Hogs still have a lot to play for with 5 games left

By Morgan Nunley/Online Editor

With over half the season in the books for the 2023 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, the season hasn’t gone exactly how the fans or team would have hoped. A dismal 2-5 start has left the Hog fans hoping the team can salvage the season and compete for a bowl game.

The last few opponents for the Hogs have been tough; the schedule lightens up over the course of the final few games, while also not being too easy for the Razorbacks. Looking back at their first seven games and how they fared provides key observations and possible predictions for this team’s performance and what we may expect from the Hogs for the final slate of games.

Western Carolina

The first week of the season against the Western Carolina Catamounts proved a statement victory for the Hogs in the game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Hogs started by turning three three-and-outs from the Catamounts into two touchdowns — one a 65-yard bomb from quarterback KJ Jefferson to wideout Jaedon Wilson, and the other being a 3-yard run from Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. The game would only get uglier from here for the Catamounts as the total amount of their next five offensive drives resulted in a field goal, a fumble, two interceptions, and a punt. The Razorbacks, on the other hand, scored three more touchdowns in their next five drives. The first was a 31-yard pass from Jefferson to wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, after an interception by the defense. The second was a 17-yard run for Jefferson after another Catamount interception. The third was a 1-yard run from Sanders to bring a close to the half with a score of 35-3, Razorbacks.

The team was on cruise control for the rest of the game; with the damage mostly done, the Razorbacks ended week 1 with a 56-13 win over Western Carolina. Quarterback KJ Jefferson ended with 246 yards passing and 4 total touchdowns. Other notable Razorback performances included Sanders who had 42 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson had 83 yards and a touchdown and TeSlaa ended with 66 yards and a touchdown, while wideout Andrew Armstrong also contributed 5 receptions and 78 yards.

Kent State

On to week 2, where the Razorback clashed with the Kent State Golden Flashes in Fayetteville. Both Arkansas and Kent State started slowly with the only points on the board near the end of the first quarter being a Kent field goal. That changed with about a minute left in the quarter when Arkansas linebacker Antonio Grier picked off Kent quarterback Michael Alaimo and returned it for a touchdown to open the lead to 4 for Arkansas. There was a punt from each team before Kent State kicked another field goal and Arkansas quarterback Jefferson threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Armstrong, bringing the halftime score to 14-6, Arkansas. The Arkansas defense held in the second half, not allowing another point from the Kent State offense, while Arkansas scored two more touchdowns to seal the win, 28-6.

The important player statistics from the game included Jefferson having only 136 yards passing, but 48 yards rushing and 2 passing touchdowns. Running back AJ Green had a great game rushing for 82 yards and looking dominant at the line of scrimmage. TeSlaa ended with the most receiving yards on the day, with 51, while Wilson had another 31 yards, and Armstrong added 21 yards and two touchdowns.

BYU

The Razorbacks, in the third weekend, faced their toughest test to date, playing the BYU Cougars in Fayetteville. The Hogs started hot with an AJ Green 55-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, followed by a three-and-out on defense, and then a punt return touchdown by Isaiah Sategna, opening up a 14 to nil Arkansas lead. The next 11 drives of the first half were rough for the Hogs, as they punted on every possession and gave up the 14-point lead they quickly built as BYU ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in their drives and took their first lead of the game. The last three drives of the first half ended well for the Razorbacks as they finally scored another touchdown, forced a fumble by the Cougars, and got a field goal to end the half up by 3, 24-21.

The first four drives of the second half were another great sign as they scored another touchdown and forced two more three-and-outs for the Cougars. A turnover on downs changed the momentum of the game in favor of the Cougars as on the final six Arkansas drives ended with an interception, a fumble, a turnover on downs, a punt, a missed field goal, and the end of the game, while the Cougars came back from 10 down and scored 17 unanswered points to win the game 31-38.

The Razorbacks’ disappointing outcome overshadowed some pretty impressive performances. AJ Green ended with 86 yards and two touchdowns. Jefferson ended with 247 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble lost, and 1 interception in what was a below average day for the quarterback’s standards. Andrew Armstrong had an impressive 98 yards on 9 receptions, while tight end Luke Hasz had his breakout game with 78 yards and a touchdown.

