We continue HawgBeat's series of analyzing Arkansas' games through the lens of Pro Football Focus after the Razorbacks' 37-27 win over UAB in Fayetteville.
The analytics from PFF keep track of grades for each player on a scale of 0-100. The website goes further into depth on specific grades, but for the purpose of this story, we will just look at offensive grades.
Here are the grades on the offensive side of the ball from the UAB game...
Team Grades
~Overall: 77.5
~Offense: 83.0
~Passing: 76.2
~Pass blocking: 69.4
~Receiving: 60.3
~Running: 92.6
~Run blocking: 74.5
Notes
~ Right guard Joshua Braun was the only Arkansas player to finish with a pass block grade above 80.0, as he was given an 85.9 for his efforts.
~ Wide receiver Tyrone Broden was bad against the Blazers, as he finished with a 45.4 pass grade, a 60.1 run grade and a 54.2 run block grade.
~ Running back Ja'Quinden Jackson continues to shine, as he racked up a 79.8 pass block grade, an 86.1 run grade and a 64.0 pass grade.
~ Arkansas' top three tight ends — Luke Hasz, Ty Washington and Var'keyes Gumms — all wound up in the bottom six of Arkansas' graded offensive players. Hasz was especially poor in the pass game (42.1), while Gumms failed in pass blocking (11.1).
~ Left guard E'Marion Harris struggled in pass blocking (47.9), but was solid in the run block game (65.6).
Arkansas Offense PFF Grades - UAB
| Player, position | PFF Grade - UAB | Snaps vs UAB |
|---|---|---|
| Taylen Green, QB | 90.5 | 68 |
| Ja'Quinden Jackson, RB | 86.1 | 51 |
| Andrew Armstrong, WR | 83.9 | 53 |
| Maddox Lassiter, FB | 77.3 | 9 |
| Fernando Carmona Jr., LT | 75.3 | 68 |
| Keyshawn Blackstock, RT | 73.7 | 68 |
| Rodney Hill, RB | 68.4 | 17 |
| Joshua Braun, RG | 65.9 | 68 |
| Jordan Anthony, WR | 65.2 | 7 |
| Braylen Russell, RB | 65.0 | 1 |
| Isaiah Sategna, WR | 63.9 | 34 |
| E'Marion Harris, LG | 63.5 | 68 |
| Isaac TeSlaa, WR | 60.1 | 20 |
| Monte Harrison, WR | 60.0 | 3 |
| Addison Nichols, C | 60.0 | 3 |
| Andreas Paaske, TE | 58.8 | 20 |
| Josh Street, C | 58.5 | 3 |
| Ty Washington, TE | 58.4 | 16 |
| Amaury Wiggins, LG | 55.5 | 65 |
| Luke Hasz, TE | 54.5 | 40 |
| Var'keyes Gumms, TE | 47.4 | 4 |
| Tyrone Broden, WR | 45.6 | 59 |
| CJ Brown, WR | 38.4 | 3 |
TAKEAWAYS
1. Help wanted in pass-catcher department
Other than Armstrong — who has already racked up 301 receiving yards in two games — Arkansas has struggled to identify go-to playmakers in its wide receiver and tight end units.
Against UAB, Green only targeted five non-running backs in the pass game. One of those was Armstrong, and the others were Sategna, Broden, Hasz and Brown. Of the latter four, only one made at least one grab (Sategna, two catches).
Broden was targeted six times in the contest, but couldn't come down with anything despite good-enough throws. Hasz was expected to be a security blanket in Bobby Petrino's offensive scheme, but he was only thrown to once.
What does this mean for Arkansas? Well, if it weren't for a dominant run game, the Razorbacks would be pretty one-dimensional. Relying on one player to carry your air attack may work against non-SEC foes like Oklahoma State and UAB, but Green needs more consistent options if he wants to have success against the Texas A&M's and the Ole Miss' of the world.
2. Tackles set the edge
Head coach Sam Pittman talked all offseason about how impressed he was with Arkansas' tackles, Fernando Carmona Jr. and Keyshawn Blackstock. They both lived up to that hype against the Blazers.
Carmona has been the standout in the trenches from the get-go, but he was especially strong in the run game Saturday (74.4 run block grade). Blackstock wasn't far behind him, though he was stronger on passing downs (77.8 pass block grade).
This could be a promising development for Arkansas, but tougher tests against SEC pass-rushers await. Upcoming SEC opponent Auburn is strongest along the defensive line, especially with sophomore defensive end Keldric Faulk in the fold.
3. Do Green's grades tell whole story?
There's no question that Green had a positive effect on the outcome of Arkansas' victory even with his struggles, but a 90.5 offensive grade is a little rich for my blood.
His 88.6 run grade is carrying a lot of weight here and for good reason, as the Blazers couldn't stop him from doing whatever he wanted when he got out of the pocket. However, Green missed easy touchdown throws, was late on reads, threw a bad interception and probably should have had one another.
He did enough to help the Hogs walk away with an ugly win, but Green has to be much, much better if Arkansas is going to beat Auburn on the road.
