FAYETTEVILLE — Here’s an eye-opening fact about the Arkansas offense under new coordinator Bobby Petrino.
The Razorbacks (2-1) have scored an FBS-high 15 rushing touchdowns through three games heading into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. SEC opener at Auburn (2-1).
Those rushing touchdowns, including six by lead tailback Ja’Quinden Jackson, already represent six more than the nine Arkansas accumulated last season under coordinators Dan Enos and Kenny Guiton. So in 25% of the regular-season schedule, the Razorbacks have 66.7% more rushing touchdowns than they accumulated all last season.
Quarterback Taylen Green, operating behind a revamped offensive line where right guard Josh Braun is the only returning starter, has been a huge factor in the run game. While Green’s passing has been up and down, his running has been sublime, either from scrambles or designed runs like his 9-yard sweep for a key touchdown in last week’s 37-27 win over Alabama-Birmingham.
Redshirt sophomore E’Marion Harris and portal transfer starting linemen Fernando Carmona, Keyshawn Blackstock and Addison Nichols have performed well in the early going for position coach Eric Mateos.
“I think a lot of it is Coach Mateos and the new guys,” Coach Sam Pittman said. “That’s a lot of it. … A lot of it has to do schematically with what we’re doing. We’re pulling, we’re down-blocking, we’re doing more with those guys, which we can because they’re a little more athletic. A lot of it has to do with the running backs.”
Tailback Rodney Hill, who has 17 touches for 98 yards with one touchdown on the season, said Jackson’s confidence level is high right now.
“Oh yes, I can see it,” Hill said Tuesday night. “It’s going through the roof. He’s a real great player. His practice ethic is insane. He keeps us all involved, and he’s a leader pretty much to all of us in there.
“He keeps all of our heads straight. Like, if we mess up on something, he’s there, he keeps us up.”
Auburn’s Keyron Crawford, an Auburn edge rusher and transfer from Arkansas State, was asked about the Hogs’ offense on Tuesday morning.
“They have a pretty good back,” Crawford said. “They’re pretty good up front. The quarterback is very mobile. He likes to scramble a lot. We’re scheming him up pretty well. I’m sure they’re scheming us up too.”
Another ship-shape department for the Arkansas offense: Third-down efficiency.
The Razorbacks also lead the nation in third-down conversion percentage with 27 conversions on 40 third-down attempts, a 67.5% rate that makes Arkansas one of three FBS programs operating at 60% or better along with Indiana (64.52%) and Miami, Fla. (60.61%).
While plenty of those have been third and shorts, the Razorbacks are also off to a hot start at converting third-and-long plays, including a 14-yard strike to Armstrong on third and 10 and Green’s 9-yard sweep for a touchdown on third and goal last week.
“I think preparation, A, and the fact that we run the ball,” Pittman said to explain the third-down success. “It’s been very good this year. Some have been shorter than others … but I can remember, we have converted many third-and-8-pluses, but we’ve also converted the short ones, which in the past those were very, very difficult for us.”
The Razorbacks are converting 72% or better on third downs in the first (75%), third (75%) and fourth quarters (72.7%) and they are at 63.6% in the second quarter.
Auburn Coach Hugh Freeze described the Razorbacks as a much-improved team at his Monday news conference and honed in on the offensive improvement.
“They’ve got a really good offensive scheme that makes you prepare for a lot of different things, and experienced coaches that have done this a long time,” Freeze said. “The O-line is probably the most improved unit that I’ve seen this year with the guys they’ve brought in from the portal. They’re really, really improved in the offensive line.”
The numbers bear that out.
Jackson, the NCAA’s No. 6 rusher with 132.3 yards per game, and Green (245 rushing yards, 4 TD) have combined for 10 rushing touchdowns to surpass last year’s team total on their own, and that duo is well past the 2023 individual high of two rushing touchdowns each by Raheim Sanders, AJ Green and KJ Jefferson.
“We can run the ball,” Pittman said when asked Monday what the tape showed from the win over UAB. “Probably need to run it more.
“But, we can also throw it. We just weren’t quite as accurate, didn’t run as good of routes as we could have and we dropped five balls. That certainly has a lot to do with winning and losing.”
Green had his most erratic passing day as a Razorback by going 11 of 26 (42.3%) against the Blazers. He consistently missed high in the early going and could not connect on potential touchdown throws to Andrew Armstrong, Tyrone Broden and tight end Ty Washington. But he was also hurt by drops from Armstrong, Broden and freshman CJ Brown.
Green’s 56.4% completion rate on the season impacts his NCAA efficiency rating. So while he’s No. 30 in the FBS with 268.7 passing yards per game, his efficiency rating of 134.67 ranks 67th in the nation and 10th in the SEC.
Still, Freeze understands keeping Green in check will be a chore.
“This quarterback is another one that’s going to run around and make a lot of plays,” Freeze said. “(Green) is very, very dangerous.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 20:05:00
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