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FPRC's 2014 Arkansas Razorbacks Football Preview

Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:43 pm
Posted by The Nino
Member since Jan 2010
21521 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:43 pm
The Football Power Rankings Committee presents to tRant:

2014 Arkansas Razorbacks Football Preview



2013 Record: 3-9 (0-8)
After rolling over 3 hapless opponents, the Razorbacks went on to lose 9 (NINE!) games in a row to close out the season. Not to say the Hogs weren't competitive, as this included blowing a 17 point lead on the road against Rutgers with our backup quarterback playing, an overtime loss to Mississippi State, and a last minute 99-yard game-winning drive by LSU. Arkansas was very competitive in some games, and not so much in others (blowout losses to Alabama and South Carolina). All in all, while no Arkansas fan will tell you that they were happy with a 3-9 season, I would venture to say that the fans with the ability to see beyond the final score will tell you that the Hogs were better than the 3-9 record suggested.

(Bold Players= Returning Starter)

2014 Offensive Preview (7 returners)


*QB - Brandon Allen

Brandon Allen will be the starter this season. CBB has made that clear. He started and played every game with the exception of one last year, and therefore has the most experience. He wasn't great by any means last year, but you could see him coming around toward the end of the year. It also came to light that he played a good 3-4 weeks after his injury without practice, just rolling into the game and winging it. CBB has also been quoted as saying "Brandon Allen has had the best off season of any player he has ever coached." All of the above has Arkansas fans in a position of cautious optimism. Cautious.

*FB - Kody Walker, Chris Jones, Patrick Arinze, Tyler Colquitt

This spot is tough to fill. It was held last year by one of our hardest working and determined athletes on the team who was also a team captain. I heard good things about Arinze during Spring Ball, but that is all I'm really going off of. Kody Walker was recruited as a RB coming out of high school, and was our "power back" in 2011 and in 2012, but did not see much playing time at all due to an early season-ending injury in both seasons. Last season, he saw a few reps, but getting playing time against Kiero Small wasn't easy. The Hogs need this position to be a good one. Will it be? We shall see.

*RB - Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins, Korliss Marshall 

This is a fun one. While Jonathan Williams actually started every game over Alex Collins last season, Collins ended up with about 100 more rushing yards. And that only goes to further prove there is no reason to try and claim one as the "starter", as both are great backs. Both of these RBs are very, very good, and will be an integral part of the Razorback offense this year. While last year, we did get sort of used to the two-headed monster that was Collins and Williams, it is my opinion that there will be a 3rd back in the mix this year. Korliss Marshall worked as a running back last season, and didn't see just a ton of reps. But man, when he did see the field, he was electric, as noted by his averaging of over 8 yards per carry. Look for this to be a big part of the Arkansas offensive success this year. This was a bright spot (the only?) from last year's team, an area that should only be more improved with an entire off season to continue to get better.

*WR - Keon Hatcher, Demetrius Wilson, Eric Hawkins, Jared Cornelius, Cody Hollister, Drew Morgan, Duwop Mitchell, JoJo Robinson

This is an interesting group to discuss, as well. Keon Hatcher is the only one of the listed above that saw playing time last year, and he was in our "Top 3" wide receivers. While the other 2 may have graduated, Hatcher looks to continue to become a force to be reckoned with. Demetrius Wilson is another name to be familiar with. He played in the 2012 season, and while he was often overshadowed by Cobi Hamilton, he did gain some experience that year. In fall camp prior to the 2013 season, he suffered a season-ending injury and did not play. Hog fans are anxious to see what he might can do to help solidify this area of the offense this year. And the last 5 names are all listed because some of these will see more playing time than others, but your guess is as good as mine. Hawkins got in to a few games last season, but was not a major factor. Morgan got in to a few games as well, but the majority of what he was asked to do as a freshman was return kickoffs alongside Korliss Marshall. Mitchell red-shirted last year as a QB, but was moved to receiver during spring ball. Hollister was a Juco transfer that came in to the program at semester of last year. Cornelius will be a true freshman this upcoming year, but he did get a head start with the program as he moved in at semester last year, as well. With all of the last 5 names, they all looked athletic and capable during Spring Ball and during the Spring Game, and all are plenty capable of stepping up and seeing significant playing time. But which ones? Hopefully fall camp will straighten that out some. As far as the receiving core as a whole, this is an area that Arkansas fans are hoping to see drastically improved, to be frank. The wide receivers, IMO, woefully underperformed last season, and I hope this season's receiving core can do much better.

