The Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0) soared in the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) following their 70-0 victory Thursday over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (0-1) at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Led by heroing performances from quarterback Taylen Green, running back Ja'Quinden Jackson and steady dominance from the offensive line, Arkansas' offense smashed a program record by scoring on all 10 offensive drives.
By the end of the night, Bobby Petrino's unit had amassed 687 total yards with zero punts, zero turnovers and an average of 9.81 yards per play.
Defensively, the Razorbacks accumulated four sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 42 total tackles as a team. Stephen Dix Jr., Xavian Sorey, Eric Gregory and Bradley Shaw each recorded a sack, while Dix, Gregory and Ian Geffrard each made 1.5 tackles for loss.
Following the victory, the Hogs rose in the rankings in one of ESPN's top predictive metrics for college football.
After starting the season ranked 44th overall, the Razorbacks ascended 13 spots to No. 31 off the back of the win over UAPB in ESPN’s FPI this week.
Head coach Sam Pittman’s squad now has a 6.0-6.1 projected win total with a 59.4% chance of obtaining six wins during the season. On top of that, Arkansas has a 0.2% chance of winning the SEC and a 4.5% chance of making the College Football Playoff, according to the FPI.
After one week of football, Arkansas rose to No. 4 in the country in efficiency rankings, according to ESPN. This includes a 97.7 (No. 5) offensive rating.
The defensive rating moved up to 85.7 (No. 32) this week as well. The special teams unit also increased its rating, as it rose to 85.4 (No. 17) after the UAPB game.
Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Razorbacks come in at No. 12 in the FPI just above South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Hogs look better in the efficiency department, as they slot in at No. 4 in the SEC.
Going into a Week 2 matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys — a team that ranks No. 28 in the FPI — the Razorbacks will have to quickly refocus for what will be a much tougher opponent.
Arkansas and No. 17 Oklahoma State are set for an 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be televised on ABC.
