TAT: Five Keys vs. Auburn

This article originally appeared in the October 4, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

1. Contain Kiehl Frazier

Arkansas has struggled against dual-threat quarterbacks this year. ULM’s Kolten Browning and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel were able to run around and make plays. Browning would be wrapped up in the backfield, but would escape and complete a pass. Manziel danced around and seemingly had days to find an open man or running lane. They ended up with 481 total yards and 558 total yards, respectively. While he hasn’t shown it much this season, many people remember Auburn sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier at Shiloh Christian High School as a player who could make plays with his arm and his legs. Arkansas can’t allow this to happen, or else they’ll suffer a similar result as they did against the Warhawks and Aggies.

2. Win the Turnover Battle

The Razorbacks have committed 15 turnovers and only forced two this season. This -2.6 per game turnover margin is dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Not factored into this statistic are the 13 times Arkansas has fumbled and not lost the ball. Auburn has also struggled with turnovers this season, committing 12 and forcing four. In a matchup between two teams who have been struggling to put points on the board, turnovers could provide the extra possession needed to score.

3. Score in the Red Zone

Last week, Arkansas only scored once out of five trips inside Texas A&M’s 20-yard line. When a team is that close to the goal line, they should at least come away with a field goal. UA interim head coach John L. Smith said at his Monday press conference that “our ability to run the ball has hurt us” in the red zone. The offensive line must open holes for running backs Knile Davis and Dennis Johnson. Passing the ball in that short of field is difficult enough without the defense specifically covering the pass, so running the ball is necessary to make quarterback Tyler Wilson’s job easier.

4. Step Up Special Teams

In four games, Auburn has blocked three field goals. Also, senior kick returner Onterio McCalebb is averaging 36.83 yards per return, which is first in the Southeastern Conference and third in the nation. Arkansas must have sound protection on field goals to allow kicker Zach Hocker time to make an accurate kick. Hocker will play a huge factor in keeping McCalebb in check as well. Of his 23 kickoffs, 18 of them have been for touchbacks. If he kicks the ball through the back of the end zone or deep into the end zone, McCalebb will be a non-factor.

5. Watch Out for LB Daren Bates

Auburn senior linebacker Daren Bates leads the SEC with 11.75 tackles per game. He is also effective in coverage, with one interception and two pass breakups. Arkansas must know where he is on the field at all times. A player of Bates’ caliber is capable of shifting the game’s momentum. Against Clemson, he intercepted a pass at the start of the fourth quarter that led to an Auburn go-ahead field goal. However, Clemson was able to recover and pull out a victory. The way Arkansas has played recently, a late turnover like that would be devastating. Wilson and the offensive line have to make sure they don’t let Bates make a game changing play.

TAT: Hogs Seek to Rebound After 4-0 Florida Loss

This article originally appeared in the October 4, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

     Tomorrow, Arkansas seeks to improve their 5-6-1 overall record and 2-3-1 Southeastern Conference record when they square off with the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Field.

     The Razorbacks are coming off a two-game road trip in which they beat Tennessee 1-0 and fell to No. 24 Florida 4-0.

     “We came out and used a lot of energy Friday (against Tennessee),” head coach Colby Hale said.

     During the Florida game, Arkansas allowed three first-half goals. Although he was disappointed, Hale thought his team “absolutely” got better.

     “We came out in the second half after being down 3-0, talked about who we are and being true to ourselves, and I thought they did a great job in the second half,” Hale said.

     Senior forward Allie Chandler scored their lone goal on the trip. It was also Chandler’s first goal of the season.

     “Allie is fantastic,” Hale said. “She’s a special attacking player, but it’s her defending now that’s (improved). She’s a complete player.”

     The week before their road trip, Arkansas beat No. 18 Kentucky 3-2 and tied South Carolina 1-1.

     “We’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Hale said. “(The players) are doing a great job of working hard. They believe they can win.”

