2014 ARKANSAS OPPONENT CAPSULES
GAME 1
AUBURN
DATE Saturday
PLACE Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.
2013 RECORD 12-2, 7-1 SEC
COACH Gus Malzahn (12-2 in 1 season at Auburn, 22-3 overall in 2 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 9 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Nick Marshall, C Reese Dismukes, WR Sammie Coates, DE Gabe Wright.
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;Arkansas
Sept. 6;San Jose State
Sept. 18;at Kan. State
Sept. 27;Louisiana Tech
Oct. 4;LSU
Oct. 11;at Miss. State
Oct. 25;S. Carolina
Nov. 1;at Ole Miss
Nov. 8;Texas A&M
Nov. 15;at Georgia
Nov. 22;Samford
Nov. 29;at Alabama
OUTLOOK Gus Malzahn, the former Arkansas high school coach and Razorbacks offensive coordinator, has left himself a tough act to follow after his first season as an SEC head coach. He led the Tigers to the SEC championship last season and within a few seconds of beating Florida State for the national title after Auburn went 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the SEC in 2012. The Tigers aren’t sneaking up on anyone this season — they’re ranked No. 6 in The Associated Press preseason poll — but Malzahn has the advantage of a returning starter at quarterback in Nick Marshall. It’s the first time since Malzahn got into college coaching in 2006 that he’s had the same starting quarterback in back-to-back seasons. The Tigers will look to be more balanced with Marshall’s experience in the passing game after Auburn led the nation in rushing offense last season at 328.3 yards per game. Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, an SEC coaching veteran, figures to put together a defense that can help the Tigers win a lot of games with Malzahn’s offense piling up yards and points.
GAME 2
NICHOLLS STATE
DATE Sept. 6
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2013 RECORD 4-8, 1-7 Southland Conference
COACH Charlie Stubbs (10-35 in 4 seasons at Nicholls State)
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Tuskani Figaro, WR Keenan Canty, LB Davin Bovie, DB Byron Cobb
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;at Air Force
Sept. 6;at Arkansas
Sept. 13;Henderson State
Sept. 20;at North Texas
Sept. 27;at Cen Arkansas
Oct. 4;at McNeese State
Oct. 11;Stephen F. Austin
Oct. 18;Lamar
Oct. 25;at Houston Baptist
Nov. 1;Incarnate Word
Nov. 15;at NW (La.) State
Nov. 20;SE Louisiana
OUTLOOK The Colonels were picked to finish ninth in the Southland Conference coaches’ preseason poll . Junior Tuskani Fiagaro is a dual-threat quarterback who rushed for 1,103 yards last season and passed for 1,135. He rushed for 281 yards against Arkansas Tech. Senior wide receiver Keenan Canty figures to be an impact newcomer after transferring from Colorado, where the the previous three seasons he had 19 catches for 210 yards. Senior linebacker Davin Bovie had 78 tackles in eight games last season before being sidelined by a knee injury. Nicholls State Coach Charlie Stubbs was Alabama’s quarterbacks coach from 1998-2000. He also has been an assistant at Oregon State, Memphis, Tulsa and Louisville.
GAME 3
TEXAS TECH
DATE Sept. 13
PLACE Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
2013 RECORD 8-5, 4-5 Big 12 Conference
COACH Cliff Kingsbury (8-5 in 1 season at Texas Tech)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Davis Webb, WR Jakeem Grant, OT Le’Raven Clark, DE Branden Jackson
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;Cen. Arkansas
Sept. 6;at Texas-El Paso
Sept. 13;Arkansas
Sept. 25;at Okla. State
Oct. 4;at Kansas State
Oct. 11;West Virginia
Oct.. 18;Kansas
Oct.. 25;at TCU
Nov. 1;Texas
Nov. 15;Oklahoma
Nov. 22;at Iowa State
Nov. 29;vs Baylor# # At Arlington, Texas
OUTLOOK Texas Tech may have trouble contending for the Big 12 title against the likes of Oklahoma and Baylor, but the Red Raiders figure to have an entertaining offense with Coach Cliff Kingsbury calling the plays for sophomore quarterback Davis Webb and a talented group of receivers. Webb capped his freshman season by completing 28 of 41 passes for 403 yards and 4 touchdowns in Texas Tech’s 37-23 victory over Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. Webb completed 226 of 361 passes for 2,718 yards and 20 touchdowns with 9 interceptions for the season, a performance that influenced two of the Red Raiders’ other quarterbacks into transferring. The Red Raiders averaged a school-record 57,933 fans last season, so look for there to be a packed house when Arkansas visits Lubbock in the old Southwest Conference rivals’ first meeting since 1991. Kingsbury, who passed for 11,867 yards and 91 touchdowns as Texas Tech’s quarterback from 1999-2002, was Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator in 2012 when Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy.
