TAT: Five Keys vs. Kentucky

This article originally appeared in the October 12, 2012 Football Edition of The Arkansas Traveler.

1. Stop the Pass

Kentucky’s offense has gained 65.5 percent of its total yards through the air. However, the injury bug has been going around in Kentucky’s backfield, with sophomore quarterback Maxwell Smith spraining an ankle against South Carolina and missing last week and freshman Patrick Towles spraining an ankle just before half time against Mississippi State last week. No matter who is under center for the Wildcats, the pass will be an important part of their offense. Arkansas’ young, injury-depleted secondary will need to step up again to have a chance tomorrow.

2. Protect Tyler Wilson

Arkansas’ offensive line has steadily improved all season. Against the Tigers last week, senior quarterback Tyler Wilson was only sacked once and had much more time in the pocket to find open receivers. The offensive line will again have their hands full, as Kentucky is in the top 30 in the country with 14 sacks. Kentucky will attempt to pressure Wilson, as other teams have this year, so the offensive line must be prepared to stop the rush.

3. Maintain Momentum

Last week, Arkansas snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Auburn 24-7. The defense played better than they had all season, sacking Auburn quarterbacks eight times, forcing five turnovers and causing Auburn to switch quarterbacks after halftime. Auburn sophomore Kiehl Frazier was 9-for-14 with one interception and four sacks for a loss of 25 yards before they replaced him with junior Clint Moseley. Offensively, Arkansas only lost one fumble and gained 372 total yards. Senior running back Dennis Johnson turned in a solid performance, rushing for 76 yards and catching four passes for 15 yards. The Razorbacks must maintain this all-around solid play in order to put another check in the win column.

4. Continue Pressuring the Quarterback

Before last week, the Razorbacks only had seven sacks. They were able to rack up eight in last week’s game alone, bringing their season total to 15, which is tied for 22nd in the country. With a sophomore and two freshmen taking snaps the last two weeks, Kentucky will start a young quarterback. If Arkansas can get to him early, it will get into his head and affect his performance later in the game, no matter who it is.

5. Shore Up the Return Game

Along with an offensive fumble, the Razorbacks also committed a special teams turnover. Sophomore punt returner Keante Minor muffed a punt return in the third quarter that cost Arkansas a possession. Minor has bobbled punts a couple other times this season, so he needs to focus on fielding punts this week. It would also be big for the Razorbacks if he could gain some yards on the returns. As a team, Arkansas is averaging 6.7 yards per return, compared to last year’s 13.5 yards per return. Since Joe Adams graduated and moved on to the NFL, no one has stepped into the return man roll. If Arkansas can get something going in the return game and not give up any fumbles, they’ll be hard to beat.

TAT: Johnson Steps In, Carries Weight

This article originally appeared in the October 12, 2012 Football Edition of The Arkansas Traveler.

     Dennis Johnson has been a Razorback for 10 years.

     Before his career with the Arkansas Razorbacks, he played for the Arkansas High School Razorbacks and North Heights Junior High Razorbacks in Texarkana, Ark.

     When former UA assistant coach and current Southern Arkansas University head coach Bill Keopple was hired as the Arkansas High head coach, Johnson was in eighth grade.

     “I knew right away he had special athletic talents,” Keopple said. “No one wanted to tackle him. He was exceptionally strong and the fastest kid in town.”

     Although he was “a little wild” at first, he found out that it was “our way or not play” once he got to North Heights Jr. High, Keopple said.

     Keopple’s first memory of Johnson as an Arkansas High Razorback came in the spring practice before his sophomore season, when he was still only a ninth grader. Arkansas High’s starting safety that year was a senior who was recruited and offered a scholarship by the University of Houston.

     “Dennis turned the corner on a sweep and ran him over,” Keopple said. “I knew right then he was ready to be a star player.”

     Johnson played immediately at Arkansas High. He rushed for 1,734 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore, 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior and 1,529 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior.

     His junior and senior seasons ended with 6A Arkansas State Championships, in which he was named the game’s MVP both times.

     “He was the kind of kid you could build a team around,” Keopple said. “Teams didn’t look forward to playing against him in our league.”