     Against Kentucky, freshman forward Lindsey Mayo came off the bench and scored two goals. Her performance earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

     Hale believes that Mayo and other players that come off the bench are important to his team’s success.

     “Depth is a key for us,” Hale said. “We bring a lot of players off the bench that are going to impact the game. As the game goes on, I’d say we have the advantage.”

     Vanderbilt comes into tomorrow’s game with a 4-4-5 overall record and a 1-1-4 SEC record.

     “They’re good. They’re well coached, organized and athletic,” Hale said. “They’re young so I think going on the road will be interesting to see how they do in our environment.”

     They are led by senior midfielder Dana Schwartz, as well as freshmen forwards Cheyna Williams and Kelsey Tillman.

     “They’ve got a couple freshmen up front that are extremely athletic,” Hale said. “It’ll be a big challenge for our back four just to deal with them.”

     On the road, the Commodores have proven to be formidable with a 4-2-3 record. This includes a 4-2 win at SEC foe Mississippi State. Hale is excited to have the opportunity to play them in Fayetteville.

     “Home has been nice. It’s been good to us,” Hale said. “It’ll be fun and the kids love playing in front of the fans. We’re expecting good things out of this weekend.”

My First Game From the Press Box

     A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch the Rutgers-Arkansas football game from the press box at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. It was my first time to cover a game in a press box.
     Just getting there was an adventure. Before the season started, I bought the student Razorback Access Pass, which gets me into all home sporting events. However, in order to get first priority for the LSU game at the end of the year, I must attend all five Fayetteville games prior to that game.
     So when I was told of my opportunity to be in the press box, my first thought was, "Can I still get my Access Pass scanned?" I do NOT want to miss the LSU game, no matter how bad Arkansas is this season.
     I went to the student entrance to the stadium, told them my situation and asked if they could scan my Access Pass so I could get credit for being at the game, and they told me to go to the media entrance.
     I walked all the way around the stadium, told the people at the media entrance my situation, and they told me to go to guest services a little further around the stadium.
     I got to guest services and, yup, you guessed it, they told me to go back to the student entrance. I had to walk ALLLLLLL the way back around the stadium. Finally, I told the people my situation again and they wrote my name in a book that will (supposedly) give me credit for being there.
     Taking no time to rest, I walked back around to the other side of the stadium to the media entrance. I didn't know it at the time, but I had a really bad sinus infection and ear infection. All I knew was that I felt like crap, but I wasn't missing out on this opportunity for anything.
     Once I got up in the press box, I walked around in awe for a little bit. Pretty much everyone associated with Razorback media was there. I saw Chuck Barrett, Aaron Peters, Bo Mattingly, Nate Allen (and his son, Nathan), Rick Schaeffer, and many others that I just can't remember. I also saw Frank Broyles, as well as several NFL scouts.
     And it only got better from there. They had free BBQ and unlimited soft drinks for us. At halftime, we got free hot dogs. I had unlimited access to all the up-to-date stats I could ever want. I was in heaven!
     One HUGE challenge for me was the "no cheering in the press box" rule. That just sucks. I'm a lifelong, diehard Hog fan; cheering and calling the Hogs is something I do out of habit.
     For the first time in 18 years, I didn't cheer as Arkansas ran onto the field through the "A." Don't worry though. I still tapped my foot to the beat of the Fight Song. They can't stop me from doing that!
     Of course, Arkansas ended up losing, but it was still a great experience.
     After the game, I got to walk down to the field and go into the Broyles Center, where the Hogs run out before the game, for John L. Smith's post-game press conference. I was taking pictures on my phone unashamedly.
     I can't wait until next time! I love being a sports journalist!

TAT: Razorbacks Injured, But Still Seeking Improvement

This article originally appeared in the October 2, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

     Coming out of Saturday’s 58-10 loss to Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, injuries remain a major concern for Arkansas.