GAME 4
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
DATE Sept. 20
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2013 RECORD 12-2, 8-0 Mid-American Athletic Conference
COACH Rod Carey (12-3 in 1 season plus 1 game at Northern Illinois)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Akeem Daniels, WR/KOR Tommylee Lewis, LB Boomer Mays, LB Jamaal Bass
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 28;Presbyterian Aug. 28
Sept. 6;Northwestern
Sept. 13;at UNLV
Sept. 20;at Arkansas
Oct. 4;Kent State
Oct. 11;Central Michigan
Oct. 18;Miami (Ohio)
Oct. 25;at Eastern Michigan
Nov. 5;at Ball State
Nov. 11;Toledo
Nov. 18;at Ohio
Nov. 28;at Western Michigan
OUTLOOK Northern Illinois has to replace quarterback Jordan Lynch, who finished seventh and third in the Heisman Trophy balloting the previous two seasons, but the Huskies don’t figure to fall off the map. USA Today ranks Northern Illinois No. 39 nationally heading into the season, and the Huskies again are expected to compete for the MAC championship. Whoever is the new quarterback — the top contenders are junior Matt McIntosh and sophomores Drew Hare and Anthony Maddie — will be working with an offensive line that returns four starters. Senior flanker Tommylee Lewis had 1,405 all-purpose yards last season and can make big plays as a receiver, runner and kickoff returner. Senior tailback Cameron Stringily, who rushed for 1,119 yards last season, will miss the first four games (including the Huskies’ visit to Arkansas) in what was announced as an undisclosed injury, but senior Akeem Daniels is back after missing last season with an injury. He rushed for 447 yard and 9 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 259 yards in 2012.
GAME 5
TEXAS A&M
DATE Sept. 27
PLACE AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2013 RECORD 9-4, 4-4 SEC
COACH Kevin Sumlin (20-6 in 2 seasons at Texas A&M, 55-23 overall in 6 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 7 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Trey Williams, OT Cedric Ogbuehi, WR Malcomme Kennedy, CB Deshazor Everett
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 28;at S. Carolina
Sept. 6;Lamar
Sept. 13;Rice
Sept. 20;at SMU
Sept. 27;vs Arkansas#
Oct. 4;at Miss. State
Oct. 11;Ole Miss
Oct. 18;at Alabama
Nov. 1;Louisiana-Monroe
Nov. 8;at Auburn
Nov. 15;Missouri
Nov. 27;LSU # At Arlington, Texas
OUTLOOK For the first time Kevin Sumlin’s three seasons as Texas A&M’s coach, he doesn’t have Johnny Manziel as his quarterback. Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time All-SEC first-team quarterback, is now with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. But without Manziel, expectations remain high for A&M, which is ranked No. 21 in The Associated Press preseason poll. Sumlin named sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill as the starter for the Aggies’ opener at South Carolina, saying he had a strong overall body of work in practice during the first two weeks of practice. If Hill falters, freshman Kyle Allen — rated the nation’s top high school quarterback by some recruiting services last year — figures to get his shot. A&M opens at South Carolina, but the schedule gets soft (Lamar, Rice and SMU) before taking on Arkansas as the teams move their series back to Arlington, Texas. The Aggies beat the Razorbacks 58-10 in College Station and 45-33 in Fayetteville the previous two seasons, but Arkansas is 3-0 against Texas A&M in Arlington.
