HawgBeat - Physicality issues continue to plague Razorbacks
Arkansas has struggled in the physicality department for most of the season.
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The SEC is not the conference to lack physicality in, but the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2, 0-2 SEC) have had problems playing tougher than their opponent a lot this season.
Unfortunately, many of the physicality issues that plagued the 2022 team don't seem to have gotten much better despite a handful of new staff members and plenty of new faces on the roster.
Head coach Sam Pittman talked about his team's lack of physicality following Saturday's 34-22 loss to Texas A&M, which dominated the Razorbacks in almost every facet of the game at times.
"Certainly not what we want it to be," Pittman said of the team's physicality. "Probably didn't look very good today. I would say last week, better than today. And I'd say the week before, not very good. Probably the week before that, not very good."
Where the lack of physicality can be seen the most is on the offensive line. Quarterback KJ Jefferson was sacked seven total times in the Saturday's game, and the Hogs' rushing attack was held to just 42 yards. The Aggies finished the game with 15 tackles for loss.
The Hogs only mustered up 174 yards of total offense in the contest, and the only offensive touchdown — a 48-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Armstrong — came late in the fourth quarter when the game was largely out of hand.
Perhaps the most glaring issue regarding the offensive line's physicality is when the Hogs are facing short yardage situations on third and fourth down. In three of the last four games, including Saturday's loss to the Aggies, Arkansas has lined up in the shotgun on 4th-and-inches, only to fail to convert.
Pittman was asked why they continue to call a play out of the shotgun formation in short yardage situations instead of putting Jefferson under center and sneaking the ball forward.
"I mean, once he gets under center, you know, the front on the defense is certainly going to change," Pittman said. "Not really. We just felt -- honestly, if we felt better about him sneaking, you know, we would do that. But no, not -- just as fact that they're going to have five guys within the A and B gap."
The Arkansas offense has had dry spouts all season, but two games into SEC play, it continues to struggle. Pittman said the Texas A&M defensive ends caused a lot of the problems for the offense.
"So physically, they dominated us on the edge," Pittman said. "They did exactly what we thought they would do, exactly. And they were very aggressive. But we just never had really an explosive play until the game was really over. And that was on the last catch for a touchdown."
It doesn't get any easier from here on out, as the Hogs face Ole Miss next week and Alabama the following week, both on the road. But Pittman is confident his team will continue to fight.
"I like the attitude of the team," Pittman said. "It hurts them when they lose. So I didn't think we didn't fight today. I thought we got out -- we got whipped. Offensively especially. But I don't think we didn't fight, you know what I mean? And so, when you lose the fight is when you're done. I don't feel that way at all really, to be honest with you."
Arkansas will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, next week to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. That game is slated to kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.
