There are things that need to be fixed with the Arkansas football team. There is this fear of the running quarterback that won’t go away during the day.
TCU quarterback Kenny Hill made the defense pay for lack of numbers in the middle in a big second half that ultimately was an Arkansas victory.
Then, there was a notso-fun night chasing Trevor Knight last week in AT&T Stadium. Knight had touchdown runs of 48 and 42 yards with a final tally of 157 yards on just 10 runs.
Alcorn State features two running quarterbacks this week — Noah Johnson and Lenorris Footman. Just the idea that a quarterback has foot in his name scares me.
There are more running quarterbacks on the horizon like Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Mississippi’s Chad Kelly.
It may hurt every week if things don’t come together for the Arkansas defense. So just what needs to happen?
I saw some scheme issues against A&M, especially what was termed a prevent defense just before halftime when Knight rumbled through the middle untouched on a 48-yard quarterback draw. The safeties were set wide, outside the hash. They both made dives at Knight’s feet on mad dashes back to the middle.
So first, that scheme must be dumped. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said it would be tossed. Defensive coordinator Robb Smith just said simply, he’ll put players in a better position for success.
The good news, if this happens, the Hogs could have some nice success as a team. It’s all because they have one of the best passing quarterbacks in the SEC. Austin Allen entered the year as an under valued quarterback because he got very little playing time behind older brother Brandon.
But he may be better than his brother, partly because he has more seasoned weapons, along with the return of wide receiver Keon Hatcher, the tough, dependable senior who missed all but the first two games last year with a broken foot.
Hatcher got his seasoning as Brandon’s sidekick for four years. They studied tape together. They worked tirelessly together in the offseason in throw-andcatch sessions. That Austin was often along for the ride has helped mesh their efforts in great fashion for the 2016 season. Hatcher suffered a slight hamstring injury late in the A&M game. His status is unclear for this week.
And it’s clear that Drew Morgan is picking up right where he left off last season when he blossomed as Hatcher and others went down to injuries. Morgan leads the Hogs with 24 catches for 254 yards. He’s been the possession guy on big third down calls, just like he was for Brandon.
I can recall the words from Morgan last spring when he finally was allowed to participate in pass skeleton drills, albeit with a no-contact green jersey. Morgan was skipped over on a third-and-8 play as Austin went another direction.
Morgan came back to the huddle screaming at the quarterback. He later replayed that conversation in the interview room.
“I just told Austin that he needs to remember I’m his guy on third down,” Morgan said. “I was Brandon’s guy. I’m going to be open. I’m going to catch it — every one. He’s got to know that I’m his guy and I told him that.”
So what did he do?
“He chuckled a little,” Morgan said. “Then, he said, ‘I know you are my guy.’ I just wanted to make sure he knew it.”
The best news, Morgan isn’t the only guy. There’s tight end Jeremy Sprinkle, there’s Jared Cornelius, there’s Cody Hollister and there’s Morgan and Hatcher. They all are reliable.
It’s clear, though, that something needs to happen with Dominique Reed. The speedster hasn’t been reliable. There was a lost fumble on a handoff from Allen against Texas A&M. There was a drop on a third down play when Allen gave him a perfect pass.
It could be that Hollister will emerge as another reliable option. He had two drops in the opener and wasn’t involved as much the next two weeks. But he’s probably going to get some of Reed’s snaps. Reed has fallen off the depth chart, replaced by Hollister, another receiver coming back from a broken foot.
All of this reliability has jumped Austin’s completion percentage into rare air at Arkansas. He’s slightly ahead of a school record pace. Kevin Scanlon hit on 66.2 percent of his passes in 1979 in a run-first offense called by Lou Holtz. Brandon Allen came within one completion of beating it with a 65.9 percentage last year.
Austin’s completion percentage is 66.9. He dazzled against A&M with 28 of 42, a percentage of 66.7. That’s notable because the Aggies featured one of the SEC’s best set of pass rushers. If Allen can get his passes off on target against the Aggies, he should fare well against many of the remaining teams on the schedule.
