FAYETTEVILLE -- It looks like all systems are go for University of Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey and tailback Rakeem Boyd to return from injuries for Saturday's 11 a.m. homecoming game against Tulsa.
That doesn't necessarily make everything right for an offense that started fast for the first time in four SEC games before fizzling in the second half of last week's 37-33 loss to Ole Miss.
But their presence, if both remain cleared to play, should help.
The Razorbacks, flashing their best big-play chops this season, scored on each of their first seven possessions against Ole Miss -- three touchdowns and four field goals -- while building a 33-24 lead.
The touchdowns came from long distances -- Boyd's 69-yard burst through a hole on the left side, and 39-yard catches from tight end Cheyenne O'Grady and wideout La'Michael Pettway -- as Arkansas racked up 14 "explosive" plays.
The Arkansas coaching staff defines explosive plays as runs of 12-plus yards and passes of 15-plus yards.
Storey, who came out after his helmet bounced on the turf in the fourth quarter, was on the field for all but two of the snaps in that stretch. The two plays he missed were Cole Kelley's fourth-and-1 conversion in the "Gravedigger" package on Arkansas' first series, and Kelley's 39-yard touchdown strike to Pettway after Storey was walloped in the ribs in the second quarter.
Arkansas had 20 offensive plays for 208 yards in the first quarter, which ended with a 17-3 lead. The Razorbacks had 34 snaps for 303 yards by halftime, their lead reduced to 27-17 after the Rebels scored a touchdown in the two-minute drill with 33 seconds left in the half.
Boyd went out with a tailbone injury on the Razorbacks' second snap of the second quarter, having already accounted for 145 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Storey completed 10 of 12 passes in the first half for 101 yards and a touchdown -- his 39-yard strike to O'Grady on Arkansas' second possession -- and had 142 total yards at the break.
However, the Razorbacks could muster only 173 total yards in the second half and produced six points as Ole Miss pulled off its comeback.
"After watching the film, I did not think we executed offensively as well as the stats showed," Coach Chad Morris said. "I was disappointed, especially early second half, in missing a block here and a block there could have resulted in another big play or two. We left a lot on the field. We've got to correct that."
Arkansas had two punts in the game, both in the fourth quarter. The Hogs' last six drives yielded three field goals, two punts and an interception.
"We didn't finish the game," offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said. "It doesn't matter what you do leading up to the end, if you can't finish it, it really doesn't matter.
"We knew we were going against a high-powered offense. I told our guys, 'We can be a high-powered offense, too.' I thought up until the last three drives there we did some good things. But again, if you can't finish the game, it really doesn't matter."
The Razorbacks wanted to establish and lean on the run against Ole Miss, and it worked. Arkansas ran for 299 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
But the run game petered out in the fourth quarter -- with 13 carries for 40 yards -- as Ole Miss dialed up run-game pressure.
Arkansas' deep passing game to the wideouts has slowed to a trickle since the Razorbacks threw repeatedly but without much success down the field in their 44-17 home loss to North Texas.
"It's interesting," Morris said. "We always talk about wanting to stretch the field vertically. We've got to be able to do that.
"We've got to be able to hold up in pass protection to be able to get your receivers down the field to do that. ... We want to average four shots a quarter, which gives you 12 shots down the field a game."
Said Craddock: "We want to take more shots, obviously. But also, we understand too, I think a couple of weeks ago we were leading the nation in most third and longs. So if you take a shot on first down and have second and long then get 3 yards, you're in a third-and-long situation.
"I felt we did a really nice job of sustaining drives and moving the football. Shoot, we ran for 300 yards ... so that was what was working.
"Obviously the rain the other night didn't help things in the pass game. I didn't think we threw the ball or caught the ball well in pre-game warmup. Again, that's not an excuse. We have to be able to pitch and catch, no matter what the conditions are. That's something we have to continue to get better at, and we will."
O'Grady, who has 13 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns in the past 3 games, said the Hogs were not as aggressive in the passing game in the second half against the Rebels.
"I think we were just trying to run the ball and run the clock out," O'Grady said. "We kind of like got away from the passing game and started running the ball."
Left tackle Colton Jackson said the Razorbacks' run game was "flowing smoothly," and the team felt it could run the whole way before Ole Miss stiffened up in the final quarter.
"Of course, it's frustrating because some stuff that was working for us early on wasn't really clicking," Jackson said. "We're having to move some stuff around with other options, and when they weren't working it got a little frustrating."
Sports on 10/18/2018