Facing First-time Quarterbacks Always Risky for Teams in Bowls

With Razorbacks having mostly guesswork to get ready for Will Hammond, but maybe not as much as roster

Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Will Hammond (15) drops back to pass against the North Texas Mean Green in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium. / Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In the wild and wacky world of college sports these days, we're already playing bowl games and even the handicappers are gambling. Mainly because backup quarterbacks nobody has seen all year are suddenly starting.

That will be the same dilemma for Arkansas' defense next week in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech. Will Hammond will suddenly get the start and coaches are probably muttering, "who is THAT?"

He's 15 of 23 passing for 191 yards and one touchdown. He also has 35 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. When starter Behren Morton had shoulder surgery on Dec. 14, it guaranteed the Razorbacks facing a backup.

Hogs' linebacker Stephen Dix was in a similar situation at Marshall, the school in West Virginia that recenlty saw so many players leave after a coaching change they cancelled their bowl game this year.

When he was with the Thundering Herd, they faced a Texas-San Antonio team that had to go with a backup and he went 22-of-31 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dix said the lack of preparation was a learning process and something he can apply with the Razorbacks this time.

"Said he wasn't playing the bowl game," Dix said on Wednesday about that game. "The backup came in and we didn't have a lot of tape on him. We kind of came out there slow-walking because we didn't know what to expect. Then he ended up having a really good game on us. That's something that me, personally, I'm going to take into consideration, knowing that I've come across that same situation like this before."

The Hogs are probably preparing like he should have been o the Heisman Trophy stage last week in New York. That's what we got from the linebacker in a Zoom press conference.

"We're going to go out here and prepare like he's the best quarterback in the country, man," he said. "Whoever it is. But we're going to, you know, play our best ball. Just prepared the best way we can."

He was the leading passer in the state of Texas in high school last year. He threw for an impressive 3,901 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior while rushing for 1,077 yards and 19 scores on the ground. Hammond was rated as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class by 247Sports. He was the No. 14 overall quarterback in that cycle. He chose Texas Tech over offers from Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Houston, Oklahoma State and a host of others.

Arkansas' answer may be a three-man front they used quite a bit this year, but they'll have to do it without some of the guys that played all year.

"We just didn't have the opportunity with [Landon Jackson] and [Nico Davillier] and those guys," Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said. "Will we use some three-man? Absolutely. I feel pretty good about our two-deep up there on the D-line. I probably feel a little bit better defensively on the team that we can take in there, as far as [it goes with who's in] the portal and all that — who's playing in the game. A little bit more than offensively, because there's just more unknowns on offense."

The Razorbacks and Red Raiders will meet next Friday, Dec. 27, in the Liberty Bowl from Memphis. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN. Fans can listen on the Razorback Sports Network across the state. In Fayetteville, the game will be on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 and 95.3, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

HOGS FEED:

• How Green is defying transfer trends | Locked on Razorbacks

• Court ruling opens door for Razorbacks to be granted extra eligibility

• Main question from Razorback fans on bowl can't be answered

• New faces get opportunity to shine for Arkansas in Memphis

• Razorbacks look to atone for missed opportunities in bowl game

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow HogsSI on X and Facebook