With less than two minutes left in the season opener against UAPB, the Arkansas offense was faced with a rare occasion – a third down.
True freshman, third-string quarterback KJ Jackson rifled a 16-yard completion to tight end Shamar Easter for a first down. Mathematically, the game was over as the Hogs could kneel out the clock and mercifully end the bludgeoning.
Instead, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino kept his foot on the throat of the poor Lions. He sent the offense back out in shotgun formation, and Jackson ripped off another completion before running back Tyrell Reed Jr. eventually punched in another score to make it 70-0.
Ten drives. Ten touchdowns. The Razorback offense put on the football equivalent of a perfect game as the first look at Petrino’s second chance at Arkansas was a resounding success on Thursday night.
The grizzled 63-year-old stalked the sidelines like an evil emperor, hunched over with sunglasses on well after sunset and his master-plan play sheet in hand.
It wasn’t until the 10th and final touchdown that Petrino let go of himself a bit, removing his shades and finally letting a smile slip:
“I think I got tricked into that smile a little bit,” Petrino said on The Buzz 103.7 FM Morning Mayhem on Friday. “I had a couple of defensive players come up to me and start saying, ‘Coach, are you ever going to smile?’ I broke down and smiled, so you can blame that on the defensive guys.”
It’s About to Get Real vs Oklahoma State Football
More than a few Arkansas football fans waxed skeptical about such a massive victory given the competition level of the opponent. UAPB is not only an FCS school, but is also one the worst teams in its conference. That’s something Petrino acknowledged the morning after the game, saying the Hogs will have to work on flaws that were covered up against the Lions but could be exposed against stiffer competition.
“We do need to make sure we do a great job watching the video and correcting the errors that were out there that might not have been seen just simply because of the talent that we had compared to them,” he said on The Buzz 103.7 FM.
What were those errors? Petrino pointed to a few, starting with a couple missed throws from Green that got covered up by his highlight plays.
“Taylen was probably nervous, and didn’t really throw the post [route] the way he normally does in practice.”
The first drive of the game would be a good example of things to clean up. Green underthrew Broden on one play, Jordan Anthony dropped a pass and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson coughed up the football though, fortunately for him, it skittered out of bounds.
Later in the game, a wide-open CJ Brown was missed in the end zone. Long punt returns were also wiped out by penalties on multiple occasions.
All those drives eventually resulted in touchdowns. While errors like that can be easily overcome against the likes of UAPB, it’ll be a different beast entirely when the Hogs march into Stillwater next week to take on No. 17 Oklahoma State. Constant improvement is something Green said Petrino and the offense was striving for Thursday night.
“Even when we were up a lot, we were still watching film (on the iPads),” Green said. “He was still critiquing us on the different stuff that we can get better at. So that’s what I like. It’s always room for improvement.”
Quarterback Depth Shines for Arkansas Football
Arkansas fans who made the trek to scenic War Memorial Stadium were excited to see Green’s first action for the Hogs. Instead, they got more than they bargained for as not one, not two, but three quarterbacks spearheaded the offensive explosion.
Petrino said the ability to get reps for the second and third string players was something that will really help the team moving forward. That certainly explains his pedal-to-the-metal approach to the shortened second half, as Jackson and backup Malachi Singleton were both able to show their talents.
Petrino was particularly happy with Singleton’s performance, as the redshirt freshman went 8-10 for 120 yards in the second half. He was actually more efficient than Green, with a better completion percentage and yards per attempt than QB1 – which compelled former Razorback signal caller Clint Stoerner to suggest there might be a position battle on the horizon.
“[Singleton] is very, very intelligent. He’s got a quick release. Didn’t get to see him run as much as I thought we might last night, but he certainly can do that,” Petrino said. “I was impressed with the way he got the ball out of his hand on time and the accuracy with which he threw.”
The offensive coordinator also offered praise of Green’s leadership qualities, which echoes similar comments made by head coach Sam Pittman in the offseason.
“What really makes Taylen Green is the man that he is and the way he came in here and the leadership that he’s shown,” Petrino said. “He makes everybody around him better and that’s what a great leader and great player is supposed to do.”
Morning Mayhem co-host David Bazzel noted that Green was the first to congratulate Singleton and Jackson on the sideline after their touchdown drives. The Boise State transfer put on a show himself in the first half, as he put up 317 total yards and four total touchdowns.
First Impressions Heading Into Week Two
It was certainly a more convincing opening statement for Arkansas than its week one performance against Western Carolina last season. While the Hogs won that contest by a gaudy scoreline of 56-13, early cracks in the foundation were showing – such as the team’s paltry 2.9 yards per carry on the ground. Those flaws were later exposed during the long, grueling 4-8 campaign that followed.
This beatdown of UAPB was definitely a more decisive all-around victory, especially on the ground, where the Hogs averaged a blistering 8.5 yards per carry. But as Petrino said – it’s hard to see what you’ve really got until you play a tougher team. That test will come next Saturday against the Pokes, a team that will surely keep Petrino up at night. It seems that’s a challenge that won’t bother him much, though, judging by his comments about the early-morning time slot for his appearance on The Buzz.
“I don’t sleep a lot anyway, so it’s no big deal,” he said.
The Cowboys are in for a test before they even get to meet the Razorbacks, as they’ll face off against South Dakota State, who is riding a 29-game winning streak and is widely regarded as the best FCS program in the nation. Dual threat quarterback Mark Gronowski, who turned down multiple Power Four offers with NIL sums as high as $1.2 million, will help the OSU defense prepare for Green’s athletic skill set.
Arkansas’ offense will have its hands full against a Pokes defense with an impressive returning cast headlined by All-Big 12 linebacker Nick Martin and safeties Kendal Daniels and Trey Rucker, who each tallied 100 tackles last season.
Pittman added in the postgame presser that he’s excited for what’s to come with Petrino and his unit.
“Ten tries and 10 touchdowns, that’s that’s hard to do. I don’t care who you play,” he said. “So I’m really happy for him and I told the team, I think it’s the first time in history that that’s happened, and it happened when Bobby came back. The legend is going to continue to grow.”
Rest assured, it will take a quantum leap next Saturday if Petrino helps scheme up a win in Arkansas’ most important game of the season.
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John Nabors and Andrew Ellis break down Arkansas’ chances against Oklahoma State:
Full episode of Morning Mayhem ft. Bobby Petrino:
Highlights from Arkansas’ bludgeoning of UAPB on Thursday:
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More coverage of Arkansas football from BoAS:
