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Arkansas Razorbacks

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Arkansas Razorbacks Football Team

After two years of the disastrous Chad Morris tenure at head coach, Arkansas brought in SEC veteran assistant coach Sam Pittman to restore order. He brings back 17 starters from a team that broke a 20-game conference losing streak, but expectations will be higher this time around.

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The Arkansas Razorbacks are a competitive force in the SEC. With a strong showing in recent years, the Razorbacks have made a name for themselves as a team to watch in the NCAAF standings. Their stats show that they are a well-rounded team with a balanced offensive and defensive strategy.

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Summary

The Razorbacks went 3 – 7 against a stacked, all-SEC schedule in 2020, at least removing much of the embarrassment from the program. However, they lost their last four games and gave up 48 points per contest down the stretch, casting some doubt on how far Arkansas had really come, although it’s clear the Razorbacks made progress.

In addition to the SEC West foes and a Missouri team that Arkansas plays every year, the SEC saddled the Razorbacks with games against Georgia and at Florida. Of the four teams that finished at the bottom of the SEC East, Arkansas played only one and avoided the worst two teams in the conference altogether.

Florida transfer quarterback Feleipe Franks gave Arkansas much-needed stability to bridge the gap in talent that Pittman inherited, completing 68.5% of his passes and throwing for 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Overall, the offense was ranked eighth in the conference in every category and was just outside the top half in the nation.

Key Players

Returning sophomore quarterback K.J. Jefferson will be expected to pick up where Franks left off and showed some promise in a losing effort against Missouri. In limited action last season in five games, Jefferson completed less than 50% of his passes but was able to hold onto the ball, tossing for three scores without an interception.

Wide receiver Treylon Burks will provide Jefferson a great target as he settles in as a starter, as the junior averaged 16.1 yards per catch and had seven touchdowns last season with 51 total receptions. He’s the clear leader of the pass-catching corps and will need to continue his explosive play if Arkansas is going to remain competitive in the SEC.

The Razorbacks gave up 34 sacks and were 78th in the nation in rushing, so left tackle Myron Cunningham will be instrumental in dealing with the tough defensive lines in the SEC. Although the Razorbacks need to make a significant improvement on defense, more ball control on offense through the running game could also help the situation.

New Additions

With so many starters back, there isn’t much room for new faces in the lineup, but the Razorbacks return just one running back who had more than 15 carries in 2020. Star recruit AJ Green out of Union High School in Tulsa could bring needed explosiveness and depth to the position.

The other highly rated recruit for Arkansas was wide receiver, Ketron Jackson, from Royce City, Texas. He might be able to help fill the shoes of the departed Mike Woods, who chose to transfer, leaving a hole in the receiving corps.

Key Subtractions

Mike Woods left for Oklahoma after catching 32 passes for 619 yards, averaging 19.3 yards per reception, and grabbing five touchdowns. His presence on the other side of the field from Burks made life a lot easier for Franks to make plays downfield.

Divisional Outlook

Long sold as the toughest division in college football, that might be a hard case to make for the SEC West in 2021. Certainly, defending national champion Alabama is not surprisingly favored to win the division and by many the national championship, but they’ll need to contend with Texas A&M and perhaps LSU.

The Aggies bring back 15 players from a team that went 9 – 1 in 2020, with its only loss coming to Alabama in the second week of the season. In the Orange Bowl, Texas A&M defeated UNC, a team projected by many to be in the top ten and five Clemson a run for their money in the ACC.

LSU also brings back 15 starters and their defense will keep them in any game, but offensively they may struggle against top defenses. Beyond that, the SEC West lacks much depth and while the rest of the division will feast on weak non-conference schedules, it will take some major upsets for any of them to challenge for a title.

Arkansas Offense

With a much easier schedule than in 2020, Arkansas will be able to put up better offensive numbers overall, but it will take a smooth transition from Franks to Jefferson for the Hogs to put up more than three conference victories with Georgia remaining on the SEC slate. K.J. Jefferson brings a different dimension to the offense with his mobility and it might be able to make up for some limitations on the offensive line.

The entire front is back, but beyond creating continuity, they’ll need to actually show improvement on the field for the Razorbacks to the next step in the conference statistics and standings. The weapons are on board, with Trelon Smith returning at running back, Treylon Burks leading the receivers, and Jefferson well thought of to lead the way.

Arkansas Defense

The secondary will lead the way for defensive coordinator Barry Odom’s unit, but they’ll need to find a way to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks to keep from having another late-season meltdown. They return nine starters and Odom is making schematic changes to give them more flexibility in finding ways to get into the offensive backfield.

Safety Jalen Catalon is talented and will need to keep from getting tossed from games due to targeting calls if Arkansas is going to make significant strides after ranking 102nd in the nation against the pass and 106th in total yards allowed in 2020. While the schedule was partially responsible, giving up 63 points to Florida and 50 to Missouri will need to change for Arkansas to get bowl eligible with Texas playing in Fayetteville in an offseason contest on September 11th.


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Arkansas Razorbacks FAQs

How many national championships has Arkansas won?

The Razorbacks claim one championship, coming in 1964 on which Jerry Jones, Jimmy Johnson, and Barry Switzer played for head coach Frank Broyles.

Who is the winningest head coach in Arkansas football history?

Frank Broyles won 144 games from 1958 – 1976.

Has Arkansas ever won the SEC championship in football?

No, their last and 13th conference title came in the Southwest Conference in 1989.

How many times has Arkansas played in the SEC Championship Game?

Three, in 1995, 2002 and 2006

What is Arkansas’ total record?

687-497-37

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