This article originally appeared in the November 8, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
1.
Leadership on Defense
Less than
24 hours after Arkansas’ 19-15 Homecoming victory over Tulsa last week, senior
middle linebacker Terrell Williams was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
UA interim head coach John L. Smith has suspended Williams indefinitely and has
said he will not play Saturday against the Gamecocks. Williams was already
filling in for injured seniors Tenarius Wright and Alonzo Highsmith, so
Arkansas will be starting their fourth different middle linebacker. Similar to
the quarterback, middle linebacker is the leadership position on the defense,
so having freshmen Otha Peters and A.J. Turner will leave a gap in leadership.
Smith expects senior safety Ross Rasner to take up most of these
responsibilities. Whether it is Rasner or someone else does not matter --
someone must take control on defense and lead them to victory.
2. Spread
the Ball Around
Without
injured senior tight end Chris Gragg and suspended junior wide receiver Brandon
Mitchell, senior quarterback Tyler Wilson has been forced to find other people
to throw the ball to. Senior wide receiver Cobi Hamilton has been thrown a
majority of Wilson’s passes and recently broke current Minnesota Vikings wide
receiver Jarius Wright’s school record for receptions in a season, with 69.
However, Wilson needs to find other players to throw the ball to, because
defenses will start to double-team Hamilton. Players like freshman Mekale McKay
and juniors Julian Horton and Demetrius Wilson need to step up. Also, the
running backs, senior Dennis Johnson and freshman Jonathan Williams, will be
called upon to catch passes out of the backfield. With a tough opponent like
the Gamecocks, the Razorbacks need to spread the ball around on offense.
3. Have a
Balanced Offensive Attack
Likewise,
the Razorbacks must also have a solid ground game. Johnson has picked up his
offensive performance, averaging 135 yards per game the last two weeks.
Williams has provided a nice spark to the offense as well, averaging 4.7 yards
per carry. These two players have helped open up the pass game more by forcing
opposing defenses to defend both the run and the pass. This will allow
receivers to get open easier because defenses won’t be able to have an extra
safety in coverage or be able to double-team Hamilton. The key to all offenses
is a balanced attack, and Arkansas is no exception.
4.
Freshmen Make Plays
As
mentioned before, freshmen linebackers Peters and Turner will be asked to play
more than usual this Saturday. Several players have mentioned the physical
maturity of these freshmen, but experience is still a big factor. Both of them
got a lot of playing time against Tulsa last week, as they combined for 11
tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Turner also had a big hit that gave Arkansas
momentum. They will need this energy again this week in order for the
Razorbacks to have a chance to pull off the upset against the Gamecocks.
5. Block
South Carolina’s Defensive Ends
South
Carolina’s defense is tied for seventh in the nation with 30 sacks. Senior
Devin Taylor and sophomore Jadeveon Clowney lead the Gamecock defensive line at
the end positions. Taylor is third in school history with 33 career tackles for
loss and fifth with 18 career sacks. Only a sophomore, Clowney is also climbing
up those lists, already tied for 10th with 27 career tackles for loss and sixth
with 16.5 career sacks. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches and weighing 256 pounds,
Clowney has 8.5 sacks this season, tied for 11th most in the country, and is
already being talked about as a potential first round pick in the 2014 NFL
Draft. Last week, Arkansas gave up only one sack to the country’s team leader
in sacks, Tulsa. They will need a similar performance to beat No. 8 South
Carolina.
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