LSU

The fourth game of the season came against the LSU Tigers, in Baton Rouge, for the famed “boot” trophy of the two states combined. The game started slowly for both teams as the Hogs put up the only points through the first quarter, with each quarterback already having thrown an interception. To end the half, both teams put together a touchdown and field goal drive, with Tyrone Broden catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson, and the score going into halftime being a 13-10 lead for the Razorbacks.

The second half was a rough one for the Hogs. LSU scored on their first three possessions they had, with the Razorbacks being forced to match the LSU output. The Hogs were able to keep pace scoring a field goal on their first possession, bringing the score to 16-17, and scoring two touchdowns on their next two drives. Both were connections of Jefferson and Luke Hasz as they found each other for a 59-yard touchdown and another 11-yard touchdown to bring the game to a tie

at 31 all. Unfortunately for the Hogs, the Tigers’ offense couldn’t be stopped as they were able to get in field goal range and make the game winning field goal, leaving only enough time for Jefferson to throw one pass that ended up being intercepted as the Hogs lost 31-34.

The game was a mixed one for quarterback KJ Jefferson as he completed 21 of his 31 passes for 289 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, while also adding 48 yards on the ground. Tied End Luke Hasz had his breakout performance, scoring two touchdowns and picking up 116 yards receiving on only 6 receptions. Running back Rashod Dubinion added 78 yards rushing and 35 yards receiving, while Andrew Armstrong also tacked on 76 yards receiving on 6 receptions.

Texas A&M

In the fifth game of the year, the Hogs went down to Arlington, Texas to play the Texas A&M Aggies, in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. The first half proved to be a discouraging effort for the Razorback defense as they allowed the Aggies a chance to put points on the board in all four of their first half drives. The Aggies capitalized, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal but missed another field goal attempt. The Hogs weren’t as lethal with their offensive drives, only getting two field goals, a punt, and a turnover on downs, with the score being 6-17 at half.

The second half of the ball game started with some hope for the Hogs as Lorando Johnson picked off Aggies quarterback Max Johnson, and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, bringing the score to 13-17. The next few drives for both teams resulted in a field goal for each and a couple of punts, along with an A&M fumble. With the score 16-20, quarterback KJ Jefferson threw his own pick six, and it virtually ended the game as the Razorbacks were never able to quite recover from that mistake. The special teams made it all the worse later by allowing a punt return for a touchdown that would seal the game for A&M. The Hogs scored one last touchdown to bring the final score to 22-34.

The game was a pitiful one for the Razorbacks all-around, with the only bright spot being Andrew Armstrong’s strong performance, with 3 receptions, 78 yards, and a touchdown. Jefferson played well below his standards, finishing 9 of 17 passing the ball, with only 132 yards and one touchdown to match his one interception.

Ole Miss

The game against the Ole Miss Rebels started off with a bang for the Hogs. They forced the Rebels to a three-and-out then marched the ball down the field on a 15 play, 80-yard touchdown drive, ending with Jefferson throwing a 3-yard pass to tight end Ty Washington, taking a 7-0 lead. Over the course of the next four Arkansas drives, they had three punts and an interception that led to a touchdown for Ole Miss. A field goal over that same time span for the Rebels gave them a 7-10 lead. While the Hogs’ final drive of the first half ended with a punt, the final two drives for Ole Miss ended in a touchdown and a missed field goal, bringing the halftime score to 7-17.

The Hogs showed some fight to start the second half, forcing the Ole Miss offense into two punts, while also scoring two field goals themselves, totaling the score at 13-17. The next drive for the Hogs was a touchdown drive as Jefferson threw a 17-yard touchdown to Washington, giving the Hogs a 20-17 lead, with 13:11 left in the game. The lead and hope for the Razorbacks would be brief as Ole Miss matched the Hogs’ touchdown with one of their own, and kicked a field goal, while the Hogs punted and had another pass intercepted to end the game for the Hogs in a 20-27 loss.

