It’s been a long season for Arkansas alumni like Jerry Jones, even though he may be more focused on owning the Dallas Cowboys. But there was a piece of positive news this week when he learned that grandson John Stephen Jones would start this week for Arkansas against Western Kentucky.

Jones last week gave Arkansas’ offense a spark when he went 4-for-9 passing for 25 yards and an 11-yard touchdown to WR Mike Woods.

Grandpa Jones beamed with pride about the news in a recent radio interview.

“To get to start at quarterback in the SEC, you have no one on this planet that appreciates that long journey (more) than Old Papa,” Jerry told 105.3 FM The Fan, according to Jori Epstein. “I’m really proud of him and going to be there to watch his first warmup throw.”

He added, “Oh, I’ll tell you, I’m so proud of him. He got some really good snaps against Alabama, the No. 1 team in the country, and come back last week and got a touchdown for him.”

Coach Chad Morris explained his decision to start Jones.

“I think, when you look at his prior performance, when he stepped on the field the last two weeks, the moment has not been too big for him,” Morris said of Jones, who was 6-of-7 passing for 49 yards and an eight-yard touchdown pass to TE C.J. Grady in the 48-7 loss to Alabama. “I think he did a great job of providing grit and toughness and I think he’ll play really well.”

The younger Jones played at Highland Park High School in Dallas, and is a redshirt freshman. He played in three games last season. He was a 3-star prospect coming out of high school. His father, Stephen Jones, also played for the Razorbacks, like Old Papa, and is the Cowboys vice president