Got some pretty incredible stats in here this week, including one for KJ that will blow your mind...
Coming off a quiet game at LSU, Treylon Burks was back to his normal play-making self Saturday afternoon.
Despite getting banged up early and even missing a possession, Arkansas’ star wide receiver returned to the field and finished with eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ 42-35 loss to No. 2 Alabama.
Nick Saban said during the week that Burks posed a challenge to cover, comparing it to a point guard tasked with guarding a power forward who’s really fast in basketball, and Sam Pittman knew the Crimson Tide would try to accept the challenge with man coverage.
“I think he's probably beat up, but he just kept coming back,” Pittman said. “He won a lot of one-on-one matchups tonight, and KJ got the ball to him. He's a tough, great player, but a better person. I'll tell you what, he had a heck of a game tonight."
It was an uncharacteristic performance by the Alabama secondary, which doesn’t typically get torched like it did by Burks. His 179 yards are actually the fourth-most ever by an opposing player during the Saban era at Alabama.
Last week, the Razorbacks managed to get him the ball just four times for 16 yards through the air at LSU. The drastic improvement didn’t happen by accident.
“We both got in the film room and looked at the stuff we can correct,” quarterback KJ Jefferson said. “Just me and him,1-on-1, on stuff we could do to help the offense move the ball down the field. Today I just gave him a chance, and he made plays.”
Those plays helped Burks continue his climb up the UA record book. He passed Marcus Monk and George Wilson to move into sixth place on the school’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,270, plus now ranks seventh with 139 career receptions, passing Greg Childs, J.J. Meadors, Richard Smith, Anthony Lucas, Monk and Drew Morgan.
Assuming he’s healthy and able to play against Missouri and in the bowl game, Burks will almost assuredly join Cobi Hamilton (1,335 - 2012), Jarius Wright (1,117 - 2011) and Lucas (1,004 - 1998) as the fourth 1,000-yard receiver in UA history because he currently has 975. He also needs just eight catches to move into second on the single-season list for that category.
Jefferson’s Performance
Of course, Burks wouldn’t have been able to put up those numbers without Jefferson getting him the ball. His quarterback was just as impressive against Alabama, completing 22 of 30 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while also adding 22 yards on the ground.
Only one other player has completed at least 70 percent of his passes for 300-plus yards with three or more touchdowns and no interceptions against Alabama during the Saban era - LSU’s Joe Burrow in his Heisman Trophy 2019 season.
“I wouldn't trade him,” Pittman said. “I thought he was outstanding. He had some good runs in there tonight. He's just a tough guy. I'm glad he's our quarterback.”
It was Jefferson’s third 300-yard game of the year and it gave him 2,316 passing yards, which cracks the UA’s single-season top-10 list at No. 10.
Perhaps most impressively, though, is how well the first-time starter has taken care of the football. After Saturday, he has now thrown 155 consecutive passes without an interception - the second-longest such streak in school history, behind only Tyler Wilson’s 184 in 2011.
That stretch dates back to the Hail Mary that was picked off as time expired in the first half at Ole Miss, so that wasn’t really a bad decision. Had that pass fallen incomplete, his streak would be at 219. Not only would that shatter the UA record, it’d be fifth in the SEC record book.
Tackle Machines
While on the topic of record books, linebacker Grant Morgan reached a significant milestone Saturday. With 11 tackles, he now has exactly 300 in his career.
Morgan is the 19th member of the UA’s 300-tackle club, with teammate Bumper Pool joining the exclusive group earlier this season.
Having already reached that milestone, Pool is making his way up the list. His seven tackles against Alabama gives him 331 in his career, surpassing Mick Thomas, Lynn Garner and Darwin Ireland for 11th place. He needs just five more to pass Bert Zinamon and crack the top-10 list.
Another Successful Fake FG
With a couple of false start penalties backing Arkansas up, Pittman decided rather than going for it on fourth down, he’d send his kicker out in a 34-21 game early in the fourth quarter.
