Arkansas football opens its 2024 season against UAPB in just four days at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, and second-year Golden Lions head coach Alonzo Hampton spoke to the media on Saturday to preview the matchup.
After finishing the 2023 season with a 2-9 overall record, UAPB is viewed as one of the worst Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in the country. Despite that, Hampton told THV11 that his team is excited about the opportunity.
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"(There) won't be any Golden Lions there that's afraid, there won't be any coaches that (are) afraid," Hampton said Saturday. "We're looking forward to an opportunity to go out there and showcase what our players can do, what our coaches can do and we're going to do it with a smile on our face and it'll be fun."
UAPB wide receiver JaVonnie Gibson provided bulletin board material for the Razorbacks' as well, as he seemed confident that his unit could take advantage of a "slow" Arkansas secondary. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Louisiana native transferred to UAPB from the University of Arkansas at Monticello over the offseason.
"In the backend, I don't think they can really cover that much," Gibson said Saturday. "They're big but they're slow. We've got a lot of fast receivers that can stretch the field out and our quarterback can throw the ball, that's what I like."
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Redshirt junior returner Mekhi Hagens was named UAPB's starting quarterback against Arkansas after beating out junior college transfer DJ Stevenson in fall camp. Last season, Hagens completed 53-of-117 passes for 580 yards and three touchdowns in nine games. He also ran for 163 yards and four scores on 65 attempts.
"He can do things that most people can't," Hampton said. "He can run and then he can flat-out throw the football. So, I just want him to be able to go out there and relax and play his best football game.
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"This young man deserves it. He worked his tail off, so he deserves his opportunity and then like I said, he took a big jump in a leadership role and that honestly put him over the hump, and our team believes in him."
Arkansas will kick off the 2024 season Thursday, Aug. 29, against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
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