The Arkansas Razorbacks fell to 2-1 after losing to the BYU Cougars in Fayetteville on Saturday. The team was much more efficient on the ground than it has been, but ultimately turnovers and costly penalties doomed the team.

A late drive fizzled at the BYU 26-yard line as Arkansas fell 38-31.

The Razorbacks will now head into SEC play in Week 4 with a tough matchup against the LSU Tigers.

Let’s get into our 3 takeaways from the Razorbacks’ loss.

The running game was much better

Coming into Week 3, the Razorbacks sported just the 83rd-ranked rushing attack. For reference, the team ended 2022 with the 7th-ranked ground game. Against BYU, the ground game was much more efficient.

AJ Green collected his first game with multiple rushing TDs and KJ Jefferson chipped in as well with 83 yards. On the whole, the team finished the night with 239 rushing yards and the offense looked much more efficient as a result.

The passing offense has to find consistency

Jefferson had a solid game in Week 1, completing 18/23 passes for 246 yards and 3 TDs. However, that was against FCS opponent Western Carolina. Against Kent State in Week 2, the Razorbacks struggled to get anything going through the air. Jefferson mustered just 136 passing yards against the Golden Flashes.

Against BYU, Jefferson again struggled to produce consistently through the air. The Razorbacks desperately need a reliable receiver to step up and be a go-to guy for Jefferson.

Turnovers and penalties were killer

This game was easily winnable, but the Razorbacks were doomed by penalties and costly turnovers. Jefferson threw an INT and then had a brutal fumble late in the 4th quarter. The Razorbacks were driving to tie the game, and the fumble completely killed any momentum. Jefferson would later fumble again in the 4th quarter, although it was recovered by the Razorbacks.

Also, the team finished with 13 penalties for 120 yards. This will have to be cleaned up before SEC play or the team will find themselves in this position again.