Arkansas got the result it needed against Tulsa, but the win came with enough warning signs to keep the mood around the Razorbacks from getting too comfortable.
After back-to-back losses to ranked teams in Utah and Georgia, the Hogs were in no position to keep slipping. A home game against the Golden Hurricanes offered a chance to steady the season, and Tulsa being without quarterback Baylor Hayes certainly helped Arkansas find its footing.
The biggest reason the Razorbacks walked away with their second win of the year was Chris Marshall. If there was one player carrying the offense, it was him.
Marshall put together a career night with 195 receiving yards on nine catches, accounting for two-thirds of KJ Jackson’s passing production. That kind of workload can keep an offense afloat for a night, but it also points to a problem Ryan Silverfield still has to solve.
Marshall is a senior, this is his final year of eligibility, and once defenses start keying on him, the offense could bog down fast.
The ground game never really got going. Cam Settles had a few flashes, but his line was modest: 40 yards on 11 carries.
As a team, Arkansas averaged just 3.1 yards per carry. That’s the kind of number that forces a coach to rethink the approach, whether that means more quarterback runs for Jackson or changes up front to create better lanes for Settles.
Defensively, Ben Bogle kept showing why he’s been the most important leader on that side of the ball this season, even if the first two games didn’t exactly prove much. He finished with four tackles and a sack, and he also came up with a fumble recovery that set up an Arkansas drive that ended in points.
Still, there was enough slippage to notice. Tulsa was missing its breakout quarterback and was working behind what may have been the weakest offensive line Arkansas has seen since week one against North Alabama, yet the Golden Hurricanes still came close to 200 passing yards and were only taken down twice. The Razorbacks’ front did not consistently generate the kind of pressure that should have been there.
The final score may make the game look more comfortable than it really was. For much of the afternoon, it felt like one play could have flipped the whole thing, right up until the middle of the fourth quarter. If Arkansas wants any real shot at winning a conference game, the line has to do more - especially in the trenches, where the game was still hanging in the balance far longer than the scoreboard suggested.
In Other News...
Arkansas Depth Chart Sends A Clear Message Before Texas A&M
Arkansas Week 5 depth chart offered a fairly straightforward snapshot as the Razorbacks turn their attention to Texas A&M, with KJ Jackson staying locked in at quarterback and Sutton Smith still listed as the lead back. Even with that stability, there is at least one backfield wrinkle worth watching, because Cam Settles has picked up more carries lately and is beginning to carve out a larger role as the offense gets deeper into conference play.
The rest of the chart fills in the picture across both sides of the ball, laying out where the staff currently sees its first-string options and how the rotation is taking shape. For Arkansas, the release is less about surprises than it is about clarity, but these weekly listings can also hint at where competition is still alive and where the coaches are comfortable leaving things alone heading into a tougher SEC test. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Has A Real Opening In Texas A&Ms Biggest Weakness
Arkansas heads into its Week 5 matchup with Texas A&M at 2-2, and the timing is interesting after the Razorbacks bounced back with a solid win over Tulsa. There were still some rough edges for KJ Jackson, but the quarterback did show improvement, and that matters as Arkansas looks for signs it can carry momentum into a conference game against a team that just took a loss to LSU.
Marcel Reed has been the bigger concern on the other sideline, with his recent struggles putting Texas A&Ms offense under a brighter spotlight than usual. Mike Elko has already said Reed will remain the starter against Arkansas, which sets up a clear point of attention in a matchup between two teams trying to find some traction early in the season. For Arkansas, the opening is there if its defense can force the issue and keep Reed uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Heads To Kyle Field With One Big Offense Question
Arkansas heads to Kyle Field for an SEC matchup that should tell a lot about where the Razorbacks stand after a mixed start, with both teams sitting at 2-2 and coming off conference losses. It is the kind of early-season league game that can nudge a team back into the picture or leave it scrambling to recover, and the on-campus setting only adds to the feel that this one matters a little more than a typical September road trip.
For Arkansas, the larger concern is on offense, where the search for consistency has been the storyline even as the defense has tried to keep things manageable. Texas A&M brings a defense that will force the Razorbacks to prove they can move the ball cleanly and finish drives, and the answer to that question may say plenty about how competitive Arkansas can be as SEC play settles in. [Read more 🡒]