Redshirt senior offensive guard Joshua Braun said Friday that he aims to uphold the Arkansas standard on the front trench in 2024 after a rough year-long performance by the unit a season ago.
In 2023, the Hogs allowed 3.92 sacks per game (126th overall) and finished with the 86th-best rushing offense (139.0 yards per game) and 105th-best passing offense (187.5 ypg). Despite that, Braun managed to earn Second-Team All-SEC honors after starting all 12 games.
New offensive line coach Eric Mateos — a former Razorback grad-assistant (2013-15) who helped form high-quality fronts under Pittman's tutelage — has tried to reinstill the Arkansas standard to his group, according to Braun.
"We had homework where we researched different offensive linemen that wore the same number as us," Braun said Friday. "That just showed us that in the past, the offensive lines at Arkansas have been some of the best in the country. And that is the standard. And every day, we go into practice trying to uphold that standard."
Braun couldn't completely remember the player he researched, but said he was "88% sure" it was former All-SEC Arkansas lineman Kenny Sandlin (1998-2001). Sandlin was a member of some solid Hog squads in his time, but expectations are much different for the Hogs 20+ years later.
"It’s a show me, don’t tell me world," Braun said. "So we’ve got to perform on Saturdays. We’ve got to show the fans, we’ve got to show y’all what we’re made of. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Whatever happened last year, we didn’t live up to the Arkansas standard. That is the goal this year.”
You're only as strong as your weakest link — and for a group that's worked on cohesiveness all offseason — creating a tight bond amongst talented players may be enough to push the Razorbacks over the hump along the offensive line in 2024.
"From my own personal experience, this is definitely the tightest and closest team I’ve ever been a part of," Braun said. "That’s something special and that’s something that I cherish, just to be able to go to work every day with people that I love and people that make me love the game."
Arkansas continues to roll through fall camp ahead of the Thursday, Aug. 29, season-opener against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
