Five questions answered after Arkansas' 31-24 win over Cincinnati
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The No. 19 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated No. 23 Cincinnati 31-24 on Saturday, marking the first ranked win on opening week since 1974, when Dennis "Dirt" Winston led the Arkansas defense to a 22-7 win over USC at War Memorial Stadium.
Saturday's game answered five questions HawgBeat asked earlier this week. Here are the answers to those questions:
1. Can Arkansas keep the penalties to a minimum?
In the 2021 season opener against Rice, Arkansas committed 13 penalties for 117 yards. In 2022, however, Arkansas cut that number nearly in half, committing just seven for 63 yards. To compare, Arkansas had less penalties in the game than Cincinnati had lost helmets (10).
Where they will need to improve next week is the holding calls. The Hogs had two big ones committed by skill players, Trey Knox and Jadon Haselwood, to call back two big runs and kill momentum on drives.
2. Will the defensive line be able to get pressure?
Perhaps the biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter with 9:42 left, when Georgia Tech transfer Jordan Domineck sacked Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant, forcing a fumble that turned into a 32-yard touchdown pass to Trey Knox that would eventually win the game.
While at times it looked like Bryant could eat a full-course meal in the pocket, by and large the defense was able to cause a lot of problems in the backfield. The Hogs finished with three sacks, one by Domineck, one by Drew Sanders and one by both Zach Williams and Landon Jackson. They also had eight tackles for loss.
The defensive line looked the part against a veteran offensive line that has played against some of the best teams in the nation in recent years.
3. How will the wide receivers step up in Treylon Burk's absence?
The trio of freshmen, Isaiah Sategna, Sam Mbake and Quincy McAdoo did not see much playing time in Saturday's contest, but the guys who did see action played well. Haselwood caught a touchdown pass in the second half on a back-shoulder throw to give the Hogs a 21-7 lead. He finished with three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown.
KJ Jefferson started the game with a long completion to Matt Landers, who finished with three receptions for 43 yards. Warren Thompson was quiet Saturday, only catching two passes.
Jefferson complete passes to six different players, though, so the passing game seems to be functioning well after Week 1.
4. Will the running backs step up with Dominique Johnson out?
Raheim Sanders took the majority of the snaps at running back on Saturday. He finished with 117 yards on 20 carries, averaging a whopping 5.9 yards per carry. In 2021, the Hogs averaged 229.4 yards per game rushing, and they finished Saturday's contest with 224.
One big piece of the running game was true freshman Rashod Dubinion. He had just two carries for 18 yards, but also caught a screen pass out of the backfield that he took 29 yards down the field to set up the previously-mentioned Haselwood touchdown.
5. Who starts at quarterback for Cincinnati?
Ben Bryant got the start for the Bearcats, and only missed one snap when his helmet came off after a sack in the third quarter. He finished the game 26-of-43, passing for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
The game might have played differently had Bryant been a little more accurate on some of his throws. Multiple times in the first half, Cincinnati's wide receivers were able to get behind the Arkansas secondary, only to have Bryant overthrow them and leave points on the board.
