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Fresh faces at skill positions starting off strong for Arkansas
By John Crist
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One of the more pleasant surprises so far in the SEC has been Arkansas, which is off to a 2-0 start in the West.
The Razorbacks are still celebrating a thrilling double-overtime victory over then-No. 15 TCU. It was the sort of game coach Bret Bielema has become known for in Fayetteville. Late lead changes, trick plays, blocked kicks — this one had it all.
While Bielema is clearly a good coach and seems to have his program pointed in the right direction, many expected 2016 to be a bit of a step-back year for the Hogs. The offense had some big holes to fill. Quarterback Brandon Allen, running back Alex Collins and tight end Hunter Henry in particular were all special players.
On the other side of the ball, while they stopped the run well a season ago, defending the pass was a major issue.
But aside from the measurables, this is a team that got off to some slow starts the past two years — before finally getting hot later in the campaign. A few big September wins is just what Dr. Bielema ordered.
In 2014, Arkansas was 4-5 before upsetting a pair of ranked division rivals, LSU and Ole Miss, to become bowl eligible for the first time under Bielema. And then last season, a shocking loss at home in Week 2 to Toledo was the beginning of a three-game losing streak. But the Razorbacks dug out of a 1-3 hole to finish 8-5.
Saturday, the Razorbacks watched a 13-point lead in the third quarter turn into an eight-point deficit, which might have buried some squads.
“There was no flinch,” Bielema said after the game, according to 247Sports. “We never yielded. The scars of the past are great reminders of what you want to accomplish in the future. Our guys have been scarred. We’ve lost some close games and stubbed our toe a bit early on, but this group has always asked, ‘Why not us?’”
With a minute left to play in regulation, quarterback Austin Allen (above) — yes, that’s Brandon Allen’s little brother — found receiver Keon Hatcher for a 16-yard TD to draw the Hogs within two. Only a two-point conversion would extend the game.
Bielema’s play call was a gutsy one. Arkansas had Hatcher run the reverse from the right side of the field. A left-handed thrower, Hatcher then lofted the ball toward the corner of the end zone. Waiting to reel it in was none other than Allen, who slid into the left flat following the initial handoff before the reverse to Hatcher.
The Razorbacks had tied the game at 28, stunned the crowd in Ft. Worth and hit the reset button going into extra time.
“It was at the back of our playbook, and we needed it,” Allen said. “It worked pretty well.”
After the two teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, the Horned Frogs were forced to settle for a field goal in the second. Allen drove the final nail in the coffin from the 5, powering across the goal line on a designed QB run.
Wrapped around a “neutral site” game with Texas A&M in Arlington on Sept. 24 is Texas State in Fayetteville and Alcorn State in the Hogs’ home away from home, Little Rock. At worst, Bielema and Co. should be 4-1 before getting into the meat of their conference schedule. A 5-0 start isn’t out of the question.
Arkansas made its first appearance of the season in both the AP and Coaches polls Sunday, settling in at No. 24 in each.
“We’ve stumbled out of the gate, and it’s something that’s helped us build,” said offensive tackle Dan Skipper (below). “We could have fallen over, but we got the win.”
If not for Skipper’s heroics, the Razorbacks never would have made OT. Quarterback Kenny Hill — the same Kenny Hill that beat the Hogs at Texas A&M in 2014 — drove TCU into field-goal range with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
But the 6-foot-10, 319-pound Skipper reached into the air and knocked down the 28-yard attempt from Horned Frogs kicker Ryan Graf. Typically, offensive linemen only get their names mentioned during the broadcast when they miss a block or get called for a holding penalty. Skipper proved to be just as big a star as Allen or Hatcher.
Another hero making a name for himself at Arkansas is running back Rawleigh Williams III, who took over for the prolific Collins.
“We’re a tough football team,” Williams said. “This is what we’ve (been) built to do. We’re a hard-nosed football team. When things get tough, we overcome adversity and win.”
Williams was productive on the ground from start to finish, recording 137 yards on 28 carries. Through two games, he’s the third-leading rusher in the league — behind household names Ralph Webb and Nick Chubb — with 233 yards.
Clearly a courageous young man, Williams suffered a scary neck injury against Auburn that ended his 2015 prematurely. With highly touted freshman Devwah Whaley joining the roster this fall, it was fair to wonder if Williams would ever get his chance to be the bell cow for one of college football’s signature rushing attacks.
Instead, Williams has 52 carries in two weeks and appears to be 100-percent recovered. He’s Bielema’s ideal Hog: scarred but not scared.
“We don’t try to cover them up,” Bielema said, continuing with the scar metaphor. “We embrace them. In four years, these guys have seen a lot of things. And, man, those scars are being remembered in a great way right now. I think we’re a very, very good football team right now. I hope people will take notice of that.”
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.
