Open week arrives at perfect time for 2-2 Razorbacks
A week of rest before gearing up to take on No. 7-ranked Texas A&M at Kyle Field is just what the doctor ordered for the 2-2 Arkansas Razorbacks.
Since the start of the season four weeks ago, the Hogs have had injuries (or other absences) to at least 14 players on the depth chart.
"We have to get healthy," Sam Pittman said after the win over Ole Miss. "We definitely have to get healthy. So we won’t do as much hitting as maybe teams in my past that I’ve been associated with have."
Offensively, the Razorbacks have seen injuries so far to Rakeem Boyd, Treylon Burks, Hudson Henry and Noah Gatlin. It took two weeks to get Boyd and Burks back while Henry and Gatlin bounced back for the next game. Even though the four are now back on offense, they weren't all playing at 100% on Saturday.
"Y’all saw, I mean, (Treylon) probably played about 80 percent," Pittman said. "He’s a great football player. But he wasn’t healthy today. I mean, he was healthy enough to play, but he wasn’t his regular self, so I anticipate his touches going up."
Even at 80%, Burks still made the catch of his life (so far) and put up over 180 total yards. The Razorbacks will need a similar performance against the Aggies.
The Arkansas offense has done a good job overcoming their injury deficiencies with Trelon Smith, Blake Kern, De'Vion Warren and Dalton Wagner all stepping up to the challenge but there's an even greater chance Arkansas would be 3-1 right now if the starters had been available for Auburn.
Defensively, Arkansas has been hit much harder by the injury bug.
Listed as a starter in week one, Dorian Gerald hasn't been available since Georgia due to an ankle injury. Backup defensive end Mataio Soli is now playing with a club on his hand for the second consecutive season. Gerald could potentially return for the A&M game but the status on Soli's hand is unknown.
The Razorbacks were so thin at linebacker on Saturday against Ole Miss that they played freshman walk-on Jackson Woodard for snaps. Bumper Pool suffered an injury against Auburn that sidelined him and his timetable to return is to be determined. Grant Morgan who also got injured against Auburn, played on Saturday with a brace on his elbow. Typically a reliable backup, Deon Edwards was also unavailable Saturday.
In the secondary, Arkansas has had injuries to starting corners Montaric Brown and Jerry Jacobs, as well as, presumably, Myles Slusher who was unavailable Saturday for the safeties. Jacobs was able to contribute 38 snaps on Saturday but it's unclear whether he's 100% since he's still splitting reps with true freshman Khari Johnson.
Unlike the offense, the defense hasn't been hindered on the field by their rash of injuries and absences at all. The backups have more than risen to the occasion, making the two practice weeks leading up to the A&M game an opportunity for some of them to steal a job.
Normally, teams use bye weeks as an opportunity to rest guys on the two-deep and get more work in for the younger players but Pittman thinks his young Hogs are already getting plenty developed, and in the moments that matter.
"The young kids are being developed right out there in the stadium," Pittman mused. "On Saturday you know, so I don’t think that’s needed to be done next week."
Eleven of the Razorbacks true freshmen have already seen the field on a gameday this season with seven playing in three or all four games. Eight scholarship signees are waiting their turn: DT Andy Boykin, WR Darin Turner, S Jaccorei Turner, LB Kelin Burrle, LB J.T. Towers, TE Collin Sutherland, OL Jalen St. John and OL Ray Curry.
Even banged up, the Hogs have shown they can duke it out with the leaders in the SEC so with a week of rest, it wouldn't be surprising to see some folks picking Pittman's guys in an upset in College Station. Arkansas has come within one score of a victory against the Aggies the last three matchups, a healthy squad could make all the difference this go around.
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