On the heels of a five-reception, 120-yard outing that included a 75-yard touchdown in the 21-17 loss to Texas A&M, Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa could see his role in the Arkansas offense increase.
The former Division II Hillsdale College transfer was a key part of an otherwise sluggish Arkansas offense on Saturday, and head coach Sam Pittman said they need to find a way to utilize TeSlaa more.
"I think the whole thing about that would be, we've got to use him more," Pittman told reporters Monday. "And so whether he runs out there as a starter or not, I think he's earned the right to get out on the field and throw the ball to him. So whether he starts or not, I think we'll have to wait and see at the end of the week. But he certainly has earned that right if he has a good week of practice."
Arkansas' wide receiver corps has been — outside of Andrew Armstrong — pretty mediocre. Part of that is due to poor pass protection from the offensive line, but the other side of that coin is the pass-catchers haven't done much to help quarterback Taylen Green.
Take Tyrone Broden, who transferred in from Bowling Green prior to last year, for example. At 6-foot-7, the staff and teammates raved about his potential throughout fall camp, but he's struggled with drops through the first five weeks of the season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Broden has been targeted 28 times this season, with eight receptions, which means he's catching the ball at just a 28.6% clip. Not all of those targets included a drop on his end, though, so take it with a grain of salt. With his size and 22 mile per hour speed, Broden needs to do more for the Hogs.
It's not just Broden that has been an issue in the wide receiver room, though. So far, one of the only reliable targets for Green has been Armstrong, who has 29 receptions in four games for 420 yards and is catching passes at a 61.7% clip.
Green has targeted Armstrong 47 times, according to PFF, which means in the four games the two have been on the field together (Armstrong missed the season-opener against UAPB), 33.8% of the times he throws the ball, Green has thrown to Armstrong.
In the SEC, that's not a reliable plan for an offense.
Some of TeSlaa's catches have come in clutch moments, too. The first catch he made against Texas A&M was a 75-yard house call after he got behind the Aggies defense and outran the defender to find the end zone.
"I think TeSlaa was a big shot in the arm for us," Pittman said. "I think he came in and made some plays. I believe that gives Taylen another option to go to."
"Obviously that play (Green) stepped up and I just saw that there was no one over the top of the field, so I drifted and took it up the field," TeSlaa said after the game. "It's kind of an out-of-body experience to score on a big stage like that. All the glory goes to God. But, yeah, it was a good feeling."
If Arkansas has any chance of getting the upset win over No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday, it's going to need more out of the wide receivers, as the Volunteers rank No. 1 in the country in total defense, as they are only giving up 176 yards per game.
The Razorbacks (3-2, 1-1 SEC) will host the Volunteers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) on Saturday under the lights at Razorback Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CST and it will air on ABC.
