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Arkansas' 30-0 win last season over Ole Miss in Fayetteville in no way carries over to 2015, but it is clear from the Rebel side of things they are using it as motivation Saturday's game in Oxford.
Ole Miss came to Fayetteville last season ranked No. 8 in the country before being stunned by a score of 17-0 in the first quarter. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said on Monday that his players have a chip on their shoulder over their play last season.
"We would understand that. We've been in that situation several times," Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman said following Tuesday's practice. "The game is pretty much a self-motivated game. We want to win as bad as we did last year, and I'm sure they're motivated to get back at us, so we'll see what happens. Same way, Ole Miss went into Alabama, and they went in with an attitude they were going to win, and they did. Great respect for that, and we have to try to do the same thing."
The Rebels rank sixth in the SEC in points allowed this season (19.7 points per game) and rank seventh in total defense (348.3 ypg). Ole Miss ranks seventh in rushing yards allowed (121.6) and 10th in pass yards allowed (226.8).
Ole Miss also has one of the nation's better turnover teams on defense and rank No. 1 in forced turnovers in the SEC and are tied for No. 1 in the SEC with 12 interceptions this season.
"They're going to be very motivated. Last year, they didn't play the way they wanted to," Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen said. "They've been a solid defense. They lead the SEC in takeaways this year, so we need to do a good job with ball security and not giving them any extra opportunities on offense.
"They probably think they have something to prove, and they want to rebound from last year's game. But we're not giving anything away. We're not going there to lose."
Running back and injuries
Arkansas has been extremely unlucky this season at running back and wide receiver. Just to recap, Arkansas lost senior team leader and 1,100-yard rusher Jonathan Williams in camp with a foot injury. Then No. 3 running back Kody Walker missed several weeks with a broken hand. New No. 3 running back Rawleigh Williams was lost for the season two weeks ago with a neck injury. Alex Collins, the No. 2 back entering the season, is 60 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the year but no question has been banged up as of late. Walker returned two weeks ago.
Arkansas got a good look at redshirt sophomore Denzell Evans and redshirt freshman Juan Day last weekend in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's 63-28 win over UT-Martin. It was the first action of Day's career after coming to Arkansas and recovering from an torn ACL and then tearing an ACL again in the spring.
"Denzell came in and made some good runs and kind of did some of the things I've seen him do in practice, so it was good," Arkansas running backs coach Jemal Singleton said. "Juan, he did some good things. I'm still not sure if he's totally 100 percent. Some of his cuts are still a little tentative, and that may be as much mental as it is physical. He was able to do some things. It was great. That was his first college career carry and got hit for the first time really in college football. I think, for him, it hopefully will be a confidence booster that now he's like 'okay, I've taken a hit, I've been tackled, maybe I can move forward and get even better.'"
RB package for Duwop?
With so many injuries and question marks at running back, Arkansas has decided to give wide receiver Damon Mitchell some looks there, and it sounds as if they may have developed a package for him with a certain number of plays of which he feels comfortable.
"With the position, obviously with the injuries that we've had we're tying to develop some depth some how, and Duwop's a guy that's been able to carry the football in other different situations, and I think we've been able to sprinkle him in. Obviously, I'm not going to divulge everything we're using him with, but he's getting a chance to get in there and help us build some depth."
Wide receiver and injuries/dismissals
Giving Mitchell some reps at running back may have been made possible by some players returning at wide receiver. To continue reviewing Arkansas' bad luck with injuries, in the second game of the season senior receiver Keon Hatcher, another team leader who was Arkansas' primary receiver, was lost for an extended time with a broken foot. Hatcher is expected to redshirt this season and return in 2016.
Later that week in practice, Cody Hollister also broke his foot and was lost for going on six weeks. Hollister was considered the team's No. 3 receiver. Then in the third week in the first quarter, Jared Cornelius, the team's No. 2 receiver, went down with a double break in his arm.
Then two weeks ago, JoJo Robinson and Kendrick Edwards, two players who were listed as starters only a few weeks ago, were dismissed from the team due to multiple incidents mainly involving academics and time management.
"I've never coached a year like this, but for me it's been a learning experience also. It's made me have to step my game up, and it's a challenge I've accepted," Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith said. "To have the guys playing as well as they're playing right now, I have to keep my fingers crossed and knock on wood."
Hollister to return?
To boot, Drew Morgan, who has emerged as the team's go-to receiver, has been bothered with a shoulder injury and came out early last week after aggravating it. He is expected to play Saturday. But Cornelius returned last week, and Hollister could return this week.
"Got some depth coming back at receiver, which is always nice," Allen said. "Different guys getting a lot of work, which was nice early. Now when we have guys who might need a breather or something we have guys that have played, that have experience that are back and can fill in those roles."
"I think he'll be back," Smith said. "We had him today at practice, and he did some good things. We just monitored him to make sure he was fine. We're not going to rush it back, we're going to put him in the right situations, and he looked good catching passes and running routes."
