Limiting the damage: Despite record, Hogs’ rush defense shines

FAYETTEVILLE -- One facet of football has gone remarkably well for the University of Arkansas during its sluggish 1-3 start.

The Razorbacks' defense, coordinated by SEC veteran John Chavis, has limited three consecutive opponents, including Colorado State and Auburn on the road, to less than 100 rushing yards.

Arkansas had not pulled that off since the 2012 team did it in succession against Auburn (again on the road), Kentucky and Ole Miss.

The Razorbacks enter Saturday's game against hard-charging Texas A&M leading the SEC with 88.3 rushing yards allowed per game. That figure ranks seventh in the country with the Razorbacks being one of 14 FBS programs to limit opponents to less than 100 rushing yards per game.

As a comparison, the Razorbacks finished 2017 ranked 98th in run defense after allowing 196.1 yards per game.

The remarkable turnaround has been orchestrated by Chavis and his staff and executed by a veteran front seven that returned five starters in linemen McTelvin Agim, Randy Ramsey and T.J. Smith and linebackers Dre Greenlaw and De'Jon Harris.

Numbers and effort have been keys.

"I think it's a lot of things," Chavis said "We've found different ways to do it, but it's about numbers in the box. It's about showing them a five-man box and ending up playing a six- or seven-man box."

Arkansas has allowed just two rushes of 20-plus yards, a 29-yard run by Eastern Illinois' Jamal Scott and a 24-yard gain by North Texas' Loren Easly. There have been 12 opponents' running plays that have gone for 10 or more yards.

Defensive tackle T.J. Smith said the run-stopping effort has been masterminded by Chavis and defensive line assistants Steve Caldwell and John Scott Jr., and performed by a veteran group that cares.

"You have to have pride to stop the run," Smith said Wednesday. "On our front seven, we take pride in stopping the run.

"Not only do we have a great supporting cast of other defensive linemen and linebackers, we've got players all over the field that help each other stop the run."

The rise of tackles like Armon Watts, Briston Guidry and Jonathan Marshall and the return from injury of Greenlaw and Ramsey the last couple of weeks has helped Arkansas amass the depth and playing rotations the staff envisioned this spring.

"I think the depth up front has had a lot to do with that," Coach Chad Morris said. "I think being able to move Sosa [Agim] back outside has really helped and it's helped because we've got guys, T.J. Smith and guys inside that are playing well. Armon Watts and [end] Michael Taylor. You're having a little bit of a rotation there."

Smith and Agim said the Razorbacks have taken their work habits in practice to the games.

"It's just been a lot of preparation," Agim said. "A lot of relentless effort from everybody on the field."

Arkansas stopped Auburn for 3 yards or less on 20 of 36 runs on Saturday, including 11 runs for no gain or lost yardage.

Agim said he sensed Auburn, which had 27 carries for 51 yards (1.9 yards per carry) entering the fourth quarter before adding another 40 yards, was getting frustrated by its inability to control the game on the ground.

"I believe so," Agim said. "Even at the end of the game they were still trying to get those yards, still trying to run the ball and things like that because they didn't get a run game established. It just spoke volumes for our defense and we can just keep building off that."

Slowing Texas A&M's ground game will be no easy feat.

The Aggies rank fourth in the SEC and 20th nationally with 246.3 rushing yards per game. However, since gouging Northwestern (La.) State for 503 yards in the opener, Texas A&M averaged 160.7 rushing yards while going 1-2 against Clemson, Louisiana-Monroe and Alabama.

The Aggies outrushed Alabama 130-109 in the No. 1 Crimson Tide's 45-23 victory in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday.

Junior tailback Trayveon Williams is third in the SEC with 107.5 rushing yards per game and his 6.4 yards per carry ranks 24th among FBS players with at least 10 carries per game.

Sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond is a dual threat who ranks third in the SEC with 305.2 total yards per game, behind only Jordan Ta'amu of Ole Miss and Drew Lock of Missouri.

Mond ripped the Razorbacks for 325 total yards in his first college start last year in a 50-43 overtime victory. Mond rushed for 109 yards on 10 carries and was 14 of 27 passing for 216 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

"They're very explosive," Morris said. "They do a great job of running their quarterback. I've known Kellen and, watching his career, he's done nothing but get better each year. I think he's playing at an elite level right now. It'll be much of a challenge for our defense."

Mond ran for 98 yards at Alabama last week, though 7 sacks for 31 lost yards prevented him from finishing with 129 rushing yards against the Tide.

Said Chavis, "I think the quarterback, they've done a great job with the change in the system and giving him some things to do. He's a great runner. ... And he's on track to be a 3,000-yard passer and he's got good people around him."

Agim said the Razorbacks are well aware of how Williams, Mond and company can break off big runs.

"You just have to make sure your eyes are in the right place and doing your assignment because any one of them can go for 200-300 yards," Agim said.

Sports on 09/28/2018