10 Touchdowns, 0 Points Given Up, Yet Still Little Known About Hogs

Oklahoma State gets basically nothing to work with from Arkansas game against Golden Lions

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Ja’Quinden Jackson (22) rushes during the second quarter against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium. / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After roughly a month of being shut out of practice beyond what is basically warm-up time, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman finally let the media sit in on a full practice.

Sure, the 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff technically counts in the win column, but it was basically a good way to get away from Fayetteville and practice game day routines with a light run through of the plays for the first, second and third teams. Looking back with the clarity of a night’s sleep, it didn’t provide a whole lot more information about this team than watching them run drills against air.

By night’s end, the questions that hung in the air the day before still remain. There’s no way to know how good the offensive line is going to be because the Golden Lions offered so little to test them.

Quarterback Taylen Green had wide receivers running wide open all night, so questions about his accuracy when faced with tight coverage weren’t addressed. There were issues locating the ball early on, but those can be chalked up to the jitters that come with being on the field for the first time and also from the panic that sometimes consumes a quarterback when a receiver is so wide open.

Speaking of receivers, 14 caught a pass Thursday night, none of whom were Andrew Armstrong. Mixing in the No. 1 receiver will change the dynamic across the board. 

There also wasn’t a chance to see how they handle being bodied by powerful defensive backs who can match their routes, so no one knows how Green throwing to any of the key receivers will go in the heat of battle.

Perhaps the biggest questions were at linebacker and field goal kicker. However, for much of the night, the Hogs line one man up in the traditional linebacker spot and he probably wasn’t really needed. 

Defensive end Landon Jackson had the role of scraping across the defense and filling gaps covered. On an early tackle for loss by Eric Gregory, Jackson had scraped all the way from the right side to the point he had outside containment on the left side of the field should Gregory’s massive arms somehow not swallow up the ball carrier. 

As for a field goal competition, there weren’t enough aggressive yard markers on the field to trip up the Razorbacks enough to force a field goal. Unfortunately for Pittman, the first time he sees one of his kickers try to put three points on the board in live action, the game might be on the line in the face of a hostile crowd in Stillwater.

Of course, the good news for Arkansas is there’s very little for Oklahoma State to take from this game in preparation for next week. The Hogs kept it vanilla on both sides of the ball, several key players were kept out, and the only things proven were what people already know.

The Cowboys weren’t going to show up and find themselves stunned to discover Jackson and his defensive line companions are a handful. Mike Gundy isn’t going to be looking on his depth chart trying to find Ja’Quinden Jackson’s name because he’s not sure who that powerful runner is punishing his defense.

Isaiah Sategna isn’t going to catch anyone off guard by being a dangerous kick returner and no one from Oklahoma State will have to pick up his jaw in shock when tight end Luke Hasz slips out and catches a pass near the hash. 

Point being, Bobby Petrino has all the bullets left in his gun for a Saturday showdown in Stillwater. Same for Travis Williams’ defense. 

As for the Cowboys, they have a rock fight coming against defending FCS national champion South Dakota. While there is little doubt what Gundy is going to do after nearly 20 years coaching Oklahoma State, there will still be tidbits revealed for Arkansas to exploit in what should be a competitive game.

With two extra days to prepare, that might be all the Hogs’ coaches need to gain enough of an edge to pull the upset. There’s just no way to tell for sure though because the most anyone outside of the staff has seen are glorified warm-ups and a glorified practice where the stats counted.

HOGS FEED:

• Arkansas' basic, boring night just what Sam PIttman needed

• Did Oklahoma State see enough to lose sleep over Hogs' win?

• Razorbacks do exactly what they should in UAPB opener

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