Storey takes advantage of opportunity, shines in season opener

FAYETTEVILLE – Long before Saturday’s kickoff, Arkansas scripted for Ty Storey to come into the game on its fourth series. It couldn’t have scripted how he’d perform.

Getting the first significant playing time of his career, the redshirt junior finally flashed the talent that made him a four-star recruit coming out of Charleston, Ark., in 2015.

Storey completed 12 of 17 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns and added 15 yards and another score on three carries while playing the entire second and third quarters of Arkansas’ 55-20 win over Eastern Illinois.

“He stepped up and played a heck of a game,” wide receiver LaMichael Pettway said. “It was expected. I never once doubted Ty. Once his number’s called, he always performs, so I never didn’t expect that.”

The Razorbacks struggled with Cole Kelley at quarterback during their first three possessions, gaining only 36 yards on 16 plays. They stuck to their plan and inserted Storey after the Panthers’ missed their second field goal of the game.

Facing a third-and-11, Storey hit Jordan Jones in stride over the middle for a 46-yard pick up. From that point on, it seemed like the offense started clicking. He completed a couple more passes and ran the ball to the 1 before Devwah Whaley punched it in for the first offensive touchdown of the game.

“It just felt like it took that one play and we all settled down and got into a rhythm,” Storey said. “When you have guys like that out there, you just get them the ball and they’ll convert. My job is not too hard.”

The next time Arkansas got the ball, it was on a short field. Storey completed consecutive passes to Pettway to cap the drive with another touchdown.

Storey said it was good to get the first touchdown pass of his career out of the way, but he nearly missed Pettway on the 14-yard score. The throw was slightly behind him and he lost his footing, catching the ball on his back.

“I probably should have put it in front of him a little more, made it a little easier for him,” Storey said. “I tried to kind of set him down, but there was no reason to. He made a great play.”

There was a three-and-out with Storey under center, but he responded by airing it out the next two possessions in the final two minutes of the half.

He hit Pettway – who finished with 93 yards on five receptions – on a 48-yard bomb and did the same with Jones – who finished with 132 yards on five receptions – from 57 yards out.

“Ty brought a good spark into the game,” Jones said. “He was making good reads, hitting the check downs, running it if he had to. He really put the ball on the money. He did a real good job, so I’m not surprised at all.”

In addition to his run that got Arkansas down to the 1, Storey also had a 10-yard keeper that picked up a first down and scored from 2 yards out early in the third quarter.

Although he is a pro-style quarterback, he did run quite a bit in high school. However, nearly four years have passed since he led Charleston down the field – primarily with his legs – to win the Class 3A state championship as a senior.

“I was pretty exhausted after that run, I don’t know why,” Storey said. “It was only like a 4-yard run or whatever, but it’s been a while since I had to do that.”

It has been a long time coming for Storey. During his first three years on campus, he appeared in only five games and was just 1 of 4 passing for three yards. Under the previous coaching staff, he played sparingly even in blowouts and fell to third-string behind Kelley last season.

Despite the lack of playing time, Storey has said numerous times that he never considered transferring and it finally paid off Saturday.

“College is different; it’s not high school any more,” Storey said. “We have a lot of talented dudes everywhere, so no matter what position you’re playing, you’re going to have to come in and work and sometimes wait for your turn.”

On the flip side, Kelley ended the game 9-of-12 passing for 92 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown to Austin Cantrell late in the game.

Head coach Chad Morris was non-committal about naming a starter for next week’s game at Colorado State and wants to watch the film before making a decision, but said you couldn’t ignore how Storey moved the ball down the field and got the ball in the end zone.

“We’re going to go back and reevaluate this and see,” Morris said. “ I do know this… Both of these guys have to be ready to play. They have to.

“It’s a long season. They have to get adequate reps, but in the same sentence, you have to get the ball in the end zone.”