*TE - Hunter Henry, AJ Derby, Jeremy Sprinkle

Here was another bright spot from the 2013 campaign. True Freshman Hunter Henry was a very reliable receiver, and at times, the best receiver Brandon Allen had to look to. He has excellent hands and great natural talent. After an entire off-season of work, I'm curious to see how much better he will be for the Hogs' offense in the 2014 campaign. AJ Derby was Arkansas' backup quarterback last year who played the game against Rutgers and saw a few other snaps throughout the season as well. During spring ball, he was moved to tight end (he was actually recruited by a lot of schools, including Alabama, as a tight end originally out of high school). In listening to press conferences from CBB, Derby could be "one of the biggest impact players of this team, and maybe even the SEC." So the team is thinking highly of Derby for now. And lastly, there is Jeremy Sprinkle. Sprinkle actually started 1 game last year and appeared in all 12, but only caught 4 passes all year. He showed moments of real talent, so don't find me shocked if he gets some playing time this year, even with having to compete with the likes of Henry and Derby.

*OG - Dan Skipper, Denver Kirkland, Cameron Jefferson

*OT - Brey Cook, Brian Wallace, Sebastian Tretola, Grady Ollison

*OC - Mitch Smothers, Frank Ragnow

Alright, so I'm going to be perfectly honest and tell you that I don't really know what to expect from the offensive line this year. August camp should reveal a lot, but we aren't quite there yet. Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper both started as true freshmen last year. The Hogs add senior UNLV transfer Cameron Jefferson at guard. Freshman phenom OT Brian Wallace may see some playing time, as Bielema describes him as the best offensive lineman he has ever recruited. We shuffled our offensive line around a bit last year as the season went on, and I look for that to continue again this year. I may not have them in exactly the right positions, but these are the players you will see on the O-line this year IMO.
Posted by The Nino
Member since Jan 2010
21521 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:43 pm to
2014 Defensive Preview (8 returners)


*DE - Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise

*DT - Darius Philon, Demarcus Hodge, Bijhon Jackson

Bielema begged defensive end Trey Flowers to return for his senior season, and it worked. Flowers is the best player on Arkansas' defense. The Hogs add highly touted DT Bijhon Jackson, who may be in the mix for the other tackle spot beside Darius Philon. If Arkansas has a strength on defense, it's the line. 

*LB - Otha Peters, Brooks Ellis, Braylon Mitchell, Martrell Spaight

This is the thinnest position on Arkansas' entire team, and they can't afford to start losing linebackers to injury. Junior Otha Peters is finally healthy for the first time since he's been at Arkansas. The Hogs hope a few freshmen and JUCO newcomers can add some quality depth.

*CB - Tevin Mitchell, Will Hines

*S - Alan Turner, Rohan Gaines

The Hogs return a lot of experience in the secondary, but these players haven't exactly been bright spots for the Arkansas defense. They have been prone to giving up big plays for the past several years, so an improvement in this phase will increase the chances of the Hogs winning some SEC games. But this secondary still needs a lot of help from the front seven to be successful.

2014 Special Teams



*Kicker - John Henson, Cole Hedlund

With the loss of 4 year starter Zach Hocker, this spot is now open. His backup was John Henson, who I believe is a walk-on, and will be a senior this year. He only got into 1 game during that time. More likely to play this season, though, is true freshman Cole Hedlund. He was rated as the #2 kicker in the country by Rivals, and in his senior year, he was 24/26 on Field Goals with a long of 52, as well as 96/96 on PAT's.

*Punter - Sam Irwin-Hill

He was selected as 2nd team All-SEC, and rightfully so averaging 44.3 yards per punt last season and leading the SEC in punts downed inside the 20.

