Preseason second team All-SEC cornerback Dwight McGlothern's up-and-down senior season with Arkansas has seemingly taken an unexpected turn.
Though he's dealt with a couple of injuries this year, McGlothern was healthy and available for the Hogs' 7-3 loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 21 prior to the bye week. The highest graded (89.9) Razorback defender by Pro Football Focus, McGlothern didn't play a snap against the Bulldogs.
After exiting the matchup against Texas A&M on Sept. 30 with a concussion, McGlothern sat out the games against Ole Miss and Alabama. That was the second injury for McGlothern this season, as he suffered a turf toe injury that kept him out of all but one snap against Kent State in Week 2 as well.
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman spoke Monday about what's been going on with McGlothern.
"He was full-go (against Mississippi State)," Pittman said. "He's still trying to work his way into playing time, but he was full-go. He was able to play last week, it's just right now he's not starting for us."
Nicknamed "Nudie," McGlothern has totaled 154 snaps on the season according to PFF and he has made nine total tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and one forced fumble in five games for Arkansas.
"Nudie is a good player and I look for him to continue to compete," Pittman said. "It just is what it is right now. He certainly can earn that spot back. I expect him… great kid… to battle his butt off to get it back."
According to PFF, McGlothern has a 70.4 run defense grade, 77.6 tackling grade, 64.0 pass rush grade and 89.7 coverage grade on the year.
Without McGlothern, the Razorbacks' defense has done a good job holding opponents down. In the three games without him, the unit has allowed 27 points (Ole Miss), 24 points (Alabama) and 7 points (Mississippi State).
"There’s a lot of confidence there," Pittman said of the defense. "I will say this: this is a good offense we’re getting ready to play. Good offensive line, really good receivers, quarterback and running backs are good, really good offensive schematics, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.
"I think we’ll be as healthy as we’ve been on both sides of the ball as we’ve been all year. I guess that’s what bye weeks are for."
Going up against a Florida Gators' offense that ranks 52nd in yards per game (411.4), 88th in rushing offense (137.2), 36th in passing offense (274.1) and 66th in scoring offense (28.0), Arkansas will have its work cut out for them in "The Swamp."
Starting for Florida is quarterback Graham Mertz, who has completed 195 passes for 2,127 yards and 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
"A lot of play action, a lot of naked throws, a lot of bubbles," Pittman said. "Not a lot of shots. Not a lot of long balls, let’s say that. They attempt those, but I would say a majority of their passes are within that 10 yards and under. On fourth down against South Carolina, they threw one out there about plus-3 and they needed 11 and the guy just made a play. They’ve got two — they got more, but 1 and 3 as wideouts are really good players.
"But they’re not asking him (Graham Mertz), to me, to sit in there and read the full field all the time. Now they do, obviously, but to me, they run a lot of things that he can do and he does well. Therefore, they’re not putting him in a lot of positions where he’s throwing it up for grabs."
The Razorbacks' secondary will have a tough time defending the Gators' passing attack, and McGlothern's reemergence would go a long way in stopping their top wide receivers.
Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) will travel to Gainesville, Florida, to face the Florida Gators (5-3, 3-2 SEC) this Saturday. The game is set to kick off at 11:00 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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