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Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. Will be packed to the brim on Saturday night when the Arkansas Razorbacks and No.15 Texas Longhorns meet under the lights to reignite one of college football’s great rivalries. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. CDT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Arkansas (1-0) found themselves in an sadly familiar position in their first game of the season last weekend, dropping double-digit in the second half at home against an opponent from Conference USA. However, the Hogs flipped the switch with 31 unanswered points to walk away for a comfortable 38-17 victory over Rice. Texas (1-0) were impressive in their first game of the season in Austin, knocking out Louisiana No. 23, 38-18, in a game they opened in the second half.
This weekend’s contest will feature two of the best minds in the business with the Arkansas Defensive Coordinator Barry odom Prepare the Razorbacks for the offensive magic of Texas first-year head coach Steve Sargsyan. Let’s dive in and see how the two units stack up.
Battle in the trenches
In order for the Arkansas defense to win in this game, they must start by winning the battle up front. The Longhorns are big on an offensive line that includes LT Christian jones (6-6, 314), LG Denzel okafor (6-4, 322), C Jake majors (6-3, 310), RG Young Angilau (6-6, 319) and RT Derek kerstetter (6-5, 310).
All are top class students except the RS-Fr Majors, and there are about 90 starts among them, but the group has had their fair share of struggles against Louisiana with a number of retention penalties, three sacks allowed, five tackles for loss allowed and a number of the quarterback rushing.
“Their offensive line, they’re big, long, solid up front,” said Arkansas defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols. “They have pretty decent feet, so I know we’ll have to work. Me personally on the D line, we have to work the hands, work to be technicians. That’s what the job is. We have to be technicians. with good hand placement and good eyes. ”
For the most part, the Hogs did a good job controlling the line of scrimmage against Rice’s heavy attack. The group only left with two sacks, and there is still room for improvement in the rush department, but Sam pittman was generally happy with the effort and a number of players stood out.
“I thought they were playing really well,” said Arkansas coach Sam pittman. “I think 0 [Markell Utsey], 55 [Tre Williams), 5 [Dorian Gerald], Taurus Carter came in and gave us some good coins in there. I love Zach Williams. He stood out, 50 stood out, Eric Gregory. They all played really hard and they weren’t knocked down and things of that nature came out of boulders. I was really happy with them. I am happy. I think they will improve a lot because their confidence will start to grow a bit more. “
Texas run game vs Arkansas run defense
There’s no other way to look at it, Arkansas will have their hands full on Saturday trying to contain Texas return Bijan Robinson. Sarkisian set a goal of getting his candidate Heisman to around 20 touches per game, and in Week 1 he had 20 nose carries for 103 yards and a score without even mentioning his effectiveness as a wide receiver out of the backfield.
“He’s really quick,” said Arkansas linebacker Hayden Henry. “He makes a lot of really good plays. He hits the hole downhill. And he’s not afraid to run over you, but he also has a great cut. He can make you jump, make moves. He also lines up. on the wide catcher and makes plays for them there, so he’s a very dynamic player. And we have to make sure we limit him as much as possible. “
As good as Bijan is, the Texas backfield isn’t a one-ride pony, and Sarkisian has a number of weapons to work with to run. The Longhorns have other talented playmakers in guys like Keilan Robinson (8 carries, 42 yards) and Roschon Johnson (49 all-purpose yards) which must also be considered.
“Lots of talent in technical positions, and I think his running back is really, really special. He’s more than Robinson, but Robinson is special,” Pittman said. “Robinson is tough to face. He’s elusive as far as in space, but he crushes you too. He’s got a lot of speed. I really like him.”
Sarkisian did a good job against Louisiana mixing races from several different lineups and even took a direct look with Johnson. That day, the Longhorns had 40 carries for 170 yards (4.0 ypc) including 119 in the second half.
Arkansas, meanwhile, were strong against the run against Rice last weekend, limiting the Owls to just 81 yards on 39 carries (2.1 ypc). The Razorbacks didn’t allow a single run over seven yards in the afternoon.
What makes those numbers more impressive is the fact that the Hogs didn’t have a full line-up roster at any point during the game thanks to multiple targeting calls. In addition to being without a Bumper Pool for the first half of this weekend because of its own, Arkansas currently plans to be at full strength for Texas.
It will be essential for Arkansas to always put the advantage and be solid as a free-field tackler against a stable of Texas running backs capable of putting the guys missing in space.
Texas pass attack against secondary Arkansas
The Longhorns will ride with Hudson at quarterback this weekend. The freshman in the red shirt was strong in his debut, passing 14 of 21 for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Louisiana. He was 5 of 8 for 131 yards on throws over 10 yards, 10 of 12 for 158 yards and two scores while sitting in the pocket, 7 of 9 for 133 yards on the third down and 4 of 9 9 for 66 yards while being sacked three times in 14 pushbacks against pressure.
“I like Card. I like him a lot because he has enough mobility to hurt you,” Pittman said. “Especially at the start of the game in Louisiana, he hurt them with his feet. He can certainly start the football. He looks like a very, very good player with a good touch of the ball. He commands that attack. He understands. all the controls and things of that nature He’s leading the offensive well.
Card has a number of goals but is focused on the second year Jordan whittington (6-1, 203), which turned out to be a match problem and difficult to bring down. He finished with seven receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Digne is one of the deep threats and carried in a 34-yard reception, while Joshua Moore, the other starting receiver, finished with three catches for 17 yards.
Running backs have also proven to be weapons in the passing game out of the backfield, combining nearly 100 receiving yards. Bijan added to his strong day with four catches for 73 yards and a beautifully set score by Sarkisian.
“He got Louisiana on a lopsided set of 12,” Pittman said. “They got them back on the pitch. They didn’t make an adjustment in defense, and 5, Robinson, was wide open. They threw the ball to him, and he had an easy catch for a touchdown. So, he always does that sort of thing. A very, very strong schematic guy. He uses his talent, and he’s talented. ”
Of course, the Arkansas high school is one of the team’s greatest strengths. The “No Fly Zone” was in full force against Rice, especially at the end of a fourth quarter that saw three interceptions, two by Jalen catalon and one by Montaric Brown. The Razorbacks will need an improved game in the opposite corner of Bishop LaDarrius, who was burned for a 41-yard touchdown and was flagged twice for pass interference, although one is highly questionable.
Saturday will be Card’s first road start in a hostile environment. Arkansas could certainly add to the stress of the situation if he manages to get into the backfield and make him uncomfortable early on. Forcing a few mistakes at the Longhorns would go a long way to securing a victory.
Depth / injury ratio
Arkansas should get a boost on the defensive line at Ridgeway, who resumed training Monday after an appendectomy less than two weeks ago. The Hogs will be without a linebacker Bumper pool for the first half as he sits on his targeting suspension but will have the remaining compliment from the players to the position. Security Myles Slusher also returned as a full participant in the practice.
For Texas, tight end Jared wiley suffers from a shoulder injury but played last weekend and trained this week. OL Young Angilau injured his knee against Louisiana but was on the training ground Monday and will continue to be watched throughout the week, according to Sarkisian at his press conference on Monday.
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