Arkansas DC Ron Roberts discusses ‘one area’ Razorbacks need to show improvement in
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Arkansas knows it’s not playing to its potential five games into the Ryan Silverfield era. The Razorbacks dropped to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the SEC after a 34-7 loss to Texas A&M in Week 5.
Through five games, Arkansas has accumulated just eight sacks, the third-lowest total in the conference. While it’s in the middle of the SEC in passing yards per game, defensive coordinator Ron Roberts is looking for his unit to put more pressure on the opposing quarterback.
“We’ve got to be more effective on the pass rush. We’ve got to be more effective on the first-and-second-down transition pass rush,” Roberts said. “It’s not four individuals rushing a quarterback. That’s just not the way it works. … You have to have four spokes on this guy to keep his tail in the pocket. I think that’s one area we can get better — we need to get better at that.”
The Razorbacks could have an opportunity to walk off the field with an upset if they’re able to put Tennessee‘s quarterback under duress in Week 6. Right now, that looks like it might be George MacIntyre. The sophomore is reportedly in line for his first career start, as true freshman Faizon Brandon looks to rehab a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 4 against Texas. Brandon started in Week 5 against Auburn but was benched in favor of MacIntyre.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
