The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1) fell in the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) following their 37-27 win Saturday over the UAB Blazers (1-2) at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Stunned out of the gates by an opportunistic Blazers’ offense, the Razorbacks fought tooth and nail to climb out of an early 14-3 deficit by tying it at 20 apiece by halftime.
Arkansas extended its lead to 30-20 in the second half, and despite a solid effort by UAB to make things interesting, the Razorbacks held firm in their final tune-up before SEC play.
Quarterback Taylen Green had his worst passing performance as a Razorback, as he finished 11-of-26 (42.3%) in the pocket with one interception. He continued to display his dual-threat nature, however, with 96 yards and two scores on the ground.
Other standouts were running back Ja'Quinden Jackson and wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, who racked up 147 yards rushing and 137 yards receiving, respectively.
Following the loss, the Hogs fell in the rankings in one of ESPN's top predictive metrics for college football.
After coming in at 23rd overall following Week 2, the Razorbacks dropped six spots to No. 29 off the back of the win over UAB in ESPN’s FPI this week.
Head coach Sam Pittman’s squad now has a 5.6-6.4 projected win total with a 51.6% chance of obtaining six wins during the season. On top of that, Arkansas has a 0.1% chance of winning the SEC and a 1.4% chance of making the College Football Playoff, according to the FPI.
After three weeks of football, Arkansas fell to No. 34 in the country in efficiency rankings, according to ESPN. This includes an 80.8 (No. 19) offensive rating.
The defensive rating moved down to 61.2 (No. 62) this week as well. The special teams unit actually increases its rating, as it rose to 38.5 (No. 106) after the UAB game.
Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Razorbacks come in at No. 11 in the FPI just above South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The Hogs look better in the efficiency department, as they slot in at No. 8 in the SEC.
Going into a Week 4 matchup against the Auburn Tigers — a team that ranks No. 26 in the FPI — the Razorbacks will have to clear up their mental mistakes to start conference play 1-0.
Up next, Arkansas will travel to take on the Auburn Tigers (1-1, 0-0 SEC) at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. The game will kick off at 2:30 or 3:15 p.m. CT and it will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or the SEC Network.
