Following the Arkansas Razorbacks' (2-1, 0-0 SEC) 37-27 win over UAB, head coach Sam Pittman gave an update on the health of some of the Hogs' players Monday.
Pittman once again provided an update on junior offensive lineman Patrick Kutas, who the Head Hog said is out for the upcoming game against the Tigers. Kutas received an MRI scan for a back injury Aug. 30, and was taken off Arkansas' official depth chart for the first time this week.
The only known notable in-game injury suffered during Arkansas' matchup against UAB was by redshirt sophomore starting center Addison Nichols, who played just three snaps against the Blazers before exiting with an ankle injury that Pittman revealed after the game was a previously-known issue during last week's practices.
"Nichols is better today than he was on Thursday of last week," Pittman said Monday. "So we thought he could play. Obviously he couldn’t. But I would anticipate him being ready to go."
Redshirt junior backup center Amaury Wiggins helped fill in for Nichols following his injury against UAB, but Pittman said the Razorbacks will be looking at other players such as redshirt junior Josh Street or Syracuse transfer Joe More for the position this week to help with depth.
"I think for his first game, (Wiggins) was fine," Pittman said. "He made some mistakes. We’re going to look at others as well to see if we can, you know, have competition there, where we push guys. Certainly, we’d like to have Nichols back, but we need a competition for the two-center, as well, and that’s what we’ll do this week."
After suffering a back injury against Oklahoma State that relegated him to limited action on the special teams unit against the Cowboys, redshirt senior defensive back Hudson Clark did not see the field versus the Blazers. Pittman said the Dallas native is "doubtful" heading into the Auburn game.
Finally, Pittman said he anticipates that sophomore cornerback Jaylon Braxton will play against Auburn after sitting out the UAB matchup. Braxton had been dealing with tendonitis and a bone bruise, according to Pittman.
For the first time this year, the SEC will provide availability reports for Arkansas players leading up to kickoff Saturday. The first update will be issued Wednesday, so stay tuned to HawgBeat for information on student-athlete status.
Up next, Arkansas will face off against the Auburn Tigers (2-1, 0-0 SEC) in the Razorbacks' SEC opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The game is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and it will be broadcast on ESPN.
