NW Democrat-Gazette

Hogs dominate Georgia Southern, win like they should

CLAY HENRY

FAYETTEVILLE — It was hardly perfect, but No. 20 Arkansas dominated Georgia Southern in SEC style, something it had not been doing against teams from the Group of Five conferences.

The only concern is exactly the only thing that should ever be a concern after rolling over an inferior foe in September: how bad is the injury report?

That will probably be the most talked about matter this week as the Razorbacks prepare for a rare high-stakes game against Texas A&M in the Southwest Classic in Arlington, Texas.

The Hogs sustained two injuries in the offensive line in the 45-10 rout of the Eagles on Saturday.

How the Hogs scrambled with their blockers to finish the game is probably what most of the 66,311 announced attendance were talking about as they departed Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Ty Clary started at right guard, moved to right tackle when Dalton Wagner exited at the end of the first quarter. Left guard Brady Latham moved to right tackle to start the second half, with Clary moving to right guard to rest Beaux Limmer. Luke Jones stepped in at left guard.

Then, when Stromberg exited on the second play of the third quarter, Clary moved to center.

At that point, left tackle Myron Cunningham was the only lineman in the same spot as the start of the game.

The good news is the Hogs didn’t miss a beat with the final combination. They held up in pass protection as quarterback KJ Jefferson quickly landed two bombs to put away the Eagles.

Two plays following Stromberg’s injury — after Clary and Jefferson shakily practiced a few snaps — the outcome was settled. Jefferson hit Warren Thompson on a 60-yard TD strike for a 31-10 lead.

There was more lightning when the Hogs got the ball back five plays later. Jefferson threw a short pass that Treylon Burks turned into a 91-yard touchdown pass to make it 38-10 at the 11:18 mark of the third quarter.

The Hogs would call only two more pass plays the rest of the game, and one of them hardly counted. It was a pop pass on a wide receiver sweep. The other was a flip over a blitz from third-team QB John Stephen Jones that fell incomplete.

The Razorbacks’ second team went on a touchdown march to start the fourth quarter to set the final score. Quarterback Malik Hornsby rolled around the right end for the final six yards to complete a drive of 7:01. That same group — with Hornsby and Jones splitting time — killed the game’s final 6:08.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman keyed on the way the second team played in an upbeat postgame, much different than his halftime rant for a TV interview after Georgia Southern scored 10 points in the second quarter and the Hogs stopped scoring touchdowns.

It was a little like Pittman reacted after Rice took a 10-7 lead to the halftime locker room two weeks ago.

Reminded of that, the second-year coach described it as two different feelings.

“I didn’t mean to be frustrated,” Pittman said. “I was frustrated at halftime of the Rice game.

“Today, we had them down 21-0, then turned them loose on a long run and traded field goals. We were not in sync on offense.

“I was disappointed with our passion. I didn’t feel like we played the same (as against Texas). I was disappointed with our (lack of) enthusiasm and that we let them back into the game.”

That the Hogs are 3-0 for the first time since 2016 was not lost on Pittman and his players. But they said that is hardly their goal.

“We are excited and we are excited about next week,” Pittman said.

Safety Jalen Catalon and defensive end Tre Williams said it’s all about going 1-0 each week.

“We don’t want (3-0) to be the highlight of our season,” Catalon said.

Williams added, “It’s about being 1-0 each week. That’s the mindset.”

It’s winning, period, Pittman said. He pointed out that Burks had not pouted as he struggled in the first two games and would not celebrate his breakout day, three catches for 127 yards.

“Our team wants to win,” Pittman said. “We aren’t selfish as players or coaches. We’ve got a team.

“It shows what kind of player Treylon is. What I know is that you don’t have to have the best players. You have to have the best team and our players have bought in.”

Burks seemed happy to confirm those sentiments.

“Honestly, I don’t care if I get the ball,” Burks said. “I just want to win. If we get the W, it feels like I got 1,000 yards.”

It felt like Jefferson could pass for 1,000 yards against the Eagles. He did completed 13 of 23 for 366 yards and did not play the fourth quarter.

He missed a few throws and probably some that were completed might have been bigger gainers if he’d been more accurate. Pittman noticed.

