FAYETTEVILLE — Taylen Green had a rough day throwing the ball in the Arkansas vs UAB game.
The quarterback’s first five passes fell incomplete and he was just 3 of 14 passing at halftime of the Razorbacks’ eventual 37-27 win over the Blazers at Razorback Stadium.
While he improved some in the second half, Green still finished just 11 of 26 (42.3%) for 161 yards and one interception. Even factoring in a couple of drops, he was on target with only about half of his attempts and should have been picked off at least one other time.
Many of those throws were actually uncatchable, including an overthrow of 6-foot-7 Tyrone Broden in the end zone and missing a wide open Andrew Armstrong for what would have been an easy touchdown.
There had been a few missed throws to open receivers in the first two games, but Green had completed 61.8% of his passes against UAPB and Oklahoma State. Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman added that he hadn’t flashed those accuracy issues in practice and wrote it off as just a bad day for the Boise State transfer.
“I thought it was very unusual and I think it’s correctable and I think he’ll correct it,” Pittman said. “Most of the time when that happens, guys are pushing hard. … That’s the first time he’s ever been in this stadium with fans. He may have pushed a little bit hard. He may have wanted to show out a little bit, play a little bit above what he normally does, which is plenty good.”
It wasn’t just Pittman who noticed that, either. Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson said he was encouraging his quarterback throughout the game to try to calm him down.
That may have contributed to him completing 8 of 12 passes in the second half as the Razorbacks finally put away a scrappy Blazers team that entered the day as 23.5-point underdogs.
“I would walk up to him, be like, ‘Hey, breathe. Take a deep breath. Breathe. Play football. This is what you do. Just play football,’” Jackson said. “I just kept telling him to breathe the whole game. I felt like he was up tight at first, so breathe. Take a deep breath, sit back, relax. Take a deep breath, alright, now come on, let’s play football.”
It also helped that Green was still able to do damage with his legs. The 6-foot-6 quarterback showed off his speed several times, running for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Factor out three sacks that lost 13 yards and he averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
Perhaps his best play of the day was his last, as he kept it on third-and-goal from the 9 and got around the edge for a touchdown that put the Razorbacks up two scores with 3:36 remaining. It essentially iced the victory and Pittman compared the play to his wife after the game.
“We ran the sweep and he didn’t get touched, (that) was a gift from heaven,” Pittman said. “I mean, it looked so pretty. It wasn’t pretty as ol’ Jamie, but it was close.”
(READ NEXT: It wasn’t just Taylen Green. The defense also struggled vs. UAB.)
Star Duo Shines Again
Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson and wide receiver Andrew Armstrong eclipsed the century mark on the ground and through the air, respectively, and were a major reason the Razorbacks still managed to put up 37 points.
Combining for 292 total yards, they accounted for more than two-thirds of Arkansas’ offense and came up big in critical situations throughout the game.
Jackson ran for 147 yards and one touchdown on just 15 carries, plus added an 8-yard reception, while Armstrong caught eight passes for 137 yards. That came a week after Jackson had 149 rushing yards and Armstrong had 164 receiving at Oklahoma State.
They are the first pair of Arkansas teammates to eclipse 100 yards rushing and receiving, respectively, in back-to-back games since 2015, when Alex Collins and Drew Morgan did it against Texas A&M and Tennessee.
Jackson has actually ran for 100-plus yards in each of the first three games of the season, as he also got 101 in limited playing time in the opener against UAPB. He’s averaging a whopping 8.4 yards per carry and his 397 total rushing yards not only leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally, but it’s already more than Arkansas’ top running back last season (AJ Green, 312).
“I think he’s the guy,” Pittman said. “I don’t know if he ever was at Utah. I think he feels different here. But every time we ask him, he does some pretty spectacular things.”
In three seasons at Utah, the quarterback-turned-running back ran for 1,348 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. He led the team with 797 yards last season despite playing through a nagging ankle injury, which is why Jackson believes he’s looked even better this year.
“I wasn’t really healthy last year,” Jackson said. “I played the whole season hurt last year, so it’s going to take away some of my abilities. I’m here and I’m healthy, and you see the difference when I’m healthy and when I’m not healthy.”
