Arkansas is walking into Week 2 with plenty on the line, and the biggest question may not be about the Razorbacks at all. It may be about what Utah looks like under first-year head coach Morgan Scalley.
That was the message from Utah insider Steve Bartles, who joined the Chuck and Bo Show on Tuesday to break down the matchup in Salt Lake City. Bartles pointed to the offensive side of the ball as the clearest place Arkansas could notice a shift from the Kyle Whittingham era.
"I think one of the biggest differences we'll see is on the offensive side of the ball," Bartles said. "Kyle was very much a coach that was about game control and running the ball, preserving the defense. Those are still things that are valuable to Morgan Scalley, but he's talked a lot about being innovative and being on the cutting edge when it comes to schematics and coaching.
"I think he's going to lean a little bit more into the passing game than what we saw under Kyle Whittingham. I think there's gonna be more embracing of the quarterback position and the passing attack."
That would mark the most notable change, even if Bartles expects plenty of the same Utah identity to remain intact.
"There's just going to be more of an emphasis on the passing game than what we've seen with Kyle Whittingham," Bartles said. "That's probably going to be the most noticeable difference. Otherwise, it's going to be a lot of the same principles and culture and behavior that we've seen from Utah the last 10 years."
The numbers from 2025 show why that possibility matters. Utah finished first in the Big 12 in offense, averaging 483 yards and 41.3 points per game. But that production was powered by a ground game that rolled for 266 rushing yards per contest, while the passing attack accounted for just 216 yards per game, which ranked 11th in the league.
If Scalley does open things up through the air, Arkansas will need its rebuilt secondary ready fast. The Razorbacks are bringing back a veteran group that includes Jahiem "Joker" Johnson, Shelton Lewis, Christian Harrison and La'Khi Roland, and that unit is trying to change the story after a 2025 season in which Arkansas gave up 11 pass plays of 40 yards or more, ranking No. 107 in the FBS, and 239 passing yards per game, which ranked No. 104.
The matchup is also a rare one. Arkansas and Utah have never played each other on the gridiron, though the Razorbacks did have success the last time they traveled to the Beehive State. In 2022, Arkansas went to Provo and beat BYU 52-35 before falling to the Cougars in Fayetteville in 2023.
For Arkansas, the stakes are plain enough. A win over Utah would quiet some of the noise around first-year head coach Ryan Silverfield and put the Razorbacks on firmer ground in the chase for a bowl berth. A loss would only turn up the volume.
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