FAYETTEVILLE - When Chris Marshall went down with an apparent leg injury in the first half against Vanderbilt, Arkansas suddenly had to answer a bigger question than just who would fill his spot on the field.
The answer may have come in the second half.
Marshall, who leads the Razorbacks in receptions, yards and touchdowns, is expected back for the Battle Line Rivalry inside Razorback Stadium on Halloween night. On Wednesday, Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield said the team believes Marshall will be available for Missouri.
"He's doing well," Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield said of Marshall on Wednesday. "We have every thought and faith that he'll be ready to go for the Missouri game."
Even with Marshall sidelined, the Razorbacks found a way to move the ball through the air. KJ Jackson completed passes to 12 different receivers against Vanderbilt, a sign that the offense didn’t have to live and die with one target.
AJ Jordan led the way with five catches for 74 yards. Jamari Hawkins added two receptions for 44 yards, including a key fourth-quarter grab that helped put Max Gilbert in field goal range.
Tight end Ty Lockwood also made his presence felt, finishing with three receptions for 26 yards in what might have been his best outing yet under Morgan Turner. Monte Harrison chipped in a 37-yard catch in the third quarter as well.
Silverfield said he understands why Jackson has leaned so heavily on Marshall. The wideout has been that productive. But the coach also pointed to the value of going through the full progression when the first option isn’t there.
"Listen, we've talked about this in here before. It's hard to blame [Jackson] to look for Chris Marshall," Silverfield said.
"Chris has obviously been ultra-productive and a very talented young man, and I'm glad he's here. I think part of it, KJ has got to continue to trust the full reads, and that's one of those things.
He's done a nice job. Then that game, well, can't look for Chris Marshall to be my first read."
"Okay, where's the second and third? Seeing other guys step up, I think one of the things I was so happy with is that we had 12 different guys catch the ball, and that's part of it.
You hope it wasn't due to an injury, but I think KJ is now, 'We trust this guy. We trust this guy.'
He's always had great faith in those that are catching the football. But in that game, sometimes maybe my eyes get off that read a little bit quicker and go through my progression.
So hopefully, we'll continue to progress with that."
Marshall’s return would obviously give Arkansas a lift as it tries to settle in more consistently in the passing game. But Vanderbilt may have shown something useful for the stretch ahead: Jackson can spread the ball around and still keep the offense moving.
That matters heading into Missouri, which is allowing 263.8 passing yards per game against SEC opponents. If Jackson can carry over the rhythm he found with receivers beyond Marshall, Arkansas’ aerial attack could become a much tougher problem to solve.
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