HawgBeat - Arkansas defense preparing for dangerous up-tempo Ole Miss offense
The Arkansas Razorbacks defense has a lot of preparation to do for a potent Ole Miss offensive attack.
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The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to take on the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels this Saturday at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, and the Hogs have a lot of preparing to do if they want to have success against a potent Rebels' offensive attack.
Through five games, Ole Miss is ranked eighth in total offense (517.4 yards per game), ninth in passing offense (336.6 yards per game) and sixth in scoring offense (44.6 points per game).
In their most recent outing against LSU, the Rebels totaled over 700 yards and 55 points through four quarters. A majority of the offensive production stems from quarterback Jaxson Dart and running backs Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV.
"I think they have a pretty good running game," Arkansas defensive tackle Cam Ball said. "They have two phenomenal backs and they do have a mobile quarterback. But I think the game plan that we’re implementing this week will mainly focus on stopping those guys."
Last season, Judkins ran the ball 24 times for 214 yards and a touchdown against the Hogs. Stopping him will be key to the Razorbacks' defensive success on Saturday.
"Judkins is a very physical runner," safety Jayden Johnson said. "He runs behind his pads. He can get out and catch the ball in space, make you miss. We’ll be ready for that."
The Ole Miss offense ranks 125th in the country in time of possession at 25:24 of game time per matchup, and that’s not because of a lack of success.
"They do a lot of different things," Johnson said. "There’s a lot of RPO and fast pace. They do a lot of tempo. I feel like that’s what puts stress on the defense, is the tempo that they have. It's challenging because we're trying to get back to the line of scrimmage. They are doing a lot of motions, playing with your eyes. It’s a lot of communication; it has to be a high level."
Leading that up-tempo offensive attack is Dart, who completed 21 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown against the Razorbacks last season. He’s a great passer, but don't discount Dart's running ability as well.
"He’s a mobile quarterback," Ball said. "He has a mix of pass and run. I think he’s probably one of the best runners we’ve seen thus far, so we mainly have to contain him on the pocket."
If the Hogs want to have success against an explosive Rebels offense, they'll have to bring the heat to Dart. Fortunately, defensive coordinator Travis Williams has just the defensive scheme to do that.
"We’re more of an aggressive defense," Ball said. "I know we have a lot of new things schematically. Overall, coach T-Will, he’s a pretty good coordinator, I can say so myself."
The Razorbacks and Rebels will battle it out this Saturday at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. The game is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