GAME 6
ALABAMA
DATE Oct. 11
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2013 RECORD 12-2, 7-1 SEC
COACH Nick Saban (74-15 in seven seasons at Alabama, 180-74-1 overall in 20 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS TB T.J. Yeldon, WR Amari Cooper, DB Landon Collins, LB Trey DePries
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;vs. W. Virginia#
Sept. 6;Florida Atl.
Sept. 13;S. Mississippi
Sept. 20;Florida
Oct. 4;at Ole Miss
Oct. 11;Arkansas
Oct. 18;Texas A&M
Oct. 25;at Tennessee
Nov. 8;at LSU
Nov. 15;Miss. State
Nov. 22;W. Carolina
Nov. 29;Auburn #at Atlanta
OUTLOOK Alabama, ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press preseason poll, is hungry for redemption after finishing last season with back-to-back losses at Auburn and against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. The Tide figure to again have a punishing running game led by tailbacks T.J. Yeldon, Kenyan Drake and Derrick Henry, but Alabama may do more passing with Lane Kiffin as offensive coordinator and talented wide receivers in Amari Cooper and Christon Jones. The key will be if AJ McCarron’s replacement at quarterback — either junior Jacob Coker, a Florida State transfer, or senior Blake Sims — can pass well enough to take advantage of teams focusing on the run. Kiffin finds himself back in the SEC after one season as Tennessee’s coach and an ill-fated run at Southern California, and he seems to be adapting well to being with Alabama. It helps that Kiffin can focus on coaching and recruiting and let Saban be the program’s spokesman. Alabama’s defense hasn’t allowed a point against Arkansas since 2011 with the Tide rolling over the Razorbacks 52-0 each of the past two seasons.
GAME 7
GEORGIA
DATE Oct. 18
PLACE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
2013 RECORD 8-5, 5-3 SEC
COACH Mark Richt (126-45 in 13 seasons at Georgia)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 8 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Todd Gurley, QB Hutson Mason, WR Chris Conley, LB Ramik Wilson
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug.30;Clemson
Sept. 13;at South Carolina
Sept. 20;Troy
Sept. 27;Tennessee
Oct. 4;Vanderbilt
Oct. 11;at Missouri
Oct. 18;at Arkansas#
Nov. 1;vs Florida
Nov. 8, at Kentucky
Nov. 15;Auburn
Nov. 22;Charleston S.
Nov. 29;Georgia Tech # War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock & Jacksonville, Fla.
OUTLOOK Georgia has lost quarterback Aaron Murray, a four-year starter and the SEC’s career leader in passing yards, but the Bulldogs have plenty of talent and are ranked No. 12 in The Associated Press preseason poll. Junior tailback Todd Gurley is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate after rushing for 2,374 and 27 touchdowns the previous two seasons, and new starting quarterback Hutson Mason has go-to receivers in Chris Conley, Michael Bennett and Malcolm Mitchell. Mason is a fifth-year senior who has been waiting to take over for Murray. Mason gave a sneak preview of his talent when he played well in starts against Georgia Tech and Nebraska last season after Murray suffered a knee injury. Jeremy Pruitt is the Bulldogs’ new defensive coordinator after having the same position at Florida State last season and helping the Seminoles win the national championship. Georgia is playing Arkansas for the first time since 2010 — when the Razorbacks won 31-24 at Athens — and the Bulldogs will make their first ever appearance in Little Rock.
GAME 8
ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM
DATE Oct. 25
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2013 RECORD 2-10, 1-7 Conference USA
COACH Bill Clark (1st season at Alabama-Birmingham, 11-4 in 1 season at Jacksonville State)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 3 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Jordan Howard, WR JaMarcus Nelson, DE Diaheem Waktins, PK Ty Long
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;Troy
Sept. 6;at Mississippi State
Sept. 13;Alabama A&M
Sept. 27;Florida Int.
Oct. 4;at W.Kentucky
Oct. 11;North Texas
Oct. 18;at M.Tennessee
Oct. 25;at Arkansas
Nov. 1;at Florida Atl.
