Saturday should be a massive blowout, so here's a look at some players I hope we get to see for extended reps...
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — The biggest mystery surrounding Arkansas’ game Saturday is not the outcome, but rather by how wide of a margin it will beat UAPB.
Although point spreads for games between FBS and FCS schools can be hard to find, the Razorbacks are a 51.5-point favorite over the Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium, according to OddsShark.com.
Considering UAPB is 1-6 with its lone victory coming over a Division II team, there appears to be very little risk of something happening like The Citadel in 1992 or even Appalachian State in 2007.
Instead, the question is how quickly Arkansas can build a big enough lead that head coach Sam Pittman feels comfortable enough to take out his starters and give backups some reps.
“Lord willing we will,” Pittman said. “That's not the plan. The plan is go play as good as we can. Certainly if something happened it would be good for the guys who haven't had opportunities, but we're going in like it's going to be a barn burner.”
As the coach, of course Pittman can’t come out and reveal plans to play his second- and third-string players Saturday. However, HawgBeat can.
Here’s a list of some young guys we hope get an extended look against UAPB…
QB Malik Hornsby
This is the most obvious player on the list and not because we think he should be the starter. KJ Jefferson has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, but it is still very important to have a backup quarterback ready to go in case he goes down.
Arkansas got a taste of that earlier this season when Malik Hornsby had to play for about a quarter as the Razorbacks hung on against Texas A&M. It wasn’t pretty. The offense struggled to move the ball and Hornsby never looked comfortable.
Since then, Jefferson has been healthy, but his backup did get one play against Ole Miss and it was a disaster. Hornsby tried to reverse field and ended up losing 7 yards, severely hindering the possession.
Pittman has said it’s important for his backup quarterback to run the offense when he gets in the game, not just execute a special package, and Saturday’s game should give him ample time to do just that. If something happens to Jefferson down the stretch, building some confidence against the likes of UAPB could do wonders for Hornsby in the future.
OL Jalen St. John / Ty’Kieast Crawford
Following the Razorbacks’ abysmal offensive showing at Georgia, Pittman told reporters that he’d move talented second-year linemen Jalen St. John and Ty’Kieast Crawford from tackle to guard.
It seemed like a direct challenge to starting guards Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer - especially for the latter, as St. John actually flipped from the left side to the right side because Pittman said he was the closest to being ready to contribute and they wanted to push Limmer.
Neither of them have ended up playing a single snap on offense since then, though. In fact, based on the media viewing periods of practice, it seems as though St. John and Crawford have shifted back out to tackle - perhaps in response to Dalton Wagner’s injury.
However, the UAPB game could be the perfect opportunity for them to get some action on the offensive line. Regardless of their position, St. John and Crawford appear to be key pieces for the future of the program and it’s be great to see how the former four-star recruits fair in a real game.
WR Ketron Jackson Jr.
We have seen a lot of Ketron Jackson Jr. through the first seven games. In fact, his 135 offensive snaps are fifth-most among Arkansas receivers this season.
What we haven’t seen, though, is the four-star freshman be targeted with a lot of passes. Jackson has caught just two passes for 15 yards - a 16-yard reception in the opener against Rice and then a 1-yard loss against Auburn last week.
Considering Pittman said he might be the second-best wide receiver on the team - behind only Treylon Burks - during fall camp, it’s been an underwhelming start to his career.
Burks will likely play only a handful of snaps this weekend and even starters Tyson Morris and Warren Thompson will probably get pulled early, so it might be the perfect opportunity for Jackson to break out. That’s especially true considering the Razorbacks will likely still throw the ball with Hornsby in the game, to get him some quality reps running the offense, and he’ll need someone to throw to.
DB Myles Slusher / Jayden Johnson / Malik Chavis
It’s debatable if Malik Chavis should be considered a “young guy” because he’s in his third season, but he’s still a redshirt sophomore with very limited reps under his belt, so we grouped him with sophomore Myles Slusher and true freshman Jayden Johnson.
Based on what the Razorbacks showed during the media viewing sessions at practice this week, it appears all three of them will start in the secondary this week.
Slusher is not much of a surprise, as he also started against Auburn because of Jalen Catalon’s season-ending injury, plus he’s a former four-star recruit who played a lot last year. We would probably have seen more of his already this year had it not been for an early-season injury that limited him.
Johnson and Chavis cracking the starting lineup would raise an eyebrow, though, because they’d be replacing veterans in Greg Brooks Jr. at nickel and Simeon Blair at safety, respectively.
It remains to be seen if those moves will continue after the open date, but it would be great to get the younger secondary players some experience - and confidence - against UAPB before the Mississippi State air raid comes to Fayetteville on Nov. 6.
LB Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. / Jackson Woodard
The senior trio of Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool have played all but two of the Razorbacks’ linebacker snaps against Power Five competition this season. Pool could choose to return as a “super senior” in 2022, but if he doesn’t, there will be a massive hole to fill at the position.
Throw in the fact that all three have been banged up and could use the extra rest, it will be incredibly beneficial for Arkansas to play some new faces at linebacker. Andrew Parker is fourth in line, but he’s a redshirt junior.
The player that will probably generate the most excitement is Chris Paul Jr., the true freshman from Georgia. He has appeared in just one game this year, playing one snap on kickoff coverage against Georgia Southern, but he’s been a mainstay on the Razorbacks’ travel roster.
It’s also worth mentioning Jackson Woodard. Despite being a walk-on, he played a handful of snaps as a true freshman last year and also played the only two snaps against Power Five competition by someone not named Morgan, Henry or Pool this year.
