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FAYETTEVILLE — Just as it did last season, Arkansas quarterback battle will extend into game week.

Speaking to the media for the first time since Wednesday’s scrimmage, head coach Chad Morris said Thursday that he was not yet ready to name Ben Hicks or Nick Starkel the starter for next week’s opener against Portland State.

“We’re going to name one next week at some point,” Morris said. When asked if they could both play against the Vikings, he said he wasn’t sure and that “the game will dictate a lot of that.”

That means Morris will likely have a tough conversation with whoever loses the battle and begins the season as a backup. However, that’s to be expected with two ultra-competitive players.

“These guys are professionals so they understand,” Morris said. “They understand that there is only one guy we’re going to run out there. They also understand because they’ve been around the game of football long enough that when their opportunity does arise, they better be ready for it.”

The Razorbacks are one of three schools left in the SEC that haven’t named a starter for Week 1 of the regular season. The others are Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, who have a returning backup (Keytaon Thompson and Deuce Wallace) competing with a transfer (Tommy Stevens from Penn State and Riley Neal from Ball State).