*KR - Korliss Marshall

Marshall is quite the athlete in that he played in the secondary during part of his time here, and he has now converted to Running Back, and also does the kick returning. He is a homerun threat every time he touches the ball and I'm excited to see what he can do

*PR

Javontee Herndon manned this spot last year for the Hogs and has since graduated so it will be a newcomer for this upcoming season. I don't know who it might be yet, and I imagine Fall Camp will shake that out. An option here might be incoming freshman JoJo Robinson. He has the speed and quickness that is needed for this position, and may very well be the one to step up and take it.

2014 Coaching Staff


Yes, Bret is fat. We did have a few coaches turnover during the off season, with defensive coordinator being the most obvious. The new DC is Robb Smith, who will also coach the secondary. Last season, Smith was the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Bucs, and in the 4 seasons before that, he was the defensive coordinator for Rutgers. Smith will bring with him his attacking style of defense, including a whole lot more blitz packages.

Another coaching change is with Rory Segrest coming on as defensive line coach, taking over where Charlie Partridge left off. He will also be in charge of special teams. Segrest worked with both the Philadelphia Eagles organization and Samford University in the same positions, prior to coming to the Arkansas staff. One last notable coaching change comes with Clay Jennings coming on to coach the defensive backs. Prior to joining the Arkansas staff, he was the cornerbacks coach for TCU for 6 years.

The Razorbacks do have some continuity with the offensive coordinator spot as well as with Bielema. Another year under Bielema and the first full off-season under CBB should prove to keep on righting this Flagship.


Off-Season Report

Honestly, it's been nice to have a quiet off-season in this department. Not that it's been a huge problem in the past, but watching other SEC teams struggle with their players getting arrested or cited, while our off-season has been quiet in this department has been nice (knock on wood). We've also been fairly lucky in the injury department so far.

2014 Schedule

@ Auburn
vs. Nicholls St.
@ Texas Tech
vs. NIU
vs. Texas A&M (in Dallas)
BYE
vs. Alabama
vs. Georgia
vs. UAB
@ Miss St.
BYE
vs. LSU
vs. Ole Miss
@ Mizzou

We have a crazy difficult schedule, and it very well may end up being in the Top 10 toughest schedules in the country. We do have a very nice home schedule, with catching Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Ole Miss all at home. It's unfortunate that Arkansas has 3 of its more "winnable" games on the road, but such is life for Arkansas fans.

Bye weeks prior to home games against Alabama and LSU are a definite bright spot. The Hogs also catch NIU in their first year without star QB Jordan Lynch, and I'm not sold they will have any kind of identity without him. And one last plus side to the schedule is that we did manage to get one of our OOC rent-a-wins later in the season to break up the rigor of the SEC slate. While the Hogs have a really tough schedule this season, like a homer for any team would, I have found the silver lining and am convinced it's the exact schedule we need.

Keys to Success

Last year didn't see awful O-line play, but it also wasn't great. A big factor in the Hogs' success this year will be whether the O-line can take another step forward. Arkansas also needs better QB/WR play. Last year, Brandon Allen got hurt early in the season and never fully recovered. Maybe it was a lack of understanding the offense by both parties since it was the first year. Allen has been quoted as saying that he understands the offense 100% better this year compared to last year. If the Hogs want to score this year, they can't become 1-dimensional, which is going to require better QB/WR play.

If Arkansas' defensive line can live up to its potential, this defense could land in the top 50 by the end of the year. Linebacker play must improve against the run, and Smith's new style aims to accomplish that. Look for Arkansas to be more aggressive as a unit and cause more turnovers this year, while consequently giving up a few more big plays.

Wrap-Up

Welp, here it goes. This will Bret Bielema's second year at the helm of the Razorbacks and every Hog fan out there is hoping for better than last season. 3 years ago, we were cruising along, enjoying back-to-back 10 win seasons, and Arkansas fans had that ripped right from their hands. In the 2 years since, Arkansas has suffered mightily. In 2014, you will see Arkansas finally take a step back in the right direction.