Nov. 8;Louisiana Tech
Nov. 22;Marshall
Nov. 29;at Southern Miss
OUTLOOK Alabama-Birmingham’s game at Arkansas was supposed to be a homecoming for Garrick McGee, except the former Razorbacks offensive coordinator no longer is the Blazers’ head coach. McGee bolted UAB after two seasons to rejoin Bobby Petrino at Louisville as offensive coordinator, and while the move was a surprise, Blazers fans probably weren’t that upset considering McGee had a 5-19 record. Bill Clark, who led Jacksonville (Ala.) State to an 11-4 record last season, is UAB’s new coach and faces a tough task trying to move the Blazers up the ladder in Conference USA. The Blazers have a preseason all-conference tailback in sophomore Jordan Howard, who rushed for 905 yards last season. McGee is gone, but Razorbacks fans should remember UAB receiver Maudrecus Humphrey, who was dismissed from Arkansas for disciplinary reasons and is eligible to play for the Blazers after transferring and redshirting last season.
GAME 9
MISSISSIPPI STATE
DATE Nov. 1
PLACE Wade Stadium, Starkville, Miss.
2013 RECORD 7-6, 3-5 SEC
COACH Dan Mullen (36-28 in 5 seasons at Mississippi State)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 9 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Dak Prescott, WR Jameon Lewis, LB Benardrick McKinney, DT Chris Jones
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;Southern Miss.
Sept. 6;Ala.-Birmingham
Sept. 13;at S. Alabama
Sept. 20;at LSU
Oct. 4;Texas A&M
Oct. 11;Auburn
Oct. 25;at Kentucky
Nov. 1;Arkansas
Nov. 8;Tenn.-Martin
Nov. 15;at Alabama
Nov. 22;Vanderbilt
Nov. 29; at Ole Miss
OUTLOOK Mississippi State looks primed to play in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season with 18 starters back from a team that closed last season by beating Arkansas and Ole Miss in overtime, then pounded Rice 44-7 in the Liberty Bowl. The nonconference schedule has the look of four sure victories, so the question isn’t if the Bulldogs can play in a bowl game, but whether they can challenge for their first first SEC West title since 1998, when they shared the division championship with Arkansas. Junior Dak Prescott gives Mississippi State a dynamic dual-threat at quarterback. Prescott, voted the All-SEC second-team quarterback at SEC media days, accounted for 23 touchdowns as a passer and rusher last season. Junior Jameon Lewis has 1,537 all-purpose yards last season, including 64 receptions for 923 yards. Junior middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney led the Bulldogs with 71 tackles last season. The Bulldogs should get off to a fast start opening with Southern Mississippi, Alabama-Birmingham and South Alabama, but then face a major test in their SEC opener at LSU
GAME 10
LSU
DATE Nov. 15
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2013 RECORD 10-3, 5-3 SEC
COACH Les Miles (95-24 in nine seasons at LSU, 123-45 overall in 13 seasons).
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 7 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Terrence Magee, OT La’el Collins, LB D.J. Welter, CB Tre’Davious White
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;vs Wisconsin#
Sept. 6; Sam Houston State
Sept. 13;La.-Monroe
Sept. 20;Miss State
Sept. 27;New Mexico State
Oct. 4;at Auburn
Oct. 11;at Florida
Oct. 18;Kentucky
Oct. 25;Ole Miss
Nov. 8;Alabama
Nov. 15;at Arkansas
Nov. 27;at Texas A&M #(at Houston)
OUTLOOK Nine players departed in last spring’s NFL Draft, so LSU will need big contributions from a highly-regarded recruiting class — led by running back Leonard Fournette, quarterback Brandon Harris and wide receivers Malachi Dupre and Trey Quinn — to challenge Alabama and Auburn in the SEC West. Fournette is expected to be an immediate star, but he’ll have to share carries with seniors Terrence Magee (626 rushing yards last season) and Kenny Hilliard (310 rushing yards). Whoever gets the ball will be running behind an experienced offensive line. Harris is battling for the starting quarterback job with sophomore Anthony Jennings, who led the Tigers on a 99-yard touchdown drive to beat Arkansas last season after Zach Mettenberger suffered a knee injury. It’s possible Jennings and Harris will share the quarterback duties. There is plenty of returning talent on defense, including junior middle linebacker D.J. Welter, who led the Tigers with 80 tackles last season. The Tigers are ranked No. 13 in The Associated Press preseason poll, and they hope to make an early statement about SEC supremacy against the Big Ten when they open against No. 14 Wisconsin in Houston.
