This article originally appeared in the January 29, 2014 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
NOTE: This is the second installment of a six-part series on the state of the Arkansas football program. For a preview of the upcoming parts of the series and review of previous parts, refer to the dates and links below the article.
The 2013 season was much of the same for Arkansas’ defense, as the Razorbacks allowed more than 30 points per game for the second consecutive year.
In John L. Smith’s only season as Arkansas’ head coach, the Razorbacks gave up 365 points. Head coach Bret Bielema’s first season in Fayetteville saw the Razorbacks give up 369 points.
Arkansas ranked near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference and NCAA in scoring defense both seasons. The 30.4 points allowed per game in 2012 was 12th in the conference and 81st in the country, while the 30.8 points allowed per game in 2013 was 12th and 88th, respectively.
Last season also featured back-to-back games in which the Razorbacks gave up 52 points. It was the first time in school history that Arkansas gave up 50-plus points in consecutive games and the 104 points were the most it had given up in consecutive games since the Razorbacks allowed 111 points to No. 19 Texas and No. 6 Houston in back-to-back games in 1990.
Similar to the offense, despite the defense’s struggles, certain areas showed promise. Most notably, Arkansas’ defensive line drew a lot of attention before, during and after the season.
Senior defensive end Chris Smith was selected to the preseason first-team All-SEC team by the coaches, while senior defensive tackle Byran Jones was named to the preseason third-team All-SEC team by Phil Steele.
Smith backed up this recognition by collecting 36 tackles, including 11.5 for a loss. He also had 8.5 sacks, which is tied for eighth-most in a single season in UA history, and giving him 21.5 in his career, fourth-most in UA history.
Jones started all but one game and racked up 32 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. Next to Jones as the other defensive tackle was senior Robert Thomas, who was voted by his teammates as one of Arkansas’ team captains for the season.
Thomas started the first seven games of the season, tallying 31 tackles, before breaking his leg against South Carolina and missing the rest of the year.
The injury forced redshirt freshman Darius Philon into a starting role. He did well in the senior’s absence, collecting 46 tackles, including nine for a loss and three sacks.
Junior defensive end Trey Flowers had a breakout season, as well. He ended the year with 44 tackles and led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss.
Smith, Jones and Thomas will not be back next season, but Philon will return as a redshirt sophomore. Flowers received a third round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, but he decided to return to Arkansas for his senior year.
The Razorbacks will miss the three senior defensive linemen, as Smith was named second-team All-SEC by the coaches and he, Jones and Thomas combined for 30 starts last season, but Philon and Flowers will bring experience to the position next season.
Philon and Flowers were selected as SEC All-Freshman and second-team All-SEC by the coaches, respectively and combined for 16 starts.
Four-star recruit Bijhon Jackson, the No. 8 defensive tackle in the country according to Rivals.com, will also help fill some holes on Arkansas’ defensive line.
Linebackers remain the biggest question mark for Arkansas’ defense.
Five different players started at least one game at linebacker in 2013 and Bielema used 10 different combinations at the position.
Senior Jarrett Lake started the most games at linebacker, with 11 starts, while junior Braylon Mitchell started eight games. Lake and Mitchell tied for second on the team with 77 tackles.
Junior college transfer Martrell Spaight received a lot of press before the season, but started only two games and finished with 22 tackles.
The late-emerging star of the linebacker core was a true freshman from Fayetteville High, Brooks Ellis. He appeared in all 12 games and started the last four at middle linebacker, receiving high praises from Bielema.
Mitchell, Spaight and Ellis will return next year, but the Razorbacks will be without Lake, as well as sophomore A.J. Turner and junior Myke Tavarres, who transferred after the season.
Arkansas could also get a contribution from incoming freshman Dwayne Eugene, a three-star linebacker recruit, according to Rivals.com, who is committed to the Razorbacks.
Finally, Arkansas’ secondary showed improvement, but still gave up 235 yards per game through the air.
In 2012, the Razorbacks gave up 285.8 passing yards per game, which ranked last in the SEC and 113th in the NCAA. They moved up in these rankings last season, finishing 11th in the conference and 72nd in the country.
Safeties Alan Turner and Eric Bennett started all 12 games, while Rohan Gaines also started five games at safety. Bennett was a senior, but Turner and Gaines will be back next season.
Turner led the Razorbacks with 97 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups. Gaines, who missed two games with a knee injury, finished the season with 33 tackles and one pass breakup.
Junior Tevin Mitchel and sophomore Will Hines began the season as Arkansas’ starting corners, but the injury bug soon mixed things up.
Hines broke his arm in the sixth game and did not return until the LSU game. In his place, junior Carroll Washington started four games before being replaced by redshirt freshman Jared Collins, who started the final two games.
Mitchel started the first 10 games of the season, but missed the Mississippi State game because of a family health issue. Freshman D.J. Dean started the last two games in his place.
All five players who started at safety this season will be back next year.
Overall, Arkansas will return 13 defensive players who started at least one game last season. Those players combined for 62 starts, or 47 percent of the Razorbacks’ defensive starts in 2013.
Future
"State of the Program" dates and links to previous parts...
Part
III – Coaches (Feb. 5)
Part
IV – Recruiting (Feb. 12)
Part
V – Television (Feb. 19)
Part
VI – Attendance (Feb. 26)
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