Sanders Answer to Biggest Camp Question Mark

Who will back up Trelon Smith at running back has been the biggest personnel question and it will be Rocket Sanders

Most of the Arkansas fan base probably isn't aware that Raheim Sanders is actually the guy known as Rocket.

Now he will be the No. 2 running back coming out of fall camp. Sam Pittman made that announcement after Saturday's 150-play scrimmage.

Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders during Saturday's scrimmage inside Razorback Stadium / Arkansas Communications

After struggling in last week's scrimmage (there are no official stats kept and the media has not been allowed to view any of the scrimmages), that apparently changed Saturday.

"He ran well," Pittman said of Sanders' scrimmage Saturday. "He ran hard. Had a good day... had a really good day."

Part of it came from what they've seen in practice the past week because the change was obviously an attention-getter.

"Last week, I’m not for sure that he had, but I can’t remember if he had more than a 5 or 7-yard run last week in last week’s scrimmage," Pittman said. "He improved so much from in practice because, ‘Hey, I’m in the SEC. I got hit by SEC players and I’m still, I’m okay.' And I think he gained a lot of confidence last week."

Sanders, a freshman from Rockledge, Florida, has the size (6-2, 228) but combines that with speed not usually seen from someone that big.

It's the speed part coaches have been working on because instead of splitting defenders, he tries to get outside and that won't work well in the SEC where everybody has speed.

But Pittman understands the instinct.

"If they nicknamed me Rocket I’d try to run the ball outside and you guys all know I ain’t got no speed," Pittman said. "That’s what he’s trying to do. Earlier, he was trying to cut the ball outside. He’s 228 pounds man."

Apparently he understands better now.

"That’s what he did today," Pittman said. "Make people tackle you. If you’re fast and you’re that size, make some people tackle you. Every now and then you can run by them, but that’s what he’s doing better than what he did earlier in the scrimmage and camp."

There are other position battles going on at various places, but that was the biggest question mark, slightly ahead of finding a second wide receiver.

But Pittman made it clear No. 5 is the second-team running back, then it's Dominique Johnson and Josh Oglesby followed by everybody else.