GAME 11
OLE MISS
DATE Nov. 22
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2012 RECORD 8-5-1, 3-5 SEC
COACH Hugh Freeze (15-11 in 2 seasons at Ole Miss, 45-18 overall in 5 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 9
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB Bo Wallace, WR Laquon Treadwell, FS Cody Prewitt, OT Laremy Tunsil
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;vs Boise State#
Sept. 6;Vanderbil
Sept. 13;La.-Lafayette
Sept. 27;Memphis
Oct. 4;Alabama
Oct. 11;at Texas A&M
Oct. 18;Tennessee
Oct. 25;at LSU
Nov. 1;Auburn
Nov. 8;Presbyterian
Nov. 22;at Arkansas
Nov. 29;Mississippi State #Atlanta
OUTLOOK Ole Miss has made improvement in Coach Hugh Freeze’s two seasons with bowl victories over Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech and has better overall depth on the roster thanks to strong recruiting classes. A sign of the national respect the Rebels carry is their No. 18 ranking in The Associated Press preseason poll. Senior Bo Wallace is going into his third season as a starter and is the SEC’s most experienced quarterback. He set a school record with 3,701 yards in total offense last season but threw 10 interceptions. Wide receiver Laquan Treadwell will look to build on a big freshman season after having 72 catches for 608 yards and 5 touchdowns last year. Senior safety Cody Prewitt is a big-time hitter who had 71 tackles last season and led the SEC with six interceptions. Sophomore tackle Robert Nkemdiche is back to anchor the defensive line. Ole Miss fans are hoping the Rebels have progressed enough to challenge for their first SEC West title, but they’ll get to play in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome at least once with the season opener against Boise State. Home games against West favorites Alabama and Auburn should be a plus for the Rebels.
GAME 12
MISSOURI
DATE Nov. 28
PLACE Faurot Field, Columbia, Mo.
2013 RECORD 12-2, 7-1 SEC
COACH Gary Pinkel (102-62 in 13 seasons at Missouri, 175-100-3 overall in 23 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS Offense 4, Defense 5
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB Maty Mauk, RB Marcus Murphy, C Evan Boehm, DE Markus Golden
2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30;S.Dakota State
Sept. 6;at Toledo
Sept. 13;Central Florida
Sept. 20;Indiana
sept. 27;at South Carolina
Oct. 11;Georgia
Oct. 18;at Florida
Oct. 25;Vanderbilt
Nov. 1;Kentucky
Nov. 15;at Texas A&M
Nov. 22;at Tennessee
Nov. 28;Arkansas
OUTLOOK Gary Pinkel, going into his 14th season at Missouri, matches Georgia’s Mark Richt for the longest tenure for a coach at his current SEC school. The Tigers are going into their third season in the SEC but have credibility in their new home now after winning the East title last season. Georgia and South Carolina are expected to be the East’s top teams, but Missouri is ranked No. 24 in The Associated Press preseason poll. If sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk plays as well as expected — he excelled as a starter in four games last season for injured James Franklin — and the team finds some new play-making receivers, the Tigers could be an SEC force again. The running game is solid, led by tailbacks Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough. Defensive ends Markus Golden and Shane Ray should provide a big-time pass rush after combining for 11 sacks last season. Missouri is now Arkansas’ annual opponent from the East, replacing South Carolina, and the teams will meet in an SEC game for the first time on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The last time the Tigers played the Razorbacks was on Jan. 1, 2008, when Missouri beat Arkansas 38-7 in the Cotton Bowl.