The Arkansas Razorbacks ring the bell when they achieve their best performance to date.
Hawgs247 looks at four things Arkansas needs to get right when its takes on unbeaten Rutgers today at 6 p.m. Central at Razorback Stadium.
1. Be smart vs. the blitz Arkansas can’t afford to let Tyler Wilson get hit hard. Rutgers defensive coordinator Robb Smith will be doing his best to make sure he does, dialing up lot of overload blitzes. Wilson needs to make the right checks and focus on releasing the ball quickly. And Arkansas’ offensive line needs to communicate well and take care of their assignments.
2. Get your run game going Knile Davis hasn’t had a lot of help from his offensive line, but still, his 63.7 yards-per-game average isn’t good enough. Davis is averaging 3.5 yards on 54 carries, while backup Dennis Johnson is averaging 6.3 yards on just 16 rushes. If Davis can’t get it going against a very good run defense, this could be the game where Johnson gets more involved.
3. Be smart with the ball The Razorbacks turned it over five times last week vs. Alabama and have 10 turnovers this season. Their turnover margin (minus-2.67) ranks 119th out of 120 FBS teams. Meanwhile, Rutgers is tied for 24th nationally with a plus-1 turnover margin. The Scarlet Knights intercepted three passes and forced a fumble last week vs. USF.
4. Zero in on No. 23 Rutgers sophomore running back Jawan Jamison has been compared to former Scarlet Knights star Ray Rice after carrying a school-record 41 times for 151 yards and a TD in last week’s win over South Florida. He was definitely a workhorse, but Jamison is 5-8 and 200 pounds. He also has a history of injuries, putting his durability in question. There’s not much depth behind him. No. 2 RB Savon Huggins is expected to be out for the second straight week, leaving two redshirt freshmen and a true freshman as the backups.
- Robert Turbeville
- Arkansas Insider - Hawgs247