It’s clear that his accuracy is great, especially on the run. He told me in the summer that his goal was to improve his ability to throw going right or left after spending the spring watching all of the play-action passes Brandon completed on the run. Those were the bread-and-butter throws in the Dan Enos offense. Austin has those throws.
There were some that were just wow throws against A&M, with someone in hot pursuit. Going full speed to his left, Allen could just flip his right wrist and throw a tight spiral to a man on the move 20 yards down the field. He has the strength to power a ball from the right hash to the left sideline. It’s all there.
Hopefully, Allen doesn’t need to make 42 throws this week against Alcorn State. The Braves do allow 230 yards per game passing, but an average of just 33 throws against their defense. However, UA-Pine Bluff did pile up 355 passing yards on a 30 of 41 game.
What I want to see is if the Arkansas running game can find it’s mojo. A rebuilt offensive line might get some new looks with starting right guard Jake Raulerson battling an ankle injury. Colton Jackson, who started three games at tackle, has practiced at right guard this week. That also gives Jalen Merrick extra reps at right tackle behind Brian Wallace.
There have been concerns about this line from the start of spring practice, but I see development and reasons for encouragement. Wallace has played well the last two weeks since earning time with better practice play. Wallace was a highly-regarded blue chip coming out of high school and it’s believed he could develop into a star.
The key against A&M was the inability to operate successfully inside the 2-yard line. The Hogs had three potential scoring drives stall at the goal line. Bielema said on Monday that there isn’t enough push up front just yet, but that this line has the capability of improving in that area.
So where would that push come from in this offensive line? Dan Skipper is the veteran of the group. He’s 6-10, 325 pounds, but his long frame doesn’t lend itself to a low, driving profile on the goal line. The Hogs miss the bulk and drive that Denver Kirkland provided with a 350-pound mass.
Perhaps it’s going to come from sophomore Hjalte Froholdt and Wallace, although they aren’t on the same side of the line. Both have the mass. But they are the two most inexperienced players in the line. They just don’t have enough goal line experience yet. They will benefit from the snaps they got against the Aggies.
That sends us to the keys to victory, perhaps not exactly what we’ve written in the past. The Hogs are playing themselves as much as they are the 1-2 Braves. Game time is 11 a.m. Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
1: Learn the Foe — First, to beat the foe, you have to learn it. It’s a matter of learning how to say the name first. Hardly anyone is saying Alcorn correct this week. The Lorman, Miss., school is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the SWAC, the most famous of the HBCU leagues. The Braves have been a power in recent years and boast a proud history. Most do not pronounce the name correct. It’s like All-corn, as in Always All-corn. The best of the great Alcorn players is former NFL quarterback Steve “Air” McNair. Fred McNair is his older brother and the first-year coach at Alcorn. He was the original Air McNair, leading the Braves before Steve. He’s been the offensive coordinator at Alcorn the past four seasons. The Braves have put up records of 9-3, 10-3 and 9-4 the last three seasons, dominating the SWAC. Georgia Tech did blast the Braves, 69-6, to open the 2015 season. Alcorn isn’t afraid of the road. The Braves have won five of their last six road games, dating to last season. The Alcorn roster breakdown by states is interesting. Not surprisingly, there are more players native to Mississippi with 38. Next is Florida, with 22. That’s followed by Texas (7), Louisiana (6) and Tennessee (5).
2: Stop the QB Run — Yes, if we didn’t need to learn Alcorn, it would be tops on this list. The Hogs may need to bring a safety into the run game after the way teams have begun to scheme against linebacker coverages. Motioning the back into an empty set has left the Hogs vulnerable in the middle. Secondary coach Paul Rhoads said this week that there are two ways to battle the quarterback run: you can disrupt with the defensive line or cover the extra gap created when the quarterback keeps. It’s probably best to mix up things, but perhaps you’ll see a safety in the middle and used as the spy against the QB.
3: Power Surge — Can the Hogs move the pile forward against an FCS team? They had trouble getting that power surge against TCU and A&M, and even at times against Louisiana Tech. That’s been the identity for Bret Bielema throughout his coaching career. For sure, the offensive line surge is not where he wants it to be, but he predicts it’s coming in time. This should be a game that the Hogs get their surge back. They’ll have to control Alcorn defensive tackle Kenyon Brantley, the 6-2, 281-pound senior who anchors the defensive front. He’s a product of Crossett and the lone Arkansan on the Alcorn roster.
4: Young Guns — Can Arkansas do enough early to relieve Rawleigh Williams and Kody Walker, the workhorses early this season? Williams has 88 carries and Walker 24. It seems like the right time to put a little more load on freshmen Devwah Whaley and TJ Hammonds. Whaley has carried more of late and now totals 24 rushes. Hammonds lined up as the soul back in the Wildcat formation last week against A&M, but the play was whistled dead for a false start and the Hogs got out of that look. Hammonds has gotten more work of late and is penciled in for some carries this week. He’s got the speed and wiggle that the Hogs could use as a change of pace in the backfield.
5: Alignment — It’s always about getting lined up right on defense. Alcorn will test the Hogs in that area again. The Braves show almost every formation possible to gain an advantage. McNair has a pro background and moves his formations skillfully. It will be another challenge for the Hogs to get lined up right. They’ve improved over last year when freshman linebacker Dre Greenlaw was challenged in that area. The Hogs will try to rotate three safeties: Santos Ramirez, Josh Liddell and DeAndre Coley. That’s an area to watch as far as alignment.
6: Clean Play — That’s a major emphasis this week. The Hogs lost three fumbles last week. Rawleigh Williams fumbled going into the end zone to cost the Hogs points. Austin Allen was sacked in the fourth quarter, losing the ball to set up an Aggie touchdown. And after a short punt, Reed and Allen mishandled the ball on a wide receiver sweep that cost the Hogs one of their best field position breaks of the game. The Hogs also had critical penalties, including a targeting hit by Coley that kept an A&M drive alive after an incomplete third down pass. The Aggies scored a field goal. Alcorn has struggled with turnovers. The Braves have fumbled 13 times, losing seven. They have just four takeaways, with no interceptions.
7: Rock Solid — It’s the only trip to Little Rock of the season. The Hogs have lost three of four games played in Little Rock under Bielema. The only victory was over Samford. Players seem to look forward to the trip. Liddell said he grew up watching games in War Memorial Stadium. The Pine Bluff native will have a big group of family members there, along with other players from Arkansas. How do they avoid a repeat of last year’s loss to Toledo? Defensive end Deatrich Wise said it’s a matter of playing better. He said, “We just made too many mistakes there. That’s what we are focusing on, eliminating the mistakes that we made last week and learning from them. We do that, we will play well in Little Rock.”
8: Pressure — This may be tougher than you might expect. Alcorn has allowed only one sack. That’s a product of featuring a running quarterback. There are not a lot of true dropback passing plays in the Alcorn offense. The Hogs will have to chase a moving target.
Still, that’s the goal, to pressure the quarterback. The Hogs have gotten off to a decent start with 11 sacks through four games. That’s well ahead of where they were at this time last year when the sack had disappeared from the stat sheet.
9: Protection — The Hogs gave up only one sack last week and have given up seven on the season, but Allen was battered by the Aggie blitz late in the game last week. He took 15 hits — way too many. He’s spent the week getting cold tub treatment and twice daily massages trying to remove soreness. The Braves have found ways to pressure the quarterback with a changing front. They have 14 sacks in three games. Senior inside linebacker Darien Anderson is a blitz specialist. He has 6.5 sacks and leads the team with 30 tackles in just three games.
10: Big Plays — Alcorn isn’t Texas A&M. There is a clear difference in topend players. So eliminating big plays shouldn’t be the toughest challenge of the day, but it’s still something that needs watching. The Hogs gave up 591 total yards against the Aggies, and there were 369 yards on just 30 snaps in the second half. Defensive line coach Rory Segrest noted that that 351 Texas A&M yards came on seven plays. It was a compelling stat that put into perspective the kind of damage that was done. Secondary coach Paul Rhoads said, “We didn’t have anyone with positive grades in our group.”
Clay Henry can be reached at [email protected]. To subscribe to Hawgs Illustrated, call 800 757-6277.