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Arkansas hoping for big game from Rhoads, secondary against TCU
By Brad Joyal
Published:
Although coaches are under the microscope at every program, nobody criticizes position coaches quite like SEC fans. Because the coaches are often highly paid, their respective units are carefully watched and critiqued on a week-by-week basis.
This week, the Razorbacks’ first-year defensive backs coach, Paul Rhoads, will have a chance to start earning his $350,000 annual salary when Arkansas travels to Fort Worth, Texas to meet former Southwest Conference rival TCU.
After allowing Louisiana Tech to throw for 212 passing yards in their opener, the Razorbacks will have their hands full against a Horned Frogs passing attack which went for 439 yards against South Dakota State in Week 1.
With cornerback Kevin Richardson sidelined for the rest of the season after tearing his pectoral muscle against the Bulldogs last week, Rhoads will have the tall task of making sure his secondary is ready to stop TCU’s elusive quarterback Kenny Hill.
During his weekly teleconference, head coach Bret Bielema said this week’s matchup is as much about his coaches as it is his players.
“One of the coaching clichés that everybody believes in and should, is that the things that you believe can help you win takes place between game one and game two,” Bielema said. “We say that all the time about players, I said it to my coaches as well. I expect to have a big game from them. Whether it’s their position group or things they’re responsible for, I expect to see a big game.”
Replacing Richardson is hardly simple as he entered the season as the defense’s top nickel back and as a key reserve at both corner and safety. Fortunately for Rhoads and his unit, senior DJ Dean will return at corner after he sat out Week 1 to nurse a hamstring injury. Rhoads will likely count on Ryan Pulley, who took over at boundary corner once Richardson left the game, to help stabilize the unit.
However, this week’s matchup will be significantly tougher for Rhoads and the defensive backs than Louisiana Tech was. For starters, the Horned Frogs have three different wide receivers that seemed to gel with Hill, the Texas A&M transfer, in their opener.
Taj Williams led the receiving efforts in Week 1 with 11 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Jaelan Austin (2 catches, 64 yards, 1 TD) and KaVontae Turpin (7 catches, 62 yards) also made an impact against the Jackrabbits’ secondary. They were just three of eight players who posted at least 20 receiving yards in the opener.
Not to mention the play of Hill, who Bielema said looks comfortable in TCU head coach Gary Patterson’s offense.
“He’s a much-improved player — not that he was a bad player to begin with. He was a good player that had enough to beat us,” Bielema said in reference to seeing Hill when he was with the Aggies. “But now in Gary’s system, and offensively with what they do, I think it fits him very well. He’s very elusive in the pocket, which allows him to make plays behind the line of scrimmage and big plays down the field. He’s going to be a tremendous task for us on Saturday.”
After posting a 32-55 record in his seven years as the Iowa State head coach, Rhoads went to Arkansas to play against the best competition the country has to offer. Before the Razorbacks begin SEC play, he’ll now get an early opportunity to prove his worth on Saturday. If Arkansas is to leave Texas with an upset, the defensive backs will need to have a big game against Hill and the Horned Frogs’ talented crop of receivers.
The same can be said about their position coach.