It would have been a 50-yard attempt for Cam Little, but - just as they did last week - the Razorbacks dialed up a fake. Instead of running it this time, punter Reid Bauer - the holder - acted like he’d run before throwing a jump pass to Blake Kern.
The big tight end adjusted to the ball and made a tough catch before racing the rest of the way down the middle of the field for a 32-yard touchdown. That made it a one-possession game, pulling Arkansas within six.
“The fake field goal was directly off of last week’s,” Pittman said. “Last week, Bauer ran up there and we ran it and Kern blocked. This week, we faked the block and they both made really good plays there.”
Including his 23-yard run for a first down last week, Bauer has accounted for 55 yards of offense on fake field goals. He also averaged 44.5 yards on six punts against Alabama, with one being downed at the 2-yard line.
“I wouldn’t say ‘put him up for the Heisman’ yet, but he’s done great the two times he’s been able to do it, so he’s 2 for 2,” Morgan said.
Heisman Moment for Young
There was a legit Heisman contender on the field Saturday and Arkansas got a taste for why he is considered the frontrunner. Bryce Young completed 31 of 40 passes for 559 yards - an Alabama single-game record - and five touchdowns.
It was also the most passing yards the Razorbacks have ever allowed to a single player, shattering Dak Prescott’s 508 yards for Mississippi State in 2015.
“I'd say he's pretty darn good,” Pittman said. “He made some really great plays when he broke the pocket and had a few nice throws to the side and angles - looked like Mahomes sometimes out there,” Pittman said. “He should be in the Heisman Trophy talks.”
Not only should Young be in the Heisman conversations, but Morgan said he actually hopes the Alabama quarterback wins the award. He was impressed by the intangibles he saw, in addition to his raw talent.
“Just throughout the game, the way he talked to his players and the way he led them and the way he kind of commanded the offense, you could tell he’s a one-of-a-kind player,” Morgan said. “He’s got a really good arm on him, yeah, but you could tell the way he leads that team and the way he commands that offense.”
Notebook: Burks, Jefferson shine, Heisman moment for Young, more
HawgBeat provides several notes and stats from Arkansas' loss at No. 2 Alabama on Saturday.
arkansas.rivals.com
Coming off a quiet game at LSU, Treylon Burks was back to his normal play-making self Saturday afternoon.
Despite getting banged up early and even missing a possession, Arkansas’ star wide receiver returned to the field and finished with eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ 42-35 loss to No. 2 Alabama.
Nick Saban said during the week that Burks posed a challenge to cover, comparing it to a point guard tasked with guarding a power forward who’s really fast in basketball, and Sam Pittman knew the Crimson Tide would try to accept the challenge with man coverage.
“I think he's probably beat up, but he just kept coming back,” Pittman said. “He won a lot of one-on-one matchups tonight, and KJ got the ball to him. He's a tough, great player, but a better person. I'll tell you what, he had a heck of a game tonight."
It was an uncharacteristic performance by the Alabama secondary, which doesn’t typically get torched like it did by Burks. His 179 yards are actually the fourth-most ever by an opposing player during the Saban era at Alabama.
Last week, the Razorbacks managed to get him the ball just four times for 16 yards through the air at LSU. The drastic improvement didn’t happen by accident.
“We both got in the film room and looked at the stuff we can correct,” quarterback KJ Jefferson said. “Just me and him,1-on-1, on stuff we could do to help the offense move the ball down the field. Today I just gave him a chance, and he made plays.”
Those plays helped Burks continue his climb up the UA record book. He passed Marcus Monk and George Wilson to move into sixth place on the school’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,270, plus now ranks seventh with 139 career receptions, passing Greg Childs, J.J. Meadors, Richard Smith, Anthony Lucas, Monk and Drew Morgan.
Assuming he’s healthy and able to play against Missouri and in the bowl game, Burks will almost assuredly join Cobi Hamilton (1,335 - 2012), Jarius Wright (1,117 - 2011) and Lucas (1,004 - 1998) as the fourth 1,000-yard receiver in UA history because he currently has 975. He also needs just eight catches to move into second on the single-season list for that category.
