1. The one-armed linebacker - HUTCH
This summer, most of the attention at linebacker centered around graduate transfer Levi Draper. A former four-star who originally signed with Oklahoma, he was penciled in as a starter by most media and fans.
During our “roster rundown” series, though, I wrote that “you can’t completely dismiss the idea of Grant (Morgan) being a major contributor - or even starter - at linebacker.” I also said several times that you can’t doubt a Morgan.
I didn’t fully take my own advice, though. When doing our preseason roundtable with Nikki, I wasn’t convinced Morgan or Bumper Pool were going to lead the team in tackles. I predicted it’d be a safety, going with Joe Foucha over Jalen Catalon - which also proved not to be very smart.
Despite not being very big or very fast, Morgan has been quite effective through four games. His defining moment came Saturday. With Pool out, he racked up 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and a pick-six that sealed the victory…all while playing with essentially one arm.
He has willed himself from a two-star recruit and former walk-on into a more-than-capable starting linebacker in the SEC.
2. Hudson Clark for Heisman? - NIKKI
I've now written about Hudson Clark every week since the Miss State game and I can say with 100% honesty that I'd never imagined that transpiring, but it's 2020, so we should all know by now that literally anything can happen. After playing the majority of snaps in game 2, and starting games 3 and 4, Clark is now going to be on scholarship for the 2021 season, perhaps the earliest any coach has ever promised a walk-on a scholarship. This is a kid that won three state championships, captained his team and yet he still couldn't get a scholarship offer from the many, many college coaches that traversed through Highland Park during his four years.
I almost wish Rivals had a sort by race option because I'd love to know how many white high school corners are getting DI offers these days. I imagine it's very few and the number of white corners in the NFL right now I believe is ZERO. Makes you think.
Does Clark stay on the field even when Jacobs and Brown are healthy? We'll see.
3. No Fly Zone - HUTCH
Led by those three interceptions by Clark, Arkansas picked off Matt Corral - who had thrown just one interception the first three weeks of the season - six times Saturday. Some perspective on that…
~The six interceptions matched Arkansas’ total from all of last season and were one more than its total in 2018.
~It’s only the second time in the last 50 seasons that Arkansas has intercepted at least six passes in one game, with the other coming against Mississippi State in 2003 (also six). The six interceptions are tied for the fifth-most in a single game in school history.
~The Razorbacks now have 10 interceptions, which is one more than Kentucky for the most in the FBS. That is also double the number of interceptions they had in SEC play the last two years combined.
~Two of the interceptions were returned for touchdowns, marking the first time since at least 1981 that Arkansas had multiple pick-sixes in one game.
~Arkansas now has three pick-sixes this season, which is tied with Kentucky for the most in the FBS. All of them have come in the last three games, after the Razorbacks hadn’t had a single one in the previous 41 games.
~Pro Football Focus gives Arkansas a 92.8 coverage grade, which leads the country. Clemson is second at 91.5. The Razorbacks had 62.3 coverage grade last season (11th in the SEC) and an SEC-worst 62.5 coverage grade in 2018.
4. Couldn't hide my excitement - NIKKI
I was so excited on Saturday that I was worried opposing media members would call me out for it. But if you know I've only covered SMU and Arkansas during the majority of my career, I think my excitement is forgivable.
With football being my favorite sport and Arkansas being so bad the last two seasons, it was almost as depressing for me covering that mess as it was for you guys watching it. Even DVH and Muss couldn't make up for the lack of a competitive football team. BUT NOW?! Every week is actually a ramp up for an exciting, competitive game. Whether the opponent is Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, whatever, we can no longer say we automatically know what's going to happen on Saturday and that, to me, is the most exciting part of it all.
5. Looking ahead - HUTCH
When making my season predictions about a month ago, I had Arkansas going 2-8 with wins over Ole Miss and Missouri, and several competitive losses. In my eyes, two wins was pretty optimistic and three likely required everything falling just right.
The only way I could see Arkansas beating anyone other than Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Missouri was if it somehow beat both Mississippi schools to start the season 2-2. In that scenario, I felt like the Razorbacks might have enough confidence to go pull off an upset of Texas A&M, Tennessee or LSU - but likely only one of them.
Considering they should be 3-1 going into the open date, the Razorbacks have a legitimate shot in all of their remaining games - except for probably Alabama at the end of the year. I don’t think they win all of those games, but beating just two out of Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida and LSU would make 5-5 possible with a win at Missouri.
That’s still asking for a lot, but if Arkansas manages to go .500 against an All-SEC schedule that added Georgia and Florida after the dumpster fire of the last three years… Sam Pittman isn’t only your SEC Coach of the Year, but he’s your National Coach of the Year.
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