‘Steamboat’ has sailed; Noland should get start

Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey won’t play against Tulsa Saturday after failing concussion protocol following a nasty hit against Ole Miss last week, according to some reports.

That leaves Hogs coach Chad Morris with a tough decision. Well, not really.

Morris’ obvious choices to fill Storey’s spot are sophomore Cole Kelley or true freshman Connor Noland, the Greenwood High School product.

Storey and Kelley have taken most of the first-team snaps and both have started games this fall. However, Storey has firmly secured the starting spot with Kelley being used in the “Steamboat Package” when his 6-foot-7, 256-pound frame can be used to pick up short yardage, mostly plowing straight ahead.

Although Kelley has shown a knack for throwing the deep ball, Storey clearly has a better command of the offense.

That was obvious in last week’s loss to Ole Miss when the Hogs struggled with Kelley under center when Storey had to leave the game for good in the second half.

Kelley did throw a deep touchdown on his first play subbing for Storey when he was knocked out for a play in the first half, but when he was asked to lead the offense and sustain drives, the Hogs sputtered and allowed Ole Miss to come back and eventually win the game late.

The final thud came when Kelley threw a horrible pass to no one in particular that was intercepted by Ole Miss and ended any chances the Razorbacks had to win.

Two factors must be mentioned in his defense, though. Kelley didn’t have the benefit of handing the ball off to dominant running backs Rakeem Boyd or Devwah Whaley.

Both were injured in the first half and didn’t return. That left the diminutive Chase Hayden as the featured back which is a role he is not suited for.

The other thing to consider is just before the pick, Kelley threw a nice ball to La’Michael Pettway over the middle for first-down yardage but it was dropped.

So, Kelley isn’t all to blame of course.

However, I’m fairly certain that if Storey had stayed in the game with the same personnel, he could have helped the offense do enough to preserve its first SEC win.

With the defense faltering even worse against Ole Miss’s high-powered offense, Morris needed his offensive unit to pick up a few first downs and run clock. Storey showed he could find a way to get that job done.

So, that leads us to the present dilemma. Morris’ most consistent QB is on the shelf and a 1-5 Tulsa team awaits. This is a must-win for a last gasp at trying to build some momentum to end the season. A loss to the Golden Hurricane may lead to four more straight losses and a 1-11 campaign.

Morris needs a signal caller he can count on to salvage this very winnable game. Kelley hasn’t shown that he’s that guy.

Noland’s only chance has been a few snaps in the second half of a lop-sided loss to North Texas. Noland was 4 of 7 for 25 yards and an interception.

Noland is the quarterback of the future at UA. He has the talent to be better than both Storey and Kelley. With Arkansas in full rebuild mode, he needs to be playing.

Starting him against a lackluster Tulsa team seems to be the perfect time to get meaningful snaps. And if he shines, look at making him the full-time starter to finish the season.

Or if you subscribe to the theory that a starter shouldn’t lose his job to injury, then move him up to No. 2 on the depth chart and spell Storey from time to time to end the year.

Arkansas isn’t going to a bowl game, there is no guarantee that Storey will even be back at Arkansas next year, so the future should be front and center in Morris’ mind. That future is Noland.