Arkansas' 30-0 win last season over Ole Miss in Fayetteville in no way carries over to 2015, but it is clear from the Rebel side of things they are using it as motivation Saturday's game in Oxford.
Ole Miss came to Fayetteville last season ranked No. 8 in the country before being stunned by a score of 17-0 in the first quarter. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said on Monday that his players have a chip on their shoulder over their play last season.
"We would understand that. We've been in that situation several times," Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman said following Tuesday's practice. "The game is pretty much a self-motivated game. We want to win as bad as we did last year, and I'm sure they're motivated to get back at us, so we'll see what happens. Same way, Ole Miss went into Alabama, and they went in with an attitude they were going to win, and they did. Great respect for that, and we have to try to do the same thing."
The Rebels rank sixth in the SEC in points allowed this season (19.7 points per game) and rank seventh in total defense (348.3 ypg). Ole Miss ranks seventh in rushing yards allowed (121.6) and 10th in pass yards allowed (226.8).
Ole Miss also has one of the nation's better turnover teams on defense and rank No. 1 in forced turnovers in the SEC and are tied for No. 1 in the SEC with 12 interceptions this season.
"They're going to be very motivated. Last year, they didn't play the way they wanted to," Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen said. "They've been a solid defense. They lead the SEC in takeaways this year, so we need to do a good job with ball security and not giving them any extra opportunities on offense.
"They probably think they have something to prove, and they want to rebound from last year's game. But we're not giving anything away. We're not going there to lose."
Running back and injuries
Arkansas has been extremely unlucky this season at running back and wide receiver. Just to recap, Arkansas lost senior team leader and 1,100-yard rusher Jonathan Williams in camp with a foot injury. Then No. 3 running back Kody Walker missed several weeks with a broken hand. New No. 3 running back Rawleigh Williams was lost for the season two weeks ago with a neck injury. Alex Collins, the No. 2 back entering the season, is 60 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the year but no question has been banged up as of late. Walker returned two weeks ago.
Arkansas got a good look at redshirt sophomore Denzell Evans and redshirt freshman Juan Day last weekend in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's 63-28 win over UT-Martin. It was the first action of Day's career after coming to Arkansas and recovering from an torn ACL and then tearing an ACL again in the spring.
"Denzell came in and made some good runs and kind of did some of the things I've seen him do in practice, so it was good," Arkansas running backs coach Jemal Singleton said. "Juan, he did some good things. I'm still not sure if he's totally 100 percent. Some of his cuts are still a little tentative, and that may be as much mental as it is physical. He was able to do some things. It was great. That was his first college career carry and got hit for the first time really in college football. I think, for him, it hopefully will be a confidence booster that now he's like 'okay, I've taken a hit, I've been tackled, maybe I can move forward and get even better.'"
RB package for Duwop?
With so many injuries and question marks at running back, Arkansas has decided to give wide receiver Damon Mitchell some looks there, and it sounds as if they may have developed a package for him with a certain number of plays of which he feels comfortable.
"With the position, obviously with the injuries that we've had we're tying to develop some depth some how, and Duwop's a guy that's been able to carry the football in other different situations, and I think we've been able to sprinkle him in. Obviously, I'm not going to divulge everything we're using him with, but he's getting a chance to get in there and help us build some depth."
Wide receiver and injuries/dismissals
Giving Mitchell some reps at running back may have been made possible by some players returning at wide receiver. To continue reviewing Arkansas' bad luck with injuries, in the second game of the season senior receiver Keon Hatcher, another team leader who was Arkansas' primary receiver, was lost for an extended time with a broken foot. Hatcher is expected to redshirt this season and return in 2016.
Later that week in practice, Cody Hollister also broke his foot and was lost for going on six weeks. Hollister was considered the team's No. 3 receiver. Then in the third week in the first quarter, Jared Cornelius, the team's No. 2 receiver, went down with a double break in his arm.
Then two weeks ago, JoJo Robinson and Kendrick Edwards, two players who were listed as starters only a few weeks ago, were dismissed from the team due to multiple incidents mainly involving academics and time management.
"I've never coached a year like this, but for me it's been a learning experience also. It's made me have to step my game up, and it's a challenge I've accepted," Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith said. "To have the guys playing as well as they're playing right now, I have to keep my fingers crossed and knock on wood."
Hollister to return?
To boot, Drew Morgan, who has emerged as the team's go-to receiver, has been bothered with a shoulder injury and came out early last week after aggravating it. He is expected to play Saturday. But Cornelius returned last week, and Hollister could return this week.
"Got some depth coming back at receiver, which is always nice," Allen said. "Different guys getting a lot of work, which was nice early. Now when we have guys who might need a breather or something we have guys that have played, that have experience that are back and can fill in those roles."
"I think he'll be back," Smith said. "We had him today at practice, and he did some good things. We just monitored him to make sure he was fine. We're not going to rush it back, we're going to put him in the right situations, and he looked good catching passes and running routes."
