The Arkansas Razorbacks (1-1, 0-0 SEC) are finally set to be inside their home stadium after a disappointing loss to now-No. 13 Oklahoma State last weekend, and the players are excited for Saturday's true home opener — yes, in Week 3 — against the UAB Blazers.
The Razorbacks shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and missed cues in Stillwater on Saturday, but some of the players said they’re moving on.
“We flushed it,” senior wide receiver Andrew Armstrong said Tuesday. “We took accountability, knowing that it was our fault. There’s nothing that we can do about it, the game is over, we lost. We can’t go back and pray that mother nature reverses time and go back and try to win the game, it’s over with. So you have to flush it, you have no choice but to flush it actually because you have a game coming up Saturday.”
Arkansas running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, who rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, agreed with Armstrong, saying he “hit it on the head.”
Turning the page to this Saturday, Jackson said he’s excited to experience game day at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
“I’m just trying to see what the experience is all about,” Jackson said. “I’ve heard it gets loud. The atmosphere is crazy. I’m just trying to see what the SEC is talking about. I’ve been in the Big 12, Pac-12. Gonna see.”
In his second season as an FCS transfer from Texas A&M-Commerce, Armstrong has experienced Razorback Stadium before, and he said he’s also excited.
“I’m just ready to play football,” Armstrong said. “I’m ready to get in there, see all that red and white. Just getting ready to go.”
Defensively, safety TJ Metcalf said Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams is emphasizing turnovers, of which the Razorbacks only had one last weekend — an interception by cornerback Jaheim Singletary.
“I feel like we need to have a bigger emphasis on just taking shots,” Metcalf said. “Ripping the ball out every chance we get. Because we watched the film and we saw their running back, I think one of them had two fumbles. So, we're going to try to get that ball out. And then with interceptions, you know, we just got to stay mentally locked in and fly around and go get us one.”
Arkansas defensive end Nico Davillier said he’s ready to show the fans at home what the defense is capable of, as they enter the contest ranked 4th nationally in run defense and 18th in third down defense.
“I'm happy to get back into our stadium in front of our fans and just put on the show and show what we can do,” Davillier said. “Come out with the win and just play our brand football.”
Kickoff between the Razorbacks and Blazers is set for 3:15 p.m. CT Saturday, and the game will air on SEC Network.
