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FAYETTEVILLE — After four consecutive poor starts by Nick Starkel and Ben Hicks, head coach Chad Morris finally made a change at quarterback earlier this week.
The two graduate transfers completed 38.9 percent of their passes for just 3.6 yards per attempt and five interceptions with only one touchdown over Arkansas’ last four games, leading to the switch.
Now redshirt freshman John Stephen Jones is set to make his first career start - something he found out from Morris on Sunday, the day after a 54-24 loss to Mississippi State.
“He just said, ‘Get ready,’ and he threw me in with the ones Sunday at practice,” Jones said. “That’s how kind of how it went.”
Jones said there was no formal announcement to the team. In fact, senior McTelvin Agim seemed genuinely surprised when reporters asked about the change after Tuesday’s practice.
“I guess it’s good to switch it up,” Agim said. “I know that’s what the fans have been wanting. Honestly, whoever’s going to win the game for us, I’m cool with it. Whoever’s going to get the ball and run the offense how it needs to be ran, I’m cool with whatever, honestly.”
In Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs, Jones led a 12-play, 59-yard drive capped by a perfectly thrown 11-yard touchdown pass to Mike Woods on a fade route.
It was actually the second straight week he’s done that, as he was also behind center for the Razorbacks’ lone score at Alabama - an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cheyenne O’Grady that put the finishing touches on an 85-yard drive that took 13 plays.
The two drives took just over 14 total minutes of game time. For comparison, none of Arkansas’ other 23 drives the last two weeks lasted more than 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
“I was just going into every week with the feeling that there is a chance you are going to play,” Jones said. “Because when you get thrown in, you never know when it is going to be and you just have to be ready.”
Jones’ first start - much like fellow 2018 signee Connor Noland’s last year - comes in the Razorbacks’ final non-conference game of the season. Kickoff against Western Kentucky is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Game No. 2 for Jefferson
Arguably the most exciting moment of the season came late in that blowout loss to Mississippi State, when true freshman quarterback KJ Jefferson made his collegiate debut and promptly took the Razorbacks down the field for a touchdown.
The few fans remaining inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium when he scored on a 5-yard run erupted, as did his teammates on the sideline - despite the fact that it made the score 48-24.
“We’ve been having trouble moving the ball down the field, basically running the offense how it needed to be ran,” Agim said. “When you finally see it happen, especially with a freshman, for the seniors it’s like a ‘Thank you’ because you’re still fighting for us and we appreciate that.”