The game was an average one for Jefferson, who shined in moments and also had some low spots. Jefferson ended with 250 yards passing, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The two outstanding performances from the Hogs came from Armstrong who had 8 receptions for 86 yards, and from Washington who had 7 receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns.

Alabama

The game was off to another promising start for the Hogs, as they forced Alabama into two punts and scored two field goals in the first 5 total drives, bringing the score to 6-0, Hogs. The game turned on Alabama’s third, fourth, and fifth possessions though, as they had touchdown drives on all three possessions, and forced Arkansas into three straight punts, bringing the score to 6-21, with the Crimson Tide punting on their final drive of the half, and keeping the lead manageable at halftime for the Hogs.

The opening five drives of the second half ended with the only points being scored being an Alabama field goal, while the rest were punted away to the other team. With the score 6-24 and 4:55 left in the third quarter, the Hogs started their comeback. A touchdown drive ended the third with Jefferson finding freshman wideout Isaiah Sategna for a three-yard touchdown pass, closing the gap to 9 with a quarter left to play. A quick Alabama punt led to another Arkansas touchdown drive with Jefferson finding running back Rashod Dubinion for a 14-yard touchdown pass, and a successful two point-conversion to Andrew Armstrong. With the score now 21-24 and Alabama reeling, the Hogs defense forced another three-and-out and gave the Razorback offense the ball with 9:45 left in the game. The offensive drive started promising as the Hogs made it from their own 8-yard line to their 46-yard line, and they appeared to be able to at least have the capability of getting into field goal range. However, the Alabama defense bowed up one final time and sacked Jefferson on third and 8 and saved the Crimson Tide from certain disaster as they ran out the clock on offense and survived 21-24.

Notable Razorback performances included AJ Green who only had six carries, but had 44 yards. Armstrong led the team in receiving yards and receptions with 4 for 48. Jefferson had one of his better games of the year as well, with a 2-touchdown, 150-yard performance that was one of his less efficient outings this season, but considerably impressive against the Alabama defense.

Where Do They Go from Here?

Overall, the season has been rough for the Hogs. The 2-5 record is a disappointing record and is not what the Hogs had hoped for at this point in the season. In total yards of offense in the NCAA, the Hogs rank toward the bottom of the teams, according to ESPN.com. However, the Hogs are in the higher ranks of teams that can put points on the board, averaging 29.9 a game thus far. In the offensive passing game they rank toward the top of the NCAA in completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating.  However, the Hogs also find themselves towards the top of the teams in terms of sacks and interceptions. The passing offense is good, but could be slightly better, to put the team into true bowl game status.

The Razorbacks are well below average in the NCAA in all the rushing statistics and fourth down percentage, and below average in receiving statistics, and first downs. They are above average in third down percentage. The Razorbacks are also among the leaders in penalties and penalty yards on offense. Overall, it’s an offense that could use a lot of cleaning up but has shown flashes of brilliance.

The Razorbacks are above average on defense in the run game. The Razorbacks allow 133.3 rushing yards per game. This makes up for the Razorbacks’ middling pass defense that has held up somewhat consistently over the course of the season.

The Hogs also have an above average defense in terms of yardage in the NCAA. The Razorbacks have fallen in terms of scoring defense though, being about average compared to the other teams. The Hogs’ pass defense does have a really good touchdowns allowed to interception ratio, with that being 12 to 7. The Hogs’ defense has also been very good with the sacks that they have been able to come up with, totaling 21, which is among the league leaders in sacks. The opponent passer rating is what kills the Hogs as they allow a 143.4 passer rating for opposing quarterbacks.

The next three games for the Hogs? All SEC games. On Oct. 21, they play Mississippi State, a team that the Hogs have won the three most recent games in the series. Then the Hogs will travel to Gainesville to play at Florida on Nov. 4 and then in Fayetteville against Auburn on Nov. 11. The Razorbacks then get to play Florida International before wrapping up the season against #20 Missouri, both at home. The upcoming schedule will be the final test for Pittman and the Hogs. Will they be able to rally and be competitive for a bowl game, or will the season prove to be a lost one for the hopeful Hogs? Only time will tell.

Morgan Nunley is a journalism student and the online editor for the NWACC Eagle View.