     The way he performed in big games and his impressive stats earned him many accolades including being named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas team as a junior and senior. He was also ranked as the No. 33 all-purpose back in the nation and No. 10 overall prospect in Arkansas by Rivals.com.

     “He was a force running the football as well as catching the ball out of the backfield. His ability to return kicks was also remarkable,” Keopple said. “There have not been many running backs in the state of Arkansas that were better than Dennis Johnson in high school.”

     After being recruited by Tulsa, Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech, Johnson decided to remain a Razorback and signed with Arkansas.

     As a true freshman, he was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team as a kick returner. He broke the school record by gaining 905 yards on 41 returns. Against Tulsa, he scored the game-winning touchdown on a 96-yard kickoff return.

     He followed that with another record-breaking season, gaining 1,031 yards on 40 returns. He also broke the school record for career kickoff return yards his sophomore season.

     In 2010, Johnson started the year on the Doak Walker Award watch list, but was injured during the second game, leading to a medical redshirt.

     Returning from the season-ending injury, he took a larger role in Arkansas’ offense last year, rushing for 670 yards and catching 24 passes for 255 yards. In the return game, he returned 18 kicks for 461 yards. His 126 all-purpose yards per game was second-best in the SEC that season.

     This season has been an up-and-down one for Johnson, as it has been for the entire team. In the return game, Johnson is averaging a career-low 21.5 yards per return, but he broke the SEC career record for kickoff return yards against Rutgers.

     With star running back Knile Davis returning from missing last season with an injury, Johnson started the season as the second-string running back. Through the first five games he was only averaging 5.4 carries per game.

     Davis, however, has struggled, giving him an opportunity to get more carries. Johnson finally had a breakout game last week against Auburn, carrying the ball 17 times for 76 yards and catching four passes for 15 yards.

     “Dennis was having a good day and we wanted to continue (giving him the ball),” UA interim head coach John L. Smith said.

     Johnson’s toughness and ability to gain yards after contact has impressed the coaches, as well as his teammates.

     “He is able to absorb that first blow and fall forward to get two or three yards and get you in a better position,” senior quarterback Tyler Wilson said. “If there’s nothing there, he can will you a couple yards.”

     If Davis doesn’t return to his 2010 form, Johnson will most likely be asked to take a majority of the snaps for the rest of the season. He will have to use his senior leadership and pick up the slack, which Keopple believes he is capable of.

     “I definitely believe he could lead the team in rushing if given the opportunity. He’s a physically hard-nose runner with the speed it takes to make things happen,” Keopple said. “With Davis not totally back to full speed, Dennis could be the guy to carry the load.”

TAT: Football Injury Update: Wilson Uninjured, Gragg Doubtful, Wright Out

This article originally appeared in the October 11, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

Senior quarterback Tyler Wilson was involved in a car accident Tuesday morning. He was rear-ended on Interstate 540, but was uninjured.

He returned to practice that day and “looked good,” UA offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said during his Tuesday press conference.

Petrino found out about the accident from head football athletic trainer Matt Summers, after missing a phone call from Wilson.

“You don’t want to answer your phone this year,” Petrino said. “If the phone rings, run from it.”

The accident had no affect on Wilson’s performance at practice.

“He threw the ball good and had a good practice. He did everything,” Petrino said. “It was a typical Tuesday. He took every rep he normally would.”

This comes as a relief to Petrino and the Razorbacks, as they have suffered several injuries this season. Wilson was knocked out of the ULM game late in the first half and missed the Alabama game the following week, before returning against Rutgers.

“First of all, you’re thankful that he’s okay as a person and he’s healthy,” Petrino said. “Secondly, you’re thankful that he’s okay as a player and he’ll be able to practice and play.”

Senior tight end Chris Gragg was injured early in the Rutgers game and has missed the last two games with a bone bruise. He ran with the team Sunday evening, but his status for Saturday’s game is doubtful.

“I doubt (he’ll play), but it’s day-to-day,” Petrino said.

Although he is getting better, he remains “very, very doubtful” for Saturday’s game against Kentucky, UA interim head coach John L. Smith said yesterday.

The Razorbacks received more disappointing news on the defensive side of the ball yesterday.

Senior linebacker/defensive end Tenarius “Tank” Wright will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