Jefferson’s Performance
Of course, Burks wouldn’t have been able to put up those numbers without Jefferson getting him the ball. His quarterback was just as impressive against Alabama, completing 22 of 30 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while also adding 22 yards on the ground.
Only one other player has completed at least 70 percent of his passes for 300-plus yards with three or more touchdowns and no interceptions against Alabama during the Saban era - LSU’s Joe Burrow in his Heisman Trophy 2019 season.
“I wouldn't trade him,” Pittman said. “I thought he was outstanding. He had some good runs in there tonight. He's just a tough guy. I'm glad he's our quarterback.”
It was Jefferson’s third 300-yard game of the year and it gave him 2,316 passing yards, which cracks the UA’s single-season top-10 list at No. 10.
Perhaps most impressively, though, is how well the first-time starter has taken care of the football. After Saturday, he has now thrown 155 consecutive passes without an interception - the second-longest such streak in school history, behind only Tyler Wilson’s 184 in 2011.
That stretch dates back to the Hail Mary that was picked off as time expired in the first half at Ole Miss, so that wasn’t really a bad decision. Had that pass fallen incomplete, his streak would be at 219. Not only would that shatter the UA record, it’d be fifth in the SEC record book.
Tackle Machines
While on the topic of record books, linebacker Grant Morgan reached a significant milestone Saturday. With 11 tackles, he now has exactly 300 in his career.
Morgan is the 19th member of the UA’s 300-tackle club, with teammate Bumper Pool joining the exclusive group earlier this season.
Having already reached that milestone, Pool is making his way up the list. His seven tackles against Alabama gives him 331 in his career, surpassing Mick Thomas, Lynn Garner and Darwin Ireland for 11th place. He needs just five more to pass Bert Zinamon and crack the top-10 list.
Another Successful Fake FG
With a couple of false start penalties backing Arkansas up, Pittman decided rather than going for it on fourth down, he’d send his kicker out in a 34-21 game early in the fourth quarter.
It would have been a 50-yard attempt for Cam Little, but - just as they did last week - the Razorbacks dialed up a fake. Instead of running it this time, punter Reid Bauer - the holder - acted like he’d run before throwing a jump pass to Blake Kern.
The big tight end adjusted to the ball and made a tough catch before racing the rest of the way down the middle of the field for a 32-yard touchdown. That made it a one-possession game, pulling Arkansas within six.
“The fake field goal was directly off of last week’s,” Pittman said. “Last week, Bauer ran up there and we ran it and Kern blocked. This week, we faked the block and they both made really good plays there.”
Including his 23-yard run for a first down last week, Bauer has accounted for 55 yards of offense on fake field goals. He also averaged 44.5 yards on six punts against Alabama, with one being downed at the 2-yard line.
“I wouldn’t say ‘put him up for the Heisman’ yet, but he’s done great the two times he’s been able to do it, so he’s 2 for 2,” Morgan said.
Heisman Moment for Young
There was a legit Heisman contender on the field Saturday and Arkansas got a taste for why he is considered the frontrunner. Bryce Young completed 31 of 40 passes for 559 yards - an Alabama single-game record - and five touchdowns.
It was also the most passing yards the Razorbacks have ever allowed to a single player, shattering Dak Prescott’s 508 yards for Mississippi State in 2015.
“I'd say he's pretty darn good,” Pittman said. “He made some really great plays when he broke the pocket and had a few nice throws to the side and angles - looked like Mahomes sometimes out there,” Pittman said. “He should be in the Heisman Trophy talks.”
Not only should Young be in the Heisman conversations, but Morgan said he actually hopes the Alabama quarterback wins the award. He was impressed by the intangibles he saw, in addition to his raw talent.
“Just throughout the game, the way he talked to his players and the way he led them and the way he kind of commanded the offense, you could tell he’s a one-of-a-kind player,” Morgan said. “He’s got a really good arm on him, yeah, but you could tell the way he leads that team and the way he commands that offense.”
