KJ is a superstar...
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — KJ Jefferson proved once again Friday afternoon that he is among the the country’s elite quarterbacks.
The first-year starter accounted for 320 total yards of offense in No. 25 Arkansas’ 34-17 win over Missouri, which improved the Razorbacks to 8-4 on the season and 4-4 in SEC play.
Making the performance even more impressive, Jefferson was actually shaken up at one point and spent some time in the injury tent and on the stationary bike on the sideline. However, he didn’t miss any time until the final drive, when John Stephen Jones relieved him with the game in hand.
“I think he's tough,” head coach Sam Pittman said. “I think he didn't want to let his team down if he could at all get back out there and play. And he certainly did. Leaders usually do that kind of stuff. They do a little bit more than others."
It helped that the redshirt sophomore had a friend and teammate - wide receiver Treylon Burks - similarly fighting through an injury to stay in the game.
“I got banged up on the play and my back tightened up on me, kind of spasmed,” Jefferson said. “Then (Burks) came up to me saying, ‘We need you. This is where you need to show your leadership here. Put the team on your back and carry us to victory.’”
On Thanksgiving weekend, the Razorbacks are likely thankful Jefferson managed to stay in the game. In the second half, with him running the show, they exploded with four straight scoring possessions to pull away from the Tigers.
He connected with Burks and freshman Ketron Jackson Jr. on deep balls after halftime and that doesn’t include his longest pass of the day - which was a screen that De’Vion Warren took 55 yards.
“The first half, we didn’t get the start we wanted to,” Jefferson said. “We hit a couple big plays, but we didn’t finish in the end zone. Then coming out the second half, we knew what they were giving us, so we just wanted to be aggressive in the passing game, and that’s what we did.”
The result was Jefferson completing 15 of 19 passes for 262 yards and one touchdown - the deep ball to Burks - plus he added a team-high 58 yards on the ground.
“I think KJ did a nice job,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “He was very accurate, created a great explosive play with the deep ball to Burks and then scrambled on a third down. He got an explosive play using his feet. He's a big-time quarterback and he did what he needed to do for his football team tonight.”
With the performance, Jefferson has now completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,578 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 554 yards and five more scores.
He’s just the sixth quarterback in UA history to eclipse 500 rushing yards in a season, but he has by far the most passing yards of any of those players. Only Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson, Brandon Allen and Austin Allen have ever had more than his 3,132 total yards this season, plus his 66.9 completion percentage is second only to Feleipe Franks’ record set last year (68.5%) - which broke a 41-year-old school record.
Another record Jefferson is closing in on is consecutive passes without an interception. He’s sitting at 174 attempts - just 10 shy of matching Wilson’s UA record set in 2011.
“I just really have been pleased with the progression he's had, not only as a football player, but as a team leader,” Pittman said. “He really has taken a huge role in that. I'm very proud of him."
That leadership role hasn’t necessarily come natural to Jefferson. He told reporters Friday that he had to learn it from guys like the senior trio of linebackers - Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool.
“Looking up to those guys, they’ve instilled knowledge in me, watching how they go about their day and express their feelings on the field and off the field,” Jefferson said. “So taking a little bit from each of them and piecing it together and adding it to my collection, being able to come out of my shell and be confident in talking to the team.”
It sounds like the defense is vey trusting of Jefferson because of those leader qualities, as well as his physical style of play.
“He's made of steel at times with his head,” Pool said. “I mean, he just puts it down and says, ‘I don't care who you are, how big you are, I’m going through you.’ I'm glad he's in a black jersey at our practices.”
HawgBeat - Jefferson proves he's among nation's elite QBs
KJ Jefferson had another dominant performance Friday afternoon against Missouri.
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — KJ Jefferson proved once again Friday afternoon that he is among the the country’s elite quarterbacks.
The first-year starter accounted for 320 total yards of offense in No. 25 Arkansas’ 34-17 win over Missouri, which improved the Razorbacks to 8-4 on the season and 4-4 in SEC play.
Making the performance even more impressive, Jefferson was actually shaken up at one point and spent some time in the injury tent and on the stationary bike on the sideline. However, he didn’t miss any time until the final drive, when John Stephen Jones relieved him with the game in hand.
“I think he's tough,” head coach Sam Pittman said. “I think he didn't want to let his team down if he could at all get back out there and play. And he certainly did. Leaders usually do that kind of stuff. They do a little bit more than others."
It helped that the redshirt sophomore had a friend and teammate - wide receiver Treylon Burks - similarly fighting through an injury to stay in the game.
“I got banged up on the play and my back tightened up on me, kind of spasmed,” Jefferson said. “Then (Burks) came up to me saying, ‘We need you. This is where you need to show your leadership here. Put the team on your back and carry us to victory.’”
On Thanksgiving weekend, the Razorbacks are likely thankful Jefferson managed to stay in the game. In the second half, with him running the show, they exploded with four straight scoring possessions to pull away from the Tigers.
He connected with Burks and freshman Ketron Jackson Jr. on deep balls after halftime and that doesn’t include his longest pass of the day - which was a screen that De’Vion Warren took 55 yards.
“The first half, we didn’t get the start we wanted to,” Jefferson said. “We hit a couple big plays, but we didn’t finish in the end zone. Then coming out the second half, we knew what they were giving us, so we just wanted to be aggressive in the passing game, and that’s what we did.”
The result was Jefferson completing 15 of 19 passes for 262 yards and one touchdown - the deep ball to Burks - plus he added a team-high 58 yards on the ground.
“I think KJ did a nice job,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “He was very accurate, created a great explosive play with the deep ball to Burks and then scrambled on a third down. He got an explosive play using his feet. He's a big-time quarterback and he did what he needed to do for his football team tonight.”
With the performance, Jefferson has now completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,578 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 554 yards and five more scores.
He’s just the sixth quarterback in UA history to eclipse 500 rushing yards in a season, but he has by far the most passing yards of any of those players. Only Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson, Brandon Allen and Austin Allen have ever had more than his 3,132 total yards this season, plus his 66.9 completion percentage is second only to Feleipe Franks’ record set last year (68.5%) - which broke a 41-year-old school record.
Another record Jefferson is closing in on is consecutive passes without an interception. He’s sitting at 174 attempts - just 10 shy of matching Wilson’s UA record set in 2011.
“I just really have been pleased with the progression he's had, not only as a football player, but as a team leader,” Pittman said. “He really has taken a huge role in that. I'm very proud of him."
That leadership role hasn’t necessarily come natural to Jefferson. He told reporters Friday that he had to learn it from guys like the senior trio of linebackers - Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool.
“Looking up to those guys, they’ve instilled knowledge in me, watching how they go about their day and express their feelings on the field and off the field,” Jefferson said. “So taking a little bit from each of them and piecing it together and adding it to my collection, being able to come out of my shell and be confident in talking to the team.”
It sounds like the defense is vey trusting of Jefferson because of those leader qualities, as well as his physical style of play.
“He's made of steel at times with his head,” Pool said. “I mean, he just puts it down and says, ‘I don't care who you are, how big you are, I’m going through you.’ I'm glad he's in a black jersey at our practices.”
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