Look for this team to be vastly improved on both sides of the ball. CBB has said multiple times that the most improved units have been the WR position and the secondary, two positions that Arkansas struggled with last year. My biggest concern as an Arkansas fan this year is that we will see a lot improvement this year and still only go 4-8. Try explaining that to your average fan. It's going to be a tough sell. And one thing this program needs more than anything is good news for once. Get us to a bowl game, and let us enjoy a post season, even if we have to go dodge bullets in Memphis at the Liberty Bowl. I will wear my bullet-proof vest with pride. The Arkansas Razorbacks will be better this year, and I cannot wait to watch. Go Hogs!
Posted by Aggie Fishfinder
Republic of Texas
Member since Feb 2012
4260 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:44 pm to
(no message)
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 8:58 am
Posted by The Nino
Member since Jan 2010
21521 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:45 pm to
Yes, it's a little long (longer than most so far), but our Arkansas writers are excited and eager.

Enjoy the preview
Posted by DirtyDawg
President of the East Cobb Snobs
Member since Aug 2013
15539 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:50 pm to
Solid preview
Posted by The Nino
Member since Jan 2010
21521 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:52 pm to
Our Arky posters did a very detailed job. I'm proud of what they accomplished in this preview
Posted by DoUrden
UnderDark
Member since Oct 2011
25965 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:52 pm to
does it say bert is fat in there anywhere and where is the complimentary pic of his wife?

J/K good work.
Posted by The Nino
Member since Jan 2010
21521 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:53 pm to
quote:

does it say bert is fat in there anywhere
yep!
quote:

where is the complimentary pic of his wife?
sadly there wasn't enough space...seriously
Posted by parkjas2001
Gustav Fan Club: Consigliere
Member since Feb 2010
45000 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:53 pm to
quote:

does it say bert is fat in there anywhere


yes
Posted by Rebelgator
Pripyat Bridge
Member since Mar 2010
39543 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:55 pm to
That'll do pigs.
Posted by The_Joker
Winter Park, Fl
Member since Jan 2013
16316 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:56 pm to
quote:

Marshall is quite the athlete


Understatement
Posted by WhistlinDixie15
I make people sleepy
Member since Oct 2012
7781 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:58 pm to
The offensive preview pic isn't working

Nvm my phone sucks
This post was edited on 8/6/14 at 1:59 pm
Posted by Ericvol2096
Charleston, SC
Member since May 2013
2588 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:59 pm to
Nice work and good read!

Arkansas is in a tough spot with that schedule. It is going to be hard to find 6 wins or even 5.

Good to see Otha Peters is going to start, it hurt when he spurned the Vols, but glad it didn't backfire on him.

Good luck Hogs, see you in Neyland in 2015!
Posted by hawgfaninc
https://youtu.be/torc9P4-k5A
Member since Nov 2011
46364 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 1:59 pm to
Posted by parkjas2001
Gustav Fan Club: Consigliere
Member since Feb 2010
45000 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 2:01 pm to
quote:

In 2014, you will see Arkansas finally take a step back in the right direction.


I think AU wins that first game comfortably but Arky fans will be pleased with what they see out of thier team afterwards.
Posted by WDE24
Member since Oct 2010
54132 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 2:05 pm to
I haven't read it all yet, but the key to Arky's season will be winning at least one game in Texas.
Posted by WonderWartHawg
Member since Dec 2010
10397 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 2:07 pm to
quote:

does it say bert is fat in there anywhere and where is the complimentary pic of his wife?



Works for Bert!



Posted by semotruman
Member since Nov 2011
23179 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 2:15 pm to
Nice job, Arky! I think 6 wins is tough, but doable. Just not in CoMo.
Posted by Ericvol2096
Charleston, SC
Member since May 2013
2588 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 2:18 pm to
Nino and Semo.

You should pin these for the time that the two previews are the newest ones. Then unpin them and replace them with the newest two.

This would increase visibility and conversation. Also make posters around here more aware they exist.
Posted by Jobu93
Cypress TX
Member since Sep 2011
19203 posts
Posted on 8/6/14 at 2:30 pm to
Nicely done.
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