When it comes to explosive plays, the Arkansas offense and defense have been polar opposites through the first two games of the season — and not in the way one might expect.
Led by quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, the Dan Enos' coached Razorback offense was expected to have the upper hand on the defense in the early goings of the season, but the reverse has been true.
Against Western Carolina in Week 1, the Razorbacks allowed 13 points while the Catamounts averaged just 9.1 yards per passing completion and 2.1 yards per rushing attempt.
In Week 2, Kent State did have a higher pass completion average of 15.8 yards, but the Golden Flashes were stopped in their tracks with only 0.7 yards per rush attempt in the 28-6 loss to the Hogs.
"Well we haven’t cut anybody loose behind us," head coach Sam Pittman said Monday. "We’re not giving easy points. We have had a few (missed assignments) underneath routes and things of that nature. We got picked the other night in a 3-by-1, that they end up making that bigger play for us. We were in man coverage, but I think right now we’re swarming the ball well.
"But no, I’ve been really proud of our defense. I put them in a bad situation. Goal line, they stopped them. You might say they got down there. Well, teams are going to get down there on you. But for two field goals in that game, been really proud, and situational ball I think we’ve been a lot better than what we have been in the past."
The Razorbacks had just four plays go for 18 yards or more in each of the games against Western Carolina and Kent State. While there have been sparks, such as a 65-yard touchdown from Jaedon Wilson against the Catamounts, the consistency hasn't been there yet.
On the flip side, the Arkansas offense is ranked 95th out of 133 FBS teams in yards per play (4.7). This is somewhat worrisome considering that Western Carolina and Kent State both have far less talent on their respective rosters compared to the Razorbacks.
"I thought the second game, you know if you look at us on offense, we didn’t hardly have any explosive plays," Pittman said. "Explosive plays are what you need for a lot of reasons."
A lack of explosiveness can be attributed to some untimely drops and poorly placed balls in the passing game, especially against Kent State.
"Well, we weren’t exactly throwing and catching it great," Pittman said. "I don’t really know if, if we catch a couple of those third down ones that I would go ‘we’re not able to get open.’ You know what I mean? KJ threw the one into just an area, that (Isaac) TeSlaa went and got but they had two on him or three on him.
"So I’m not too worried about that right now. We caught the ball really, really well Game 1, and then we had a couple drops that hurt us, so we just gotta catch the ball. I don’t think KJ’s holding the ball too long back there."
If the Razorbacks are going to have a successful season, the offense will have to pick up the pace. Of course, it's not going to be near the pace of the up-tempo offense fans have watched for the past three seasons with former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles running the show.
Enos runs a more pro-style offense that will feature less possessions as a result of the slower pace. That means there will be less chances for explosive plays, although more should be expected moving forward as they will need to open the playbook more for higher-level opponents.
"It’s just a different offense," Pittman said. "I think that whenever you go hire new coordinators, that’s your biggest fear, that something that’s worked well in the past doesn’t any more. We’ve had our trouble running the ball the last two years at times, but we’ve been pretty consistent running the football.
"The concerns of the fans certainly, I can promise you we want to win and have success as bad as anybody. So that’s valid. We gotta find a way to fix it."
Defensive coordinator Travis Williams' group has been the highlight of the first two games, but the offense is primed to have a breakout soon.
The Hogs will welcome the BYU Cougars and their No. 26-ranked defense in the country on Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. The game is set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
