arkansas has taken full advantage with its explosive transition game. In a five-year span, the Razorbacks have averaged 9.19 fast break points per contest, giving Arkansas a +2.31 point differential in the transition game.
The Razorbacks are one of 10 teams in the country returning two players that averaged at least 15.5 points per game last year. With loads of new talent surrounding Dusty Hannahs and Moses Kingsley, a seasoned offense meshed with organized chaos on the defensive end could be the perfect match for a special year.
Hogs one of 16 teams that will be in Phil Knight Invitational
Arkansas has accepted an invitation to play in the 16-team Phil Knight Invitational next year, one of the largest regular season tournaments ever created to honor Nike co-founder and chairman Phil Knight in advance of his 80th birthday.
The three-day tournament will take place over Thanksgiving week in 2017 from Portland, Oregon, with games played Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 26, from the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The event will feature two eight-team brackets running simultaneously in the two buildings with the crowning of two bracket champions. Each program will play three games with all 24 contests televised on ESPN networks.
Joining Arkansas in the tournament is Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
“We are excited to join one of the largest regular season basketball tournaments ever created to honor Phil Knight and his many contributions to college athletics,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “Phil has been instrumental in growing and promoting our sport throughout the world. We are proud of our partnership with Nike and look forward to competing against other nationally recognized programs in this exclusive event.”
The participating schools have combined for 23 National Championships, 85 Final Fours, more than 380 NCAA Championship appearances and more than 680 NCAA Championship wins. Ten of the 16 schools have won a National Championship in basketball and 13 of the 16 programs have made at least one Final Four appearance.
Ticket information and tournament brackets will be announced at a later date. PK80 was created on behalf of the schools and is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, in conjunction with the Rose Quarter.
Bielema, Sumlin break down game at AT&T Cowboys Stadium on Saturday
Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin and Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema discuss what’s at stake in their upcoming matchup in Arlington.
How Allen’s first starts stack up with other Razorback quarterbacks
A fourth quarter comeback in the season opener followed by a double overtime win at No. 15 TCU that snapped the nation’s third-longest home win streak. Those were the first two starts of Arkansas junior quarterback Austin Allen’s career. Not bad.
With Arkansas off to its first 3-0 start since coach Bret Bielema’s first season and owning top 20 ranking in both national polls, Allen’s play has helped the Razorback offense pick up where it left off last season. In week two at No. 15 TCU, Allen delivered three touchdown passes in the second half and first overtime frame before scoring on a designed run from five yards out in the second overtime to clinch Arkansas’ third straight top 25 road win.
Allen was named the SEC Player of the Week after the win at TCU and after dominating the fan vote for the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week by over 6,000 votes, it was clear that Razorback nation believed in QB1.
The Fayetteville product is just the fourth Razorback quarterback to go 3-0 in his first three starts since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992. He currently leads the SEC in completion percentage (67.1) and passer rating (160.91).
Below is a look at the numbers from Arkansas’ quarterbacks first three starts since 1992.
| Date | Player | Comp. | Att. | Yards | TD | INT | Comp.{e1768d0eec022f908d772ba0c0274d97d05d220b4341147789bdb671ddb19707} | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Austin Allen | 53 | 79 | 655 | 7 | 2 | 0.671 | 3-0 |
| 2012, 2013 | Brandon Allen | 34 | 57 | 415 | 5 | 2 | 0.596 | 2-1 |
| 2011 | Tyler Wilson | 59 | 86 | 822 | 6 | 2 | 0.686 | 3-0 |
| 2009 | Ryan Mallett | 50 | 96 | 877 | 7 | 1 | 0.521 | 1-2 |
| 2006 | Mitch Mustain | 29 | 59 | 440 | 7 | 2 | 0.492 | 3-0 |
| 2005 | Casey Dick | 44 | 71 | 434 | 6 | 3 | 0.620 | 2-1 |
| 2005 | Robert Johnson | 37 | 66 | 383 | 4 | 3 | 0.561 | 1-2 |
| 2002 | Matt Jones | 23 | 44 | 365 | 5 | 2 | 0.523 | 2-1 |
| 2001 | Zak Clark | 29 | 62 | 339 | 1 | 2 | 0.468 | 1-2 |
| 2000 | Robby Hampton | 49 | 82 | 649 | 4 | 2 | 0.598 | 3-0 |
| 1997 | Clint Stoerner | 44 | 87 | 571 | 2 | 3 | 0.506 | 2-1 |
| 1996 | Pete Burks | 43 | 80 | 449 | 2 | 3 | 0.538 | 1-2 |
| 1992 | Barry Lunney Jr | 32 | 71 | 406 | 1 | 2 | 0.451 | 1-1-1 |
