LITTLE ROCK — As if the 50-point spread wasn’t enough of an indication, Alonzo Hampton’s comments this week should tell you everything you need to know about the Arkansas vs UAPB opener on Thursday.
Even when baited by the hosts of HBCUGameday, the second-year Golden Lions head coach declined to make any bold statements ahead of his team’s showdown with the Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium.
That includes when the host mentioned the UAPB women’s basketball team beating Arkansas 74-70 last December.
“That don’t have anything to do with us,” Hampton said. “It’s 11 men against 11 men and now at the end of the day, you’re talking about 60 minutes. You got to look that man in the eye for 60 minutes and whoop him time and time again. So we’re excited about that opportunity.”
It’s understandable that Hampton is downplaying his team’s chances against the Razorbacks. The difference between the SEC and SWAC in football is even greater than other sports — and that doesn’t even factor in the scholarship difference between the FBS and FCS.
“Do the math — they got 85 (scholarships), we got 63. We brought in 50 new players. … They’ve had their players the entire summer. We didn’t have our players the entire summer, so it is not ideal.”
There is still plenty of excitement about the in-state matchup, though.
Hampton’s expectations for the game are much more tampered than what UAPB football fans are probably hoping for.
“Obviously for our fan base, it’s important to them,” Hampton said. “I think some of them have expectations that we’re going to go in, we’re going to score a hundred points and we’re going to shut them down.
“Obviously I want them to keep that confidence and I want them to expect great things from us, but we’re just trying to go in there and shorten the game and make us some plays early to put a little pressure on them.”
Follow along below for a quarter-by-quarter recap of how Arkansas vs UAPB played out…
~War Memorial Stadium Becoming as Predictably Bad as UA Foes It Hosts~
LIVE UPDATES — Arkansas vs UAPB
Pregame Tidbits
Arkansas wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, who’s been dealing with a hamstring injury, is not dressed out for today’s game.
Other scholarship players who weren’t spotted during pregame warmups: DB Miguel Mitchell, LB JuJu Pope, WR Zach Taylor, DB Christian Ford, OL Luke Brown and OL Patrick Kutas.
It seems like Kyle Ramsey has won the kicking battle, as he took the reps with the first unit. That’s a bit of a surprise because Matthew Shipley seemed to be the leader in that battle.
A couple other position battles from warmups: TJ Metcalf (over Hudson Clark) at safety, Nico Davillier (over Anton Juncaj) at defensive end and Marquise Robinson (over Jaheim Singletary and Kee’yon Stewart) at cornerback.
12:08, 1Q – Arkansas 7, UAPB 0
Taylen Green nearly threw an interception on the first play of the game on an underthrown deep ball to Tyrone Broden (who was open), Ja’Quinden Jackson fumbled the ball out of bounds and Jordan Anthony had a drop, but the Hogs still found a way to go 66 yards in 8 plays. The big play was a 32-yard keeper by Green. The score came on an 8-yard run by Jackson. Kyle Ramsey kicked the PAT.
8:16, 1Q – Arkansas 14, UAPB 0
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Arkansas took over at the UAPB 40 because of a shanked punt. They covered that ground in just five plays, with Green keeping it and going untouched for a 5-yard touchdown run.
5:03, 1Q – Arkansas 21, UAPB 0
The Razorbacks are pouring it on now. Jackson just broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run. He’s up to 74 yards on five carries, plus has another 20 yards on two receptions.
1:12, 1Q – Arkansas 28, UAPB 0
Rodney Hill plowed into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run that capped a seven-play, 40-yard drive.
END of 1Q – Arkansas 28, UAPB 0
12:06, 2Q – Arkansas 35, UAPB 0
Green’s first touchdown pass with the Razorbacks is a 9-yard strike to Tyrone Broden. That capped a 6-play, 65-yard drive. The Hogs have scored on all five possessions.
5:37, 2Q – Arkansas 42, UAPB 0
Taylen Green has struggled with his accuracy some today, but he just dropped an absolute dime to Ty Washington for a 23-yard touchdown. That was pretty. The Hogs covered 81 yards on just six plays and are up to 357 yards of offense – compared to just 43 for UAPB.
0:09, 2Q – Arkansas 49, UAPB 0
Arkansas put together a nice two-minute drill to close out the half. Taylen Green had an electric 36-yard run to cap it. Wow. It was Matt Jones-like.
HALF – Arkansas 49, UAPB 0
6:13, 3Q – Arkansas 56, UAPB 0
The Razorbacks opened the second half, which will consist of two 10-minute quarters, by marching down the field and scoring on a 9-yard run by Braylen Russell. It’s his first career score.
END of 3Q – Arkansas 56, UAPB 0
8:14, 4Q – Arkansas 63, UAPB 0
Malachi Singleton kept it for a 4-yard touchdown run to cap a 12-play, 86-yard drive. The Hogs have scored a touchdown on all nine of their possessions.
0:36, 4Q – Arkansas 70, UAPB 0
Tyrell Reed Jr. capped the game’s scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run.
See the post-game piece here:
FINAL – Arkansas 70, UAPB 0
How to Watch Arkansas vs UAPB
Date: Thursday, Aug. 29
Location: War Memorial Stadium (Little Rock, Ark.)
Kickoff time (TV): 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
Commentators: Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 99.0% chance to win.
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -49.5 | O/U 57.5 (BetSaracen)
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