Kirkland passing offensive line tests

In this file photo taken Nov. 2, 2013, Arkansas offensive guard Denver Kirkland (55) reacts to a play during an NCAA college football game against Auburn in Fayetteville. (AP Photo/Beth Hall, File)
In this file photo taken Nov. 2, 2013, Arkansas offensive guard Denver Kirkland (55) reacts to a play during an NCAA college football game against Auburn in Fayetteville. (AP Photo/Beth Hall, File)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas guard Sebastian Tretola enjoys watching game tape of Denver Kirkland, his counterpart on the right side of the line.

"This kid has got a little more than one year of college football under his belt, and he's doing what you usually see fifth-year seniors doing," said Tretola, a fourth-year junior. "He's 20, and he's grown-manning people out there.

Up next

North Illinois at Arkansas

WHEN 6 p.m. Saturday

WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

RECORDS Northern Illinois 3-0, Arkansas 2-1

TV ESPNU

"It's really crazy just how well and how technically sound Denver plays. He can be dog tired, but he still looks 100 percent on film because his technique is so good."

Kirkland, a sophomore from Miami Booker T. Washington High School, will make his 12th consecutive start at right guard in Saturday's game against Northern Illinois.

While Kirkland was named to the SEC All-Freshman team last season and made some freshman All-America teams after starting eight games, coaches and teammates agree he's taken his game to a higher level.

"He's played better than I thought he would, and that doesn't happen very often," offensive line coach Sam Pittman said. "I have pretty high expectations, and the better you are, the more I expect."

Pittman said Kirkland's grades for the first three games were 91 for Auburn, 90 for Nicholls State and 84 for Texas Tech.

"Denver's playing more physical for longer periods of time," offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said.

Kirkland, 6-5, 337 pounds, improved his stamina after losing 20 pounds over the summer.

"I feel great," Kirkland said. "It's helping me move better, move faster. I feel comfortable and light on my feet."

Kirkland said that initially when coaches talked to him about losing weight, he was concerned he might lose strength, but he said he feels stronger because he's faster and quicker with more explosiveness when delivering a block.

"Losing the weight has only made me more powerful," he said. "I feel like I can impose my will on the defensive tackles more now."

"Denver's able to bend more, which means he's able to get leverage," Pittman said. "He's finishing his blocks better."

Chaney said during fall camp it was easy to see the difference in Kirkland's appearance.

"He looks exactly like what you want," Chaney said. "I wish I looked like that.

"It's not like throwing a pebble off the Titanic. He lost a little bit more than that. His movements are very good, his lateral movements you can tell are better. I think he has a lot more confidence playing sustained drives and he's feeling a lot better about himself."

Sophomore tackle Dan Skipper said Kirkland combines strength, power and technique with effort.

"He'll drive guys into the ground and across the ground," Skipper said. "He'll be moving them for 3 and 4 feet at a time. On double-teams, he'll move guys 5 yards back."

Coach Bret Bielema said Kirkland "set the bar so high" with his performance at Auburn and is working to keep improving.

"Denver has been blessed," Bielema said. "He was created with great feet, great athleticism. You don't think of a [337]-pound guy being a great athlete a lot of times, but he really, truly is. He's got tackle feet and mobility playing at the guard position."

Kirkland spent much of the offseason working on his agility and quickness with strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert, including rope drills -- where he would step through rungs on a rope ladder on the ground -- and drills where he changed direction quickly.

Kirkland said he also jumps rope and has been able to go for 2 minutes and 30 seconds at a time.

"I constantly repeated those drills," he said. "I did them at home when we took a break."

Bielema said the highest compliment he probably can pay Kirkland is that he received votes for captain from teammates on both offense and defense.

"Here's a guy that comes in and handles his business, has excelled in the classroom, has excelled on the football field and it has not been by chance," Bielema said. "He listens to everything we ask him to do.

"He's got an incredible motor that pushes him every day in the direction to have success. He truly is reaping the rewards."

Kirkland said he appreciated the support he received in the team captain voting.

"It made me feel like a rising leader for the team," he said. "It would be a great honor to be a captain one day."

Pittman said Kirkland needs to improve on his ability to pull.

"Coach Pittman talks to me about that all the time, how I need to get downhill more," Kirkland said. "There are some minuses on plays I need to clean up."

Kirkland is getting a lot more pluses from the coaches than minuses.

"This is my second year in this offense," he said. "The first year I had to get used to it.

"I'm used to the plays, used to the calls, used to going against bigger and better guys now than I did in high school. I'm used to everything."

Sports on 09/19/2014

Upcoming Events