Size Comparison: How Arkansas and Western Carolina stack up
As Arkansas and Western Carolina prepare to face off this Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, HawgBeat decided to take a look at how the two teams stack up based on stats from the 2022 season and size for the starters.
On paper, the Razorbacks have a massive talent advantage over the Catamounts, who come from the FCS ranks. Arkansas has one former five-star and eight former four-star recruits compared to none for Western Carolina. The Hogs also have 11 players who were at least a three-star prospect compared to zero for the Catamounts.
In total, Western Carolina has six players who were rated by Rivals out of high school — all of whom were two-star prospects.
Highlighting the Western Carolina squad is running back Desmond Reid, who was rated as a two-star in the 2022 class out of Miramar, Florida. As a freshman last season, Reid ran the ball 117 times for 824 yards and four touchdowns. Going into 2023, he was selected by the league’s coaches as preseason First Team All-Southern Conference.
The average weight of Arkansas' 22 starters is 250.64 pounds, compared to Western Carolina's average weight of 234.77 pounds. The Razorbacks outweigh the Catamounts by nearly 26 pounds on the defensive line and nine pounds on the offensive line.
Here's a look at how both teams stack up based on stats last season, plus weight and height entering this season.
2022 Stat Comparison - Western Carolina | Arkansas
Offense (Western Carolina | Arkansas)
Scoring: 31.9 PPG | 32.5 PPG
Total yards: 485.4 | 471.4
Passing: 301.1 | 234.7
Rushing: 184.3 | 236.7
Third downs: 40.7% | 45.9%
Sacks allowed: 21 | 31
Turnovers: 26 | 18
Defense (Western Carolina | Arkansas)
Scoring: 31.9 PPG | 30.6 PPG
Total yards: 390.5 | 405.1
Passing: 207.7 | 294.7
Rushing: 182.7 | 170.5
Third downs: 45.5% | 45.0%
Sacks: 32 | 42
Turnovers: 10 | 18
| Arkansas | Height, Weight | Western Carolina | Height, Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
|
QB KJ Jefferson |
6'3", 247 lbs |
QB Cole Gonzales |
6'0", 195 lbs |
|
RB Rocket Sanders |
6'2", 242 lbs |
RB Desmond Reid |
5'8", 170 lbs |
|
TE Luke Hasz |
6'3", 242 lbs |
TE Ajay Belanger |
6'3", 245 lbs |
|
WR Andrew Armstrong |
6'4", 201 lbs |
WR Censere Lee |
5'11", 170 lbs |
|
WR Isaac TeSlaa |
6'4", 216 lbs |
WR David White Jr. |
6'4", 200 lbs |
|
WR Isaiah Sategna |
5'11", 180 lbs |
WR Calvin Jones |
5'10", 180 lbs |
|
LT Andrew Chamblee |
6'6", 304 lbs |
LT Tyler Smith |
6'8", 310 lbs |
|
LG Brady Latham |
6'5", 312 lbs |
LG Christian Coulter |
6'5", 320 lbs |
|
C Beaux Limmer |
6'5", 307 lbs |
C Blake Whitmore |
6'2", 295 lbs |
|
RG Joshua Braun |
6'6", 348 lbs |
RG Caleb Carter |
6'3", 300 lbs |
|
RT Patrick Kutas |
6'5", 313 lbs |
RT Derek Simmons |
6'6", 315 lbs |
|
DE Landon Jackson |
6'7", 281 lbs |
DE Caleb Fisher |
6'3", 240 lbs |
|
DT Taurean Carter |
6'3", 303 lbs |
NOSE Marlon Alexander |
6'0", 305 lbs |
|
DT Eric Gregory |
6'4", 318 lbs |
DT Jaquarius Guinn |
6'2", 280 lbs |
|
DE Trajan Jeffcoat |
6'4", 281 lbs |
BNDT Jayelin Davis |
6'0", 255 lbs |
|
LB Chris Paul Jr. |
6'1", 233 lbs |
LB Hayward McQueen |
6'1", 195 lbs |
|
LB Jordan Crook |
6'0", 220 lbs |
LB Va Lealaimatafao |
6'1", 230 lbs |
|
NB Lorando Johnson |
6'0", 193 lbs |
LB Ed Jones IV |
6'1", 205 lbs |
|
CB Dwight McGlothern |
6'2", 188 lbs |
CB Rod Gattison |
6'0", 190 lbs |
|
CB Jaheim Singletary |
6'2", 187 lbs |
CB CJ Williams |
5'10", 170 lbs |
|
S Alfahiym Walcott |
6'2", 210 lbs |
S Andreas Keaton |
6'2", 190 lbs |
|
S Hudson Clark |
6'2", 188 lbs |
S Mateo Sudipo |
6'1", 205 lbs |