FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Arkansas Razorbacks are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, the second in as many seasons, but are looking to get back on track on the road against BYU on Saturday.
One key piece to getting back in the win column is the return of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson, who will make lead the offense after sitting out last weekend with an head injury.
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said Jefferson's threat of running and ability to take care of the ball will help the offense with their red zone struggles.
"I think the good part of it is we have KJ as a runner," Pittman said. "We’ve turned the ball over in the red zone, that’s hurt us."
In Arkansas' loss to Mississippi State last weekend, the offense produced a whopping 483 yards of offense, but only put up 17 points. The Hogs left points on the field against the Bulldogs, coming up short on fourth down in the red zone twice. One of those instances was at the Mississippi State one-yard line.
"I’ve always believed that if you can run the ball consistently in the red zone that you’re going to score, which we haven’t done that on a consistent basis," Pittman said. "And I think we need to move the pocket a little bit more to get KJ out on the edge and get him a run-pass option out there and he’s been good with that. Obviously we need to score more touchdowns and some of those are the reasons we haven’t, probably."
For the season, Arkansas ranks 116th in college football in red zone opportunities. Out of 26 appearances inside the 20-yard line, the Hogs have only scored 15 touchdowns. Saturday's opponent, BYU, is not much better, ranking 100th in the country with 14 touchdowns on 25 appearances.
Where Arkansas will likely find the most success in the red zone is on the ground. Notre Dame, who beat BYU 28-20 last weekend, was able to run at will against the Cougars. The Fighting Irish finished with 234 rushing yards, which was almost 70 yards more than their season average of 174.8.
As for the BYU defense, they rank 63rd in the nation in red zone defense. In 28 red zone opportunities, the Cougars' opponents have scored on 23. Of those attempts, 16 have ended in the end zone and seven were field goals.
Notre Dame was 2-3 in the red zone last weekend, scoring a 19-yard touchdown and a chip-shot field goal.
Jefferson was cleared to play on Monday, and will start on Saturday. Pittman said on Wednesday that the signal-caller has looked "sharp" during practice this week.
Arkansas and BYU are scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT inside LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. The game will air on ESPN.