As for Armstrong, he was held out of the opener because of a hamstring injury, but doesn’t seem to have missed a beat since returning.
He was the only player who caught a pass in the first half against UAB and was targeted 13 times, which was half of Taylen Green’s attempts.
“The guy who bailed us out about 1,000 times was Armstrong,” Pittman said in his postgame interview with the UA radio broadcast. “He bailed us out. He’s really playing well, but I’m more happy with the growth he’s had as a man. I was really proud of him tonight. He kind of kept the team together when we were struggling a little bit.”
Despite playing in only two games, Armstrong’s 301 receiving yards rank 13th nationally and second only to Ole Miss’ Tre Harris (436) in the SEC.
He’s also gone over 1,000 career yards, becoming the 33rd player in UA history to hit that milestone. With 1,065 receiving yards, Armstrong ranks 29th in the school record books, surpassing Bobby Duckworth (1,042), Michael Williams (1,014), Steven Harris (1,008) and Chris Gragg (1,003).
Arkansas Debuts New Package
When the Razorbacks finally got into the end zone, they did so with a new look.
In addition to the normal five offensive linemen and Taylen Green at quarterback, Arkansas put in Josh Street as a sixth lineman and then bookended the line with a pair of tight ends — Andreas Paaske and Ty Washington. A third tight end, walk-on, Maddox Lassiter was lined up in the backfield as a fullback, with Braylen Russell — the 253-pound freshman — at running back.
Not only did the five traditional offensive linemen weigh an average of 317 pounds, but the other six “skill” position players averaged 259.3 pounds, with Green being the smallest at 230 pounds.
In all, there was more than 1.5 tons worth of Razorbacks on the field and the result was a 2-yard touchdown run by Russell.
That was notable because Pittman said he hoped to play the freshman more reps after he didn’t get any on offense at Oklahoma State the week before despite being the No. 3 running back on the depth chart.
It proved to be his only offensive snap of the game and he now has four carries for 25 yards and two touchdowns this season – numbers Pittman would still like to see go up.
“The package was a big package, so he was going to go in there when it was third-, fourth-and-short, goal-line, whatever,” Pittman said. “So that’s telling you right there that we have a lot of confidence in him. We did not get him, I don’t believe, any more reps than that, but we need to continue to work him in.”
Sticking with Ramsey
It didn’t figure to be a big deal in an expected blowout win over UAB, but Arkansas sticking with Kyle Ramsey after a tough performance at Oklahoma State proved to be critical.
The former FCS All-American rebounded from his 1-for-3 showing against the Cowboys by going 3 for 4 against the Blazers. One of those successful kicks was from 51 yards, while his lone miss was a 45-yarder.
“Ramsey is the one I got to stand up in front of the team because he got ridiculed last week and all that,” Pittman said. “The difference in what he did this week versus what he did the week before was he hit the ball. … He hit the ball all week so I thought he’d have a pretty good game and he certainly did.”
Even though he’s a kicker, that kind of bounce-back performance is something his teammates can strive for moving forward this season.
“The dude knows how to battle adversity,” Landon Jackson said. “He had a game he wasn’t happy with last week with his performance. He went to work all week and turned it around. We need a lot of guys on the team who are willing to take criticism, get coached and go out there and change the mistakes.”
Scary Moment in Arkansas vs UAB
Late in the second quarter, a UAB football player had to be taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to a hospital.
The play started with a pop pass from Jacob Zeno to Brandon Buckhaulter. As he tried to get to the edge, linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. came flying in and ripped his helmet off. Moments later, he was tackled by Landon Jackson and eventually landed on his head.
Sorey was assessed a 15-yard personal foul for a face mask and play was halted for about 8 minutes as Buckhaulter was tended to by medical personnel from both teams.
They eventually got him immobilized on a stretcher, at which point he was able to give his teammates a thumbs up. Then, as he was being loaded onto the cart and as he was carted across the field to a waiting ambulance, he raised his hand to the crowd, which greeted him with a nice ovation.
“On the field — and I don’t ever speak on medical things — but he was moving and he was talking,” UAB football coach Trent Dilfer said after the game. “He is at the hospital now and they feel confident and positive. He is going through some tests, but hopefully will join us on the plane.”