     Senior tight end Chris Gragg, sophomore cornerback Tevin Mitchel, senior cornerback Kaelon Kelleybrew, and junior safety Eric Bennett have not been cleared to play yet, although interim head coach John L. Smith remains “optimistic” that they’ll be cleared by Saturday.

     “They’re not ruled out,” Smith said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed” that they’ll play.

     Senior running back Dennis Johnson, who played with a broken hand against Texas A&M, and redshirt freshman safety Rohan Gaines will play this week.

     Despite the injuries and the loss, the Razorbacks remain positive and are focusing on Auburn.

     “(Sunday) we came back to work,” Smith said. “We went to the practice field, looked at the tape, and proceeded to (move) on to Auburn.”

     Against the Aggies last week, Arkansas only scored one time out of their five trips into the red zone.

     “I think our ability to run the ball has hurt us,” Smith said of the Razorbacks’ performance in the red zone.

     “Another thing is we can’t make a mistake and come away without points, Smith added.

     The run game did improve, as the Razorbacks gained 142 yards on the ground. Senior Knile Davis had his best game of the season, rushing for 64 yards and gaining 65 receiving yards. However, he fumbled the ball three times, losing one.

     “(Davis) ran tough and gave us a tremendous amount of energy,” senior quarterback Tyler Wilson said. “We love to see fireworks, but when something bad happens, we can’t get our heads down.”

     Smith expects Davis to build on his performance and play even better this week.

     Defensively, Arkansas gave up 716 yards of offense to Texas A&M. They also failed to cause a turnover for the third week in a row.

     “We’re making a lot of mistakes and mental errors,” senior defensive tackle Alfred Davis said.

     “We do it right in practice, but don’t carry it over to the game,” he said.

     This week, Arkansas travels to Auburn, Ala., for their second straight Southeastern Conference road game.

     “I thought our guys did a good job of traveling last week,” Smith said. “Our veterans did a good job of preparing our rookies for the travel.”

     Auburn comes out of a bye week. The Tigers are 1-3 overall and 0-2 in SEC play.

     “Their strength is on the defensive side of the ball,” Smith said. “Offensively, they’ve not produced the way they’d like to, but they’re a very, very skilled football team, as all Auburn teams are.”

     Wilson said that the Hogs will have to “be on our toes this week.”

     “We’re going to have to prepare and work hard,” Wilson said. “They hide some things. They don’t just line up and run it, and they don’t just sit back in coverage.”

     On the defensive side of the ball, Smith said the coaches are working on simplifying the playbook.

     “We’re trying to get it as simple as we can to get everyone to align and execute,” Smith said. “But you have to leave yourself enough bullets to have some ammo out there.”

     Davis said another primary focus for the defense this week is Auburn’s sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who is another quarterback that likes to scramble, similar to ULM’s Kolton Browning and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel.

     “He is a great athlete,” Davis said. “You have to find a way to contain him. We’ll have to find ways to keep him in the pocket and check him on bootlegs.”

     With a 1-4 overall record and 0-2 SEC record, Smith has simplified Arkansas’ goals.

     “We have one goal, and that’s to go get a win,” Smith said.

TAT: Arkansas' Struggles Continue in College Station

This article originally appeared in the October 1, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

     Arkansas’ many struggles continued Saturday in a 58-10 loss to Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

     The loss was their worst road loss since Sept. 17, 2005, when they lost at No. 1 Southern California 70-17. It also dropped Arkansas’ record to 1-4 overall, their worst start to a season since 1992, which was their first season in the Southeastern Conference.

     After giving up a touchdown on the first possession of the game, the Razorbacks bounced back, scoring 10 points and taking an early lead.

     Senior running back Knile Davis scored on a 64-yard screen pass from senior quarterback Tyler Wilson. The next drive for Arkansas resulted in a field goal by junior kicker Zach Hocker.

     By quickly responding, the Hogs displayed the ability to stay focused on the road and answer their opponent.

