Razorbacks showing signs of progress
The Arkansas Razorbacks surrendered a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening play of the game last Saturday against Texas A&M and trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter before battling back in what turned into a 24-17 loss.
While first-year coach Chad Morris is looking for tangible victories rather than moral ones, he says he is proud of the team’s effort as they continue to play hard despite a 1-4 record, 0-2 in the SEC
“I cannot be more proud of the players in that locker room, the coaches in that locker room, and their fight,” Morris said.
Arkansas will need all that fight and more this week at home against No. 1 Alabama (5-0, 2-0).
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called it a “little bit of a trap game for us,” adding that, “We have a lot of respect for Arkansas. Chad Morris being the new coach there, you can see every week, they’re getting better and better.”
Maybe so, but the Razorbacks’ struggles are real. They managed just 248 yards against Texas A&M and had seven three-and-outs.
Positive news is that junior Ty Storey has settled in as Arkansas’ starting quarterback after splitting time with sophomore Cole Kelley early in the season. Against the Aggies, Storey completed 14 of 26 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown with one interception.
Sophomore running back Rakeem Boyd has been given an expanded role the past two weeks; he rushed for 47 yards on 10 carries against Texas A&M and caught four passes for 33 yards.
Defensively, Arkansas continues to show improvement as well. The Razorbacks surrendered a 79-yard touchdown drive on Texas A&M’s first possession on Saturday but held the Aggies’ powerful offense to fewer than 300 yards the rest of the way.
Linebackers De’Jon Harris and Dre Greenlaw drew praise from the Arkansas coaching staff for stellar performance against the Aggies. Harris had 12 unassisted tackles and 16 total tackles, while Greenlaw made five solo stops and was in on 13 total tackles.
“Unbelievable,” Morris said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been part of two guys that were that productive in one game. They were very much just all over the field and very impactful.”
Although the kickoff return for a touchdown extended a series of kicking-game struggles for the Razorbacks, Morris said the special teams, too, showed some improvement as the game wore on.
“Special teams, after the first two, I thought we settled down,” he said.