UAB later confirmed that Buckhaulter was able to fly back with the team:
Lineup Changes for Arkansas Football
There was only one change to the starting lineup on either side of the ball and it was the result of an injury.
Even though he dressed out and went through some pregame warmups, Jaylon Braxton was held out because of tendinitis that also limited him at Oklahoma State.
In his place, Marquise Robinson was back in the lineup at the cornerback spot opposite of Jaheim Singletary. Last week, Singletary got the start because Robinson suffered a stinger in pregame.
There weren’t any changes with the starters on offense, but center Addison Nichols lasted only three plays before needing to be helped off the field. His left ankle was already heavily taped and Pittman revealed afterward that it was a pre-existing injury.
“We felt pretty good about him coming in if it didn’t get rolled up again and obviously it did,” Pittman said. “Those high ankles, they’re harder to come back from and longer to come back from than low ankles. So we’ll have to be smart with him.”
In his place, Amaury Wiggins got his first significant action with the Razorbacks. A late addition from the JUCO ranks last offseason, his only playing time last year came in blowout wins over Western Carolina and FIU.
This season, Wiggins played a decent amount of snaps in the opener against UAPB, but all of them came at left guard. Interestingly, Josh Street and Joe More got the remaining center snaps that game. However, with Nichols’ status up in the air, Wiggins is who they prepared to play that spot this week.
“He probably practiced as much or more than Nichols did, to be honest,” Pittman said. “So he was prepared to go out there and do that, and he hasn’t played as much ball, and I’m sure he’ll get better as he does.”
Another personnel tweak worth noting is Rodney Hill replacing Isaiah Sategna as Arkansas’ kickoff returner after UAB’s first kickoff. The move was felt at the beginning of the second half when Hill attempted to return a kick that was several yards deep in the end zone.
Instead of calling for a fair catch and allowing the offense to start at the 25, he managed to get out to just the 16, costing the Razorbacks nine yards of field position. Thankfully for them, it didn’t end up hurting them because they drove 84 yards for a touchdown and their first lead of the day.
Arkansas Football Roster Check
By our count, the Razorbacks dressed out 75 of their 85 scholarship players for the Arkansas vs UAB game.
Of the 10 who didn’t dress, two of them — long snapper Eli Stein and wide receiver Jaedon Wilson — are no longer on the team. Defensive back Jaden Allen, linebacker Justin Logan and offensive lineman Zuri Madison are out with season-ending injuries.
Here are the other five:
- WR Khafre Brown: Dealt with an injury over the summer and into fall camp
- DB Hudson Clark: Injured his back at Oklahoma State and was questionable for the UAB game
- WR Dazmin James: Pittman announced Monday that he was suspended for a violation of team rules, but will be back next week
- OL Patrick Kutas: Still dealing with a back injury that has kept him sidelined since early in fall camp
- DB Miguel Mitchell: Pittman said he was “just out for right now” when asked about him a couple weeks ago, but didn’t elaborate
Other Tidbits from Arkansas vs UAB
- The announced attendance for Arkansas vs UAB was 75,021. It’s the eight-largest crowd in school history and the biggest for a non-conference game since the USC game in 2006. However, it’s worth noting that many of those fans didn’t return to their seats in the second half, despite the game being tied 20-20:
- The four players selected as team captains for the Arkansas vs UAB game were cornerback Jaheim Singletary, safety TJ Metcalf, punter Devin Bale and wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
- For the first time this season, the Razorbacks lost the pregame coin toss. UAB elected to receive the game’s opening kickoff. Arkansas also opened the Oklahoma State game on defense after winning the toss and deferring to the second half.
- Freshman JuJu Pope, a four-star recruit who signed with the Razorbacks as a linebacker/defensive back, has apparently moved to running back. He got work with that position during pregame warmups.
- It was announced by the UA earlier in the week, but Saturday marked the first Arkansas game for which logos for Walmart and Tyson Foods were painted on opposite 25-yard lines at Razorback Stadium. On-field sponsors were legalized by the NCAA this summer.
- Former Arkansas punter Patrick Foley punted three times for UAB and averaged 39.0 yards, with one being downed inside the 20.
Arkansas vs UAB Highlights
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Watch Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman’s full postgame interview following Arkansas vs UAB:
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