     However, this focus quickly disappeared as the Aggies rattled off 51 unanswered points. During this stretch, the Hogs allowed three field goals, two passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns and a fumble return for a touchdown.

     The defense just could not stop Texas A&M’s redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who was 29-for-38 with 453 yards and three touchdowns through the air and had 104 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

     Manziel had ample time in the pocket to find open receivers or open holes to run. Much like the ULM game, the Hogs weren’t able to bring him down, even after they got a hand on him.

     Not only must the Hogs pressure the quarterback, they must also wrap him up and tackle him to prevent him from making plays. Kiehl Frazier of Auburn, Bo Wallace of Ole Miss, and Conner Shaw of South Carolina are all quarterbacks that can run around and make plays.

     Arkansas’ secondary also didn’t perform very well. Manziel’s 453 passing yards topped his previous single-game high by 159 yards and broke a Texas A&M single-game record.

     Defensive backs for the Razorbacks seemed confused at times. Senior wide receiver Ryan Swope hauled in an 80-yard touchdown on a relatively easy seam route. When they laid off the receivers, Texas A&M chewed up yards on quick, short passes.

     With an already thin secondary, freshman safety Rohan Gaines and senior cornerback Kaelon Kelleybrew were injured during the game.

     The teams left on Arkansas’ schedule are sure to see this and will target young, inexperienced players, such as freshmen Will Hines and Dayvon McKinney and sophomore Alan Turner.

     Offensively, the Razorbacks moved the ball well, gaining 515 total yards, but mistakes cost them points. They fumbled five times, losing one of them, and Wilson threw two interceptions.

     On the season, Arkansas now has a -13 turnover margin.

     Davis had his best game of the season, rushing for 65 yards and gaining 64 yards and a touchdown through the air. These numbers, though, are marred by his three fumbles. He could not hold on to the ball. Against SEC opponents, this could prove to be problematic if he doesn’t fix it.

     While the offensive line only allowed one sack, Wilson still got knocked around in the backfield. Texas A&M had five quarterback hurries, but even when Wilson didn’t rush his throw, he ended up being hit as he threw the ball.

     Although Wilson has proved his toughness time and time again, he is still human. Against ULM, he suffered a concussion and missed the second half of the game, as well as the Alabama game. If he continues to be hit repeatedly, odds are he’ll get injured again.

     Tulsa is first in the country in sacks with 26 through five games, and South Carolina is tied for second with 22 through five games. Kentucky and Ole Miss are also in the top 25 in sacks, each with 13 through five games.

     The offensive line is going to need to improve greatly, or Wilson may be on the ground for the rest of the season.

     Senior wide receiver Cobi Hamilton turned in another solid game, catching 11 passes for 162 yards. His 591 yards this season are fifth best in the country.

     With his performance the last two games, teams will pay extra attention to him. Other receivers, such as junior Brandon Mitchell, freshman Mekale McKay and junior Javontee Herndon, will have to make plays to help ease the pressure on Hamilton.

     Special teams improved slightly against Texas A&M. Hocker missed a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter, but he sent two out of three kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks and averaged 64.7 yards per kickoff.

     Senior punter Dylan Breeding had another good game, averaging 48 yards per punt and pinning one inside the 10-yard line. His season average of 45.5 yards per punt is the 13th best in the country.

     Senior Dennis Johnson finally got something going in the return game, returning two kickoffs for 56 yards. His 31-yard return in the first half broke the SEC record for career kickoff return yards.

     Also, Arkansas’ punt coverage was able to limit Texas A&M senior Dustin Harris to -7 punt return yards on two attempts. He had been averaging 20.4 yards per return.

     The special teams will need a similar performance against South Carolina and LSU, which both have punt returners in the top 20 for punt return yards.

     Saturday’s 58-10 loss was another disappointing outing in many aspects, but the Hogs must use it as a learning tool and improve on their mistakes before traveling to Auburn Saturday.