HawgBeat - Young players we hope to see vs. UAPB
In the event of a blowout Saturday, these are the players HawgBeat hopes to see get some extended action.
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — The biggest mystery surrounding Arkansas’ game Saturday is not the outcome, but rather by how wide of a margin it will beat UAPB.
Although point spreads for games between FBS and FCS schools can be hard to find, the Razorbacks are a 51.5-point favorite over the Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium, according to OddsShark.com.
Considering UAPB is 1-6 with its lone victory coming over a Division II team, there appears to be very little risk of something happening like The Citadel in 1992 or even Appalachian State in 2007.
Instead, the question is how quickly Arkansas can build a big enough lead that head coach Sam Pittman feels comfortable enough to take out his starters and give backups some reps.
“Lord willing we will,” Pittman said. “That's not the plan. The plan is go play as good as we can. Certainly if something happened it would be good for the guys who haven't had opportunities, but we're going in like it's going to be a barn burner.”
As the coach, of course Pittman can’t come out and reveal plans to play his second- and third-string players Saturday. However, HawgBeat can.
Here’s a list of some young guys we hope get an extended look against UAPB…
QB Malik Hornsby
This is the most obvious player on the list and not because we think he should be the starter. KJ Jefferson has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, but it is still very important to have a backup quarterback ready to go in case he goes down.
Arkansas got a taste of that earlier this season when Malik Hornsby had to play for about a quarter as the Razorbacks hung on against Texas A&M. It wasn’t pretty. The offense struggled to move the ball and Hornsby never looked comfortable.
Since then, Jefferson has been healthy, but his backup did get one play against Ole Miss and it was a disaster. Hornsby tried to reverse field and ended up losing 7 yards, severely hindering the possession.
Pittman has said it’s important for his backup quarterback to run the offense when he gets in the game, not just execute a special package, and Saturday’s game should give him ample time to do just that. If something happens to Jefferson down the stretch, building some confidence against the likes of UAPB could do wonders for Hornsby in the future.
OL Jalen St. John / Ty’Kieast Crawford
Following the Razorbacks’ abysmal offensive showing at Georgia, Pittman told reporters that he’d move talented second-year linemen Jalen St. John and Ty’Kieast Crawford from tackle to guard.
It seemed like a direct challenge to starting guards Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer - especially for the latter, as St. John actually flipped from the left side to the right side because Pittman said he was the closest to being ready to contribute and they wanted to push Limmer.
Neither of them have ended up playing a single snap on offense since then, though. In fact, based on the media viewing periods of practice, it seems as though St. John and Crawford have shifted back out to tackle - perhaps in response to Dalton Wagner’s injury.
However, the UAPB game could be the perfect opportunity for them to get some action on the offensive line. Regardless of their position, St. John and Crawford appear to be key pieces for the future of the program and it’s be great to see how the former four-star recruits fair in a real game.
WR Ketron Jackson Jr.
We have seen a lot of Ketron Jackson Jr. through the first seven games. In fact, his 135 offensive snaps are fifth-most among Arkansas receivers this season.
What we haven’t seen, though, is the four-star freshman be targeted with a lot of passes. Jackson has caught just two passes for 15 yards - a 16-yard reception in the opener against Rice and then a 1-yard loss against Auburn last week.
Considering Pittman said he might be the second-best wide receiver on the team - behind only Treylon Burks - during fall camp, it’s been an underwhelming start to his career.
Burks will likely play only a handful of snaps this weekend and even starters Tyson Morris and Warren Thompson will probably get pulled early, so it might be the perfect opportunity for Jackson to break out. That’s especially true considering the Razorbacks will likely still throw the ball with Hornsby in the game, to get him some quality reps running the offense, and he’ll need someone to throw to.
DB Myles Slusher / Jayden Johnson / Malik Chavis
It’s debatable if Malik Chavis should be considered a “young guy” because he’s in his third season, but he’s still a redshirt sophomore with very limited reps under his belt, so we grouped him with sophomore Myles Slusher and true freshman Jayden Johnson.
Based on what the Razorbacks showed during the media viewing sessions at practice this week, it appears all three of them will start in the secondary this week.
Slusher is not much of a surprise, as he also started against Auburn because of Jalen Catalon’s season-ending injury, plus he’s a former four-star recruit who played a lot last year. We would probably have seen more of his already this year had it not been for an early-season injury that limited him.
Johnson and Chavis cracking the starting lineup would raise an eyebrow, though, because they’d be replacing veterans in Greg Brooks Jr. at nickel and Simeon Blair at safety, respectively.
It remains to be seen if those moves will continue after the open date, but it would be great to get the younger secondary players some experience - and confidence - against UAPB before the Mississippi State air raid comes to Fayetteville on Nov. 6.
LB Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. / Jackson Woodard
The senior trio of Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool have played all but two of the Razorbacks’ linebacker snaps against Power Five competition this season. Pool could choose to return as a “super senior” in 2022, but if he doesn’t, there will be a massive hole to fill at the position.
Throw in the fact that all three have been banged up and could use the extra rest, it will be incredibly beneficial for Arkansas to play some new faces at linebacker. Andrew Parker is fourth in line, but he’s a redshirt junior.
The player that will probably generate the most excitement is Chris Paul Jr., the true freshman from Georgia. He has appeared in just one game this year, playing one snap on kickoff coverage against Georgia Southern, but he’s been a mainstay on the Razorbacks’ travel roster.
It’s also worth mentioning Jackson Woodard. Despite being a walk-on, he played a handful of snaps as a true freshman last year and also played the only two snaps against Power Five competition by someone not named Morgan, Henry or Pool this year.
