Hogs lick wounds: RB undergoes ankle surgery; QB Storey in concussion protocol

Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey (4) is tended to by trainers during the fourth quarter of the Razorbacks' 37-33 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey (4) is tended to by trainers during the fourth quarter of the Razorbacks' 37-33 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks received good and bad news regarding the injuries suffered by several skill position players in Saturday's 37-33 loss to Ole Miss.

The worst injury was to tailback Devwah Whaley, who underwent surgery Monday to repair damage to his right ankle.

"We hope to get him back some time in November," Coach Chad Morris said.

Quarterback Ty Storey, who is in concussion protocol, will be evaluated throughout the week, Morris said.

"We'll know more on Ty today and where we're at with him, and from there we'll just re-evaluate it and see how it goes," Morris said.

"We're evaluating Ty by the hour right now, really trying to get a good feel for how he's doing," offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said.

The Razorbacks rushed for a season-high-tying 299 yards against Ole Miss, but both Whaley (12-67 rushing) and starting tailback Rakeem Boyd were knocked out of the game.

Boyd had a career-high 109 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown run, when he came out early in the second quarter after falling on his tailbone and back on a 3-yard gain. Boyd stayed down for a minute and reached for his tailbone as he slowly exited the field.

Boyd posted a tweet that read "All is well" late Sunday night, and Morris said Boyd is expected to be available for Saturday's 11 a.m. game against Tulsa.

"It sounds like he's going to be fine," Arkansas offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said. "Kind of an older injury that he had sustained earlier in his career. I think it was more precaution not to put him back out there than anything.

"Then again, I'm not a doctor, so I don't know exactly what's going on. I do know that he's a tough kid that wants to be out there."

Defensive end McTelvin "Sosa" Agim tweaked a knee in the game, but it is not considered serious.

"We anticipate Sosa being back," Morris said.

Tailback T.J. Hammonds rolled an ankle leading into the game, the coaches said, and is also expected back. Hammonds has not gotten a carry since redirecting on a third-and-1 attempt against Texas A&M two weeks ago.

Sophomore Cole Kelley ran for a first down on fourth and 1 and threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to La'Michael Pettway on the only two snaps he took at quarterback in the first half.

He came in again after Storey took a hard fall on the turf while running for a first down on the fifth play of the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks gained another 32 yards on that series to reach the Ole Miss 38 before a 5-yard tackle for loss and 4-yard sack forced their first punt of the game.

Kelley threw one pass on that sequence, but it was nullified by a pass interference penalty on the Rebels on his deep throw for Mike Woods.

After Ole Miss pulled within 33-31 with 4:15 remaining, Kelley drove the Razorbacks from their 10 to the 33. He hit Pettway on a 21-yard pass to convert third and 13, but his third-and-5 throw to Pettway moments later was broken up by linebacker Willie Hibbler and Arkansas was forced to punt.

"That's where I'm the most disappointed is that it continues to be kind of a recurring theme that we just can't finish," Craddock said. "We've had the ball in our hand to go win it against A&M. We had the chance to put it away at Colorado State, and then obviously last week against Ole Miss.

"So that's one thing we coach a lot is finish. We have to win a game like that to gain the confidence it takes to go ahead and put a team away when you're up nine ... in the fourth quarter. So we had a chance to do that and couldn't do it, and that's the most disappointing thing for me."

The Razorbacks are seeking to break a six-game losing streak, the sixth in school history, in Saturday's homecoming game against Tulsa after losing a 33-24 lead in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss.

Arkansas led 27-10 in the first half, but scored only two field goals in the second half while the potent Ole Miss offense closed the game with four touchdowns and a missed field goal on its final five possessions.

"We just didn't make the plays to get it done," Morris said. "We couldn't match TDs with field goals. We needed a stop. We needed one stop, we needed one touchdown, and we were unable to do it."

Ole Miss outscored Arkansas 13-0 in the fourth quarter with touchdown drives of 84 and 97 yards to push its total offense figure to 611 yards.

Arkansas defensive coordinator John Chavis, whose 62nd birthday was Monday, said he was looking forward to the next Monday news conference in which he could smile a little bit.

"I'm not gonna repeat how disappointed I am and we are," Chavis said. "We're going to continue to work, push what we need to push to continue to get better."

Chavis was asked how he's handling the 1-6 start based on the success his teams have experienced in past years.

"I look at it this way: You get knocked down in life, you get back up," he said. "Yeah, we've won in places, but listen, we're going to win at Arkansas. We're going to win, and on my side of the ball it'll be on my shoulders to make sure that it happens.

"I'm here to help this program and to put the defense on the field that's capable of not just competing, but winning. I take it personal, there's no question about it. I own my work. I'm not going to run away from it. And I will tell you this: Saturday was not good enough. It should have been better, it could have been better, and I take responsibility for it."

Sports on 10/16/2018

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