This article originally appeared in the January 22, 2014 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
NOTE: This is the first installment of a six-part series on the state of the Arkansas football program. For a preview of the upcoming parts of the series, refer to the dates below the article.
Arkansas’ offense struggled to put points on the board in a way that hasn’t been seen in Fayetteville since Bill Clinton was president and Danny Ford was the head coach.
The Razorbacks averaged only 20.7 points per game this season. That is their lowest output since averaging 16.5 per game in 1997.
The offensive low point of the season came against Alabama Oct. 19, when the Razorbacks were shut out by the Crimson Tide, marking the first time a team held Arkansas scoreless in consecutive years since William and Mary in 1948 and 1949.
Despite the historically low scoring, there were bright spots on the offense. Most notably, the Razorbacks were led by a pair of freshmen: running back Alex Collins and tight end Hunter Henry.
Collins, head coach Bret Bielema’s signature recruit in the class of 2013, was a five-star running back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and chose Arkansas over other top programs, such as Miami (FL), Florida State, Florida and Wisconsin.
He lived up the hype and burst onto the scene with at least 100 rushing yards in the first three games of the season. No other true freshman had ever accomplished that feat in the history of the Southeastern Conference and he was the first true freshman in the FBS to do it since Adrian Peterson in 2004.
His production dropped off slightly, but Collins became the first true freshman in UA history with over 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,026. It was just the 10th time in SEC history and 68th time in NCAA history.
After the season, Collins was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and selected as a Freshman All-American.
Henry was another highly touted recruit. Playing at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, he earned PARADE All-American honors and was offered scholarships by Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia, among others.
Instead, he chose to stay in his home state and was an immediate factor on the Razorbacks’ offense.
His 28 receptions and 409 receiving yards ranked second on the team and he was the only tight end in the SEC with a 100-yard game, with 109 yards against No. 10 Texas A&M.
Like Collins, Henry was named to the Freshman All-SEC team and selected as a Freshman All-American.
The biggest question mark on the offensive side of the ball heading into next season will be the quarterback position.
Brandon Allen struggled during his sophomore campaign, his first season as the full-time starter. He completed only 49.6 percent of his passes for 1,552 yards and 13 touchdowns, while throwing 10 interceptions.
His backup, junior A.J. Derby, was forced to appear in a couple games and start one because of a shoulder injury Allen suffered in the third game of the season, and he did not play that well.
Derby completed 19-of-36 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception over the course of the year.
The inconsistency at quarterback has led many Arkansas fans to believe that the Razorbacks will try someone else next season. However, Allen will probably remain the starting quarterback unless another emerges in spring and fall practice.
Allen’s younger brother, Austin, seems to be a leading candidate to compete for the starting, or at least backup, job. Last season, Bielema decided to keep his redshirt and not play him when his older brother was injured and Derby struggled.
Four-star recruit Rafe Peavey could also compete for the job. Peavey, the No. 10 quarterback in the country according to Rivals.com, enrolled this semester and will be able to participate in spring practice.
The only player with more receptions and receiving yards than Henry was wide receiver Javontee Herndon, who hauled in 31 passes for 437 yards. He and Henry each had four touchdowns, tying for the team-lead in receiving touchdowns.
The Razorbacks will lose Herndon, as well as wide receiver Julian Horton, to graduation. Horton was fourth on the team with 142 receiving yards. A natural replacement as Arkansas’ No. 1 receiver would be Keon Hatcher, who will be a junior next year.
Hatcher was third on the team in receptions and receiving yards last season, with 27 and 346, respectively. Another possibility is that one of Arkansas’ recruits could become an immediate factor.
Jared Cornelius and Corey McBride are a pair of three-star wide receivers, according to Rivals.com, and have both committed to the Razorbacks. Cody Hollister is a two-star JUCO transfer who has already signed a letter intent to come to Arkansas.
Along with Collins, Jonathan Williams will be back for his junior year, solidifying the Razorbacks’ backfield as one of the best in the country.
Williams rushed for 900 yards and four touchdowns last season, making him and Collins one of the top running back tandems in the SEC.
Late in the season, freshman Korliss Marshall emerged as a third running back for Arkansas, rushing for 146 yards on only 17 carries. That is an average of 8.6 yards per carry. He took reps at safety for part of last season, but if the coaches keep him at running back, he could play a part of Arkansas’ best backfield since Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis.
The only main contributor Arkansas is losing from its backfield is fullback Kiero Small, who rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns as a senior. He also caught 19 passes for 128 yards and one touchdown.
Contrary to his name, and stats, Small was a very big part of the team. The Razorbacks will not only have to replace an extremely good blocking fullback, but also one of the team’s leaders in the locker room.
On the offensive line, the Razorbacks will have to replace Travis Swanson. The All-American center started all 50 games of his career at Arkansas and was one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy last season.
Arkansas will also have to replace David Hurd, who started 11 games at left tackle. Other than Swanson and Hurd, the rest of the offensive line is returning, including freshmen Dan Skipper and Denver Kirkland, who took over the starting guard positions after the first four games of the year.
Skipper and Kirkland were named to 247Sports.com’s True Freshman All-American Team. Skipper was selected to the first team, while Kirkland was selected to the second team.
Overall, Arkansas is losing only 9.3 percent of its rushing offense and 40 percent of its receiving offense. That means the Razorbacks will return 77.9 percent of their offense next season.
Future “State of the Program” dates…
Part II – Defense (Jan. 29)
Part III – Coaches (Feb. 5)
Part IV – Recruiting (Feb. 12)
Part V – Television (Feb. 19)
Part VI – Attendance (Feb. 26)
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