FAYETTEVILLE — They always want KJ Jefferson running the show.
They just didn’t want Jefferson running the ball.
Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Dan Enos strategized for their senior dual threat quarterback in the Razorbacks’ first two games, nonconference mismatches vs. Western Carolina and Kent State.
Pittman and Enos know their 6-3, 247-pound quarterback motors like a powerfully fast fullback. They’ve seen him run over defensive backs like armadillos squashed by Mack trucks.
They also know he’s run into trouble. Jefferson ran into injuries costing him two games last year. The 7-6 Razorbacks lost both.
Pass and distribute then run just in short-yardage situations marked this season’s first two games edict to KJ. Then eye how much they must modify with the schedule toughening, starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight against 2-0 Brigham Young of the Big 12 on ESPN2 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Given the first two games plan lasted one game, they remove Jefferson’s running reins tonight.
“We didn’t want to run him much if we didn’t have to in the first two games,” Pittman said Wednesday. “From now on out it’s a different story. We’re just going to run what we think we can get the most yardage to score the most points. We’ve got big time opponents coming up. If that’s running him or throwing him or both, we’ve got to do whatever it is to win the game.”
Knowing Jefferson wouldn’t run much, Western Carolina loaded the box on All-SEC running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. Sanders netted two short-yardage touchdowns but only 42 yards on 15 carries and injured a knee. He hasn’t played since and won’t tonight.
The running game didn’t click against Western Carolina, but with Jefferson’s arm it didn’t matter. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns without a turnover.
As a whopping favorite over Kent State, the Razorbacks sputtered early again trying to run with their running backs. Jefferson’s early passing misfired, plus receivers dropped passes.
On third-and-3 with the dazed defender helped off the field, Jefferson’s 8-yard slobber-knocking run lit Arkansas’ first signs of offensive life.
“KJ getting physical definitely makes me play harder,” senior offensive guard Brady Latham said. “If my quarterback can lay someone out, then shoot, I can dig deep and keep going.”
Though that drive stalled and the Hogs led 7-3 only because of linebacker Antonio Green’s pick-six, Jefferson’s 13 carries for 48 yards and 2 touchdown passes opened junior running back AJ Green’s 15 carries for 82 yards and a 28-6 victory.
“It always brings extra juice to see KJ make big plays,” Green said. “Last game he just felt like, ‘We’re not there yet.’ So he just started running the ball whenever he could. That really opened up a lot more things. They have to watch KJ in the box so the receivers were able to get open and it was just history from there.”