Ryan Silverfield says high altitude won’t have ‘major direct effect’ on Arkansas at Utah
By Mark Kern
Published:
Ryan Silverfield got a win in his first game as coach, but he wasn’t very happy with how his team performed in Week 1.
The Razorbacks offense was very sloppy at times, and it just wasn’t a clean performance. Up next for the Razorbacks is a very tough road game at Utah.
Playing in Salt Lake City can be an issue for opposing teams dealing with the altitude, but the first-year coach isn’t going to allow that as an excuse. He said Monday that he doesn’t believe the altitude will have a “major direct effect’ on his players this Saturday.
It is obviously a big adjustment playing at a higher altitude, but there is a direct message being sent by the coach to his team. The result on Saturday is going to be impacted more by how the Razorbacks play than anything else.
Arkansas had 8 penalties for 74 yards in the game, which is way too many mistakes when playing a disciplined team like Utah. They also lost the turnover margin by -2 in the win against North Alabama. If the Razorbacks are negative in the turnover margin against the Utes, they will be headed back home with a loss.
The going isn’t set to get any easier, either. The next two weeks against Utah and Georgia will show Silverfield where his team really is heading into the bulk of SEC play.
