Here's the latest on Catalon, Utsey and Bishop...
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas was without three defensive starters Saturday, with head coach Sam Pittman announcing afterward that one will miss the rest of the season.
Defensive tackle Markell Utsey and cornerback LaDarrius Bishop sat out with minor injuries, but star safety Jalen Catalon, one of the Razorbacks’ best players, did not play and will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Monday.
“He had a little bit of a tear front and back that a lot of kids play with throughout the year,” Pittman said. “Then he broke his hand (and) you kind of have two injuries. Mentally, you could see his wasn't playing his type of ball, tackling like he had earlier in the year and this, that and the other.”
Catalon was in and out of a green non-contact jersey at practice during fall camp and the first couple weeks of the season and then suffered the broken hand in Arkansas’ win over Texas A&M.
It is a significant blow to the Razorbacks’ defense, which finds itself floundering after getting off to a hot start in September. They have allowed an average of 42.3 points on 461 yards over the last three games after being a top-15 unit (14.5 points on 267.3 yards) the first four weeks.
Even though he played in the first six games of the season, Catalon wasn’t playing at the same level as he did in 2020, when he was an All-SEC selection.
A conversation between him and his coach ultimately led to the decision to have surgery, which Pittman said he believes is the best decision for Catalon, who was a preseason All-America selection by the AP.
Although he’s a redshirt sophomore, Catalon is draft eligible because he’s been in college for three years. That means there’s a chance he has played his final snaps in an Arkansas uniform, as he’s widely projected to get drafted next April.
In his place, the Razorbacks turned to sophomore safety Myles Slusher, a four-star signee in the 2020 class who played a lot last year. He finished Saturday’s game with seven tackles and a pass breakup.
“I was very proud of Myles Slusher,” linebacker Bumper Pool said. “He came up, stepped up and made some really good plays for us. He’s been practicing his tail off.”
Pittman did not specify why Utsey’s injury is, but mentioned it was sustained during practice. He has been a mainstay on the defensive line since joining the Razorbacks as a graduate transfer from Missouri this offseason.
The hope is that the Little Rock native will at least be ready for the stretch run following next week’s game against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium and the open date.
“We knew all week Cat was not going to be able to play,” Pittman said. “We were prepared for that. Utsey got hurt on Wednesday. I don't know if he'll be back next week or not, but I feel pretty confident he'll be back against Mississippi State."
It seemed like Bishop was the closest to being ready to play Saturday, as he went through pregame warmups and was dressed out on the sideline.
However, his hamstring injury kept him on the sideline and Hudson Clark started in his place.
“He had it on Monday, but it wasn't bad,” Pittman said. “It seemed to tighten up a little more as the week went on.”
Pittman mentioned that losing three starters on one side of the ball is similar to what teams across college football dealt with last season during the pandemic, but he also said injuries are part of the game.
Even the players who weren’t out because of injuries aren’t at 100 percent, which Pittman attributes some of the team’s recent struggles to.
“This bye week can't get here fast enough,” Pittman said. “I think we've got a physically beat up team. They're trying, but if you see the plays we were making earlier in the year, we're not making them now. Sometimes we are, but most of the time we're not.”
Kickoff against UAPB next Saturday is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT and the game - which is in Little Rock - will be televised on the SEC Network.
HawgBeat - Injury Report: Catalon out for rest of '21, 2 other starters out vs. Auburn
Arkansas was without three defensive starters Saturday.
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas was without three defensive starters Saturday, with head coach Sam Pittman announcing afterward that one will miss the rest of the season.
Defensive tackle Markell Utsey and cornerback LaDarrius Bishop sat out with minor injuries, but star safety Jalen Catalon, one of the Razorbacks’ best players, did not play and will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Monday.
“He had a little bit of a tear front and back that a lot of kids play with throughout the year,” Pittman said. “Then he broke his hand (and) you kind of have two injuries. Mentally, you could see his wasn't playing his type of ball, tackling like he had earlier in the year and this, that and the other.”
Catalon was in and out of a green non-contact jersey at practice during fall camp and the first couple weeks of the season and then suffered the broken hand in Arkansas’ win over Texas A&M.
It is a significant blow to the Razorbacks’ defense, which finds itself floundering after getting off to a hot start in September. They have allowed an average of 42.3 points on 461 yards over the last three games after being a top-15 unit (14.5 points on 267.3 yards) the first four weeks.
Even though he played in the first six games of the season, Catalon wasn’t playing at the same level as he did in 2020, when he was an All-SEC selection.
A conversation between him and his coach ultimately led to the decision to have surgery, which Pittman said he believes is the best decision for Catalon, who was a preseason All-America selection by the AP.
Although he’s a redshirt sophomore, Catalon is draft eligible because he’s been in college for three years. That means there’s a chance he has played his final snaps in an Arkansas uniform, as he’s widely projected to get drafted next April.
In his place, the Razorbacks turned to sophomore safety Myles Slusher, a four-star signee in the 2020 class who played a lot last year. He finished Saturday’s game with seven tackles and a pass breakup.
“I was very proud of Myles Slusher,” linebacker Bumper Pool said. “He came up, stepped up and made some really good plays for us. He’s been practicing his tail off.”
Pittman did not specify why Utsey’s injury is, but mentioned it was sustained during practice. He has been a mainstay on the defensive line since joining the Razorbacks as a graduate transfer from Missouri this offseason.
The hope is that the Little Rock native will at least be ready for the stretch run following next week’s game against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium and the open date.
“We knew all week Cat was not going to be able to play,” Pittman said. “We were prepared for that. Utsey got hurt on Wednesday. I don't know if he'll be back next week or not, but I feel pretty confident he'll be back against Mississippi State."
It seemed like Bishop was the closest to being ready to play Saturday, as he went through pregame warmups and was dressed out on the sideline.
However, his hamstring injury kept him on the sideline and Hudson Clark started in his place.
“He had it on Monday, but it wasn't bad,” Pittman said. “It seemed to tighten up a little more as the week went on.”
Pittman mentioned that losing three starters on one side of the ball is similar to what teams across college football dealt with last season during the pandemic, but he also said injuries are part of the game.
Even the players who weren’t out because of injuries aren’t at 100 percent, which Pittman attributes some of the team’s recent struggles to.
“This bye week can't get here fast enough,” Pittman said. “I think we've got a physically beat up team. They're trying, but if you see the plays we were making earlier in the year, we're not making them now. Sometimes we are, but most of the time we're not.”
Kickoff against UAPB next Saturday is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT and the game - which is in Little Rock - will be televised on the SEC Network.
