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Arkansas report card: Hogs steamroll Huskies, look ready for Texas A&M
By Drew Laing
Published:
OFFENSE: A
Arkansas’ offensive output last night certainly didn’t have the “wow” factor of last week’s game against Texas Tech, but frankly against a NIU team at home in Fayetteville, the Hogs didn’t need one. They still managed an impressive 427 yards of offense, however.
Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams had modest games of 79 and 69 yards, respectively. Williams and Korliss Marshall were the only backs to record a touchdown for the Hogs.
Quarterback Brandon Allen, in my opinion, was the star of the show for Arkansas. He finished the night with just 199 passing yards and two touchdowns, but he looked efficient all game. His final drive of the first half with just a few minutes left was well-executed on a number of plays and he led the Hogs down the field for 71 yards on 10 plays, culminating with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jared Cornelius. Allen was 6-of-7 on that drive for 58 yards.
Last night’s game wasn’t all about stats for the Hogs. It was important that they establish a more balanced offense against the Huskies, so that teams like their next opponent – Texas A&M – will be forced to gameplan for both the running and passing attacks. Accomplishing this should only further improve Arkansas’ success in their run-first, physical style of offense.
DEFENSE: A-
The Hogs gave up 14 points to Northern Illinois, but that’s certainly nothing to be ashamed about with the talent the Huskies have at the skill positions.
Most importantly, Arkansas was able to stop NIU’s biggest playmaker – wide receiver Da’Ron Brown. The senior wideout had been by far NIU’s most dangerous weapon on the outside and he was virtually shut down last night, catching just five passes for 29 yards.
The defensive line continued to dominate as one of the league’s most underrated position groups. They made their presence felt early on when Darius Philon bull-rushed his offensive lineman and got enough penetration in the backfield to knock the ball out of the quarterbacks hands. Impressively, Philon was able to scoop the football up and take it in for a 14-yard touchdown.
One bit of concerning news for Arkansas was the injuries sustained to middle linebacker Brooks Ellis and safety Rohan Gaines. Thankfully for Hogs fans, head coach Bret Bielema said they both should be fine next week for Texas A&M.
All in all, it was a solid defensive performance by the Razorbacks as the defensive line continues to lead a disruptive and aggressive Arkansas defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Running back Korliss Marshal set the tone of the game with the opening kickoff when the explosive sophomore took it to the house on a 97-yard kickoff return. It was just the kind of play Arkansas needed at the beginning to keep the team from starting off in a letdown mode, coming off a huge win on the road in Lubbock last week.
The only special teams gaffe of the night came on a 43-yard missed field goal by John Henson, but it proved to be insignificant to the final results of the game.
COACHING: A
Bielema and his staff once again enjoyed a good performance by his team for the third-straight week. Credit him and his coaches for not allowing his players to dwell in the past about Texas Tech or to look ahead to Texas A&M next week. It’s clear the Hogs were focused on taking care of business against Northern Illinois, a sign of a good, mature football team.
OVERALL: A
It wasn’t a perfect performance by Arkansas, but they certainly did what they needed to do against an inferior opponent. Luckily for the Hogs, they escaped with no serious injuries and should be ready to go against a Top-10 ranked Texas A&M squad on a neutral-site. We’ll get a better sense of just how improved and how good this Arkansas team is as they face one of the SEC’s most talented teams.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
