Brandon Allen drives Hogs to 28-7 lead with methodical drive late in first half
By Drew Laing
Published:
The offensive statistics wouldn’t have blown anyone away. With just a few minutes left in the first half, Arkansas held a modest 21-7 lead against Northern Illinois.
But then Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen got the ball for the Hogs and proceeded to show just what he can do when given the opportunity to throw the football. The junior signal caller led the Razorbacks down the field on a 10 play, 71 yard drive that ended with a 10-yard passing touchdown to true freshman wideout Jared Cornelius.
Allen finished the drive throwing 6-of-7 for 58 yards and looked sharp dropping back, running the play action and on rollouts. Much has been made about the Arkansas running game and consequently, Allen is often forgotten about since he’s not particularly overwhelming like other SEC quarterbacks.
However, don’t sleep on Allen. He may not have the name recognition, but he’s got all of the tools to be a very serviceable SEC quarterback and one that can execute any of the plays Bielema and the coaching staff ask of him. The development of Allen will be key moving forward as an effective passing attack adds a entire new wrinkle to the physical run-first Arkansas offense.
A more balanced attack would certainly give the Hogs an even better chance to upset some higher ranked SEC teams later on in their schedule.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