“Every time he is missing a throw, I think, ‘Oh, my gosh,’” Pittman said. “Then he hits one for 60 and 91. I should think even Dan Marino misses a pass. I’ve got to have that mindset.

“He’s a competitor and he can run and we have good receivers….I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”

The Hogs scored on three of their first five possessions for a 21-0 lead. The Eagles did ruin a three-and-out with an offside on a punt to help the second Arkansas touchdown march.

At that point, it appeared the Hogs were on the way to a runaway. Jefferson hit Tyson Morris for 47 yards on the first offensive play for the Razorbacks.

It started a four- play, 73-yard TD march. Trelon Smith covered the final 13 yards when he found a huge hole over left guard behind Beaux Limmer, taking Clary’s spot in the starting lineup.

With the Hogs stuffing GSU dive plays on the first two possessions by the visitors, the lead went to 14-0 on a 15-play, 94-yard march. Besides the penalty that wiped out a punt, the Eagles hit Jefferson late for a personal foul, too.

Jefferson was 3 of 4 in the drive, the big play an 18-yard pass to AJ Green in the right flat. A holding call against Cunningham wiped out a Rocket Sanders 2-yard TD run, but Dominique Johnson rolled around right end for a 11-yard TD run.

Johnson had a 48-yard run to highlight a 7-play, 99-yard TD run as the Hogs made it 21-0 at 8:42 of the second quarter. Jefferson found Morris on a slant for the final 14 yards.

The game changed three plays later when GSU quarterback Justin Tomlin, flushed when linebacker Bumper Pool came clean up the middle, circled right end for 76 yards. Tomlin split corner LaDarrius Bishop and Joe Foucha at 50-yard line and scored untouched.

The Hogs managed a 7-play, 73-yard drive for a Cam Little field goal of 25 yards with 2:33 left in the half.

De’Vion Warren, taking a flip pass from Jefferson, rolled 44 yards on a reverse. Jefferson passed 21 yards to Blake Kern, then hit Ketron Jackson on a 4-yard TD pass, but Limmer was ruled downfield.

The Eagles answered with a field goal on the final play of the half, going 60 yards in 2:23. Tomlin converted three third downs in the drive. Alex Raynor cut the lead to 24-10 on a 32-yard kick.

The Hogs had a 338-166 lead in total yards in the first half. They led in rushing, 138117, with Tomlin’s long run the only real mistake by the Hogs’ defense.

They finished with a 633233 edge in total yards and dominated time of possession with a 6-minute edge. The Eagles could never control the clock with the option game, their plan.

There was praise for Clary. “He’s valuable,” Pittman said. “We knew he was next man at guard, right tackle and center. We go into the game knowing who our fifth left tackle will be. We don’t want to surprise (line coach Cody Kennedy).”

Pittman said it’s clear that the Hogs have “eight or nine” playing well in the defensive line. He said the goal is to get to where “eight or nine” can play in the offensive line.

Outside of the health of the team — and Pittman confirmed the Hogs are “beat up” — would be the 10 penalties. Defensive end Tre Williams had 1.5 sacks, but also a pair of 15-yard penalties, including his second roughing the passer penalty of the season.

“That’s always a concern,” Pittman said. “We’ve got to clean up the late hits. It’s the second time it’s happened (with Williams).”

Pittman said those issues have to get fixed. Catalon promised a few minutes later that it “would get fixed.” He said those kind of penalties will be tough to overcome against an SEC foe.

Williams said the message he heard from coaches, “To stay composed and be smart.”

Catalon said there are other fixes that are needed. He led the team with nine tackles, but admitted there were too many missed, including several by him.

“We knew our rules against the option, but we hadn’t seen some things and some guys came open,” Catalon said. “We will fix that.”

Of the 76-yard quarterback keeper, Catalon said defensive coordinator Barry Odom took the blame “with a bad call.” But Odom did think there was a “slack off” in the second quarter.

Here’s an early prediction for the Texas A&M game, set for 2: 30 p. m. on CBS. The Hogs will find some enthusiasm for the Aggies.

“The key,” Catalon said, “if we play our game, play with the right focus, we will win the game.”

Sports Extra

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2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.nwaonline.com/article/283570928624795

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