Don’t Expect Razorbacks Running Fake Kicks Frequently

Special teams coach Scott Fountain keeping them in arsenal to be used sparingly

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas punter Reid Bauer had the highest passer rating on the roster last year.

That's not a knock on quarterback KJ Jefferson, but it's hard to beat a 100% completion rate that included touchdowns on every attempt.

It was only one, but apparently Bauer remembers it.

“Anytime he gets an opportunity to throw the ball at practice, he's throwing it or running it,” kicker Cam Little said Wednesday morning after practice at the indoor workout facility.

Arkansas Razorbacks punter Reid Bauer at practice on the outdoor fields at the football center in Fayetteville, Ark. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

Bauer's pass was a 32-yard touchdown completion to Blake Kern. He also had a 23-yard run against LSU when Little was lined up for a 54-yard field goal attempt against LSU.

"It's just something that we do," Bauer said. "Just got to be ready if your name gets called to run one."

They spend the time working on it. Sam Pittman probably signs off on those things once in awhile but don't expect him to make a habit out of it.

"(Sam) Pittman always makes the call on that," special teams coach Scott Fountain said.

That's a gamble where the possibility of failure often out-weighs the rewards of success.

"We always tell our kids, it’s always 50-50 on those," Fountain said. "If they work, you’re a hero. If they don’t, what are we thinking? It can go either way, but we’re always greasing that up trying to have it ready."

Arkansas Razorbacks' special teams coach Scott Fountain on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, on the outdoor practice field at the football center in Fayetteville, Ark. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

Special teams made the difference in some games directly last year.

The Hogs won two games — LSU and Mississippi State — strictly on special teams.

Little's field goals literally won both games. The Bulldogs' failure to convert a field goal probably helped a little on that.

Now they have to do it again this year.

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