FAYETTEVILLE — The pressure will be on Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith over the final half of the season to correct his unit's mistakes.
Smith, who is in his third year with the Razorbacks, has not come close to fielding a defense comparable to the one that had a strong end to the 2014 season. In the 19 games since, the Razorbacks are allowing 27.4 points and 393.7 yards per game.
Those stats are worse in the team's 10 SEC games over that time - 33.5 points and 443 yards average. Dating to last season, four of Arkansas' last six SEC opponents have had at least 517 yards of total offense.
The Razorbacks have given up at least 45 points in five of their last seven conference games, two of which included overtime periods.
Those numbers are a bit skewed because Alabama scored two defensive touchdowns in its win Saturday. But Arkansas also got a couple of fortunate bounces, recovering two Crimson Tide fumbles inside the Razorbacks 5.
Arkansas' defense has produced more turnovers this season - including four inside its own 5 - but the number of big plays it has given up is alarming. The Razorbacks have allowed 12 plays of at least 33 yards in the past three games and seven more than 50 yards.
This is a defense that was expected to be better (not great) than last season, but through six games it is on pace to be worse in most statistics. It should be noted that Arkansas has played two of the better offenses in the SEC so far, as well as a TCU team that is averaging 40.1 points.
The Razorbacks host another big-play offense from Ole Miss next week, but the final five teams have all had struggles this season offensively. November games against Florida, LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri will be telling for Arkansas' defense.
Because of the Razorbacks' end to 2014 (the team gave up four touchdowns over the final four games), Smith negotiated a multi-year contract that runs through next season. It also includes a $50,000 pay raise next year that would bring his salary to $850,000.
That is the largest salary of any assistant coach on Arkansas' staff and will make Smith susceptible to added criticism if his defense can't make corrections over the final six games of the season.
Greenlaw injury will hurt
There are a handful of positions that Arkansas could ill-afford to lose a starter.
Dre Greenlaw was one of those starters and weakside linebacker was one of those positions.
Greenlaw will undergo surgery Monday to repair a broken foot he suffered in the first quarter of the Alabama game. He isn't expected to play again this season, which could prove to be a big blow to Smith's defense.
Greenlaw was Arkansas' leading tackler coming into the Alabama game. He has 37 tackles this season and a nose for the football, evidenced by his two fumble recoveries and interception in the first five games, and the fumble he forced on the Crimson Tide's first possession.
The Razorbacks will likely now turn to freshman De'Jon Harris to man the weakside linebacker position. Harris was a consensus three-star recruit out of Louisiana and his playing time has been sparse this season while Greenlaw took the majority of the snaps.
Expect Ole Miss to challenge Harris quickly next Saturday. Freshmen linebackers can play in the SEC - Greenlaw was a freshman all-American last season - but they can also be a liability to a team's defense.
Cornelius becoming big-play threat
Arkansas has lost two of its last three games, but the bright spot during that time has been the passing game, in particular the play of receiver Jared Cornelius.
Cornelius missed the Razorbacks' game against Texas State last month because of a sore back, but has come back with a vengeance. He has three straight 100-yard receiving games, including 146 yards on 5 receptions against Alabama.
The last Arkansas player to have three straight 100-yard receiving games was Anthony Eubanks in 1996.
Cornelius is averaging 23.7 yards per reception the past three games thanks to his big-play potential. He had a 57-yard reception against Alabama to set up a touchdown; had touchdown catches of 29 and 35 yards against Alcorn State; and a 38-yard reception against Texas A&M to set up a touchdown, as well as a 5-yard touchdown reception.
He has 9 receptions of 20 yards or greater this season and has catches on 19 of 26 targets. He leads the Razorbacks with 408 yards and 4 touchdowns, and is also a threat in the punt return game. He had a 65-yard return called back against Alcorn State because of a penalty. It was the second punt return touchdown he has had nullified in the past two seasons.
Despite Cornelius' emergence, Arkansas has not lost production from its other receivers. Drew Morgan has 33 catches for 344 yards and 1 touchdown; Keon Hatcher has 18 catches for 320 yards and 5 touchdowns; and tight end Jeremy Sprinkle has 18 catches for 194 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Like Cornelius, Hatcher has missed a game with an injury, but returned well against Alabama. He finished with 4 catches for 39 yards, including touchdowns of 16 and 10 yards.
The Razorbacks are averaging 385.5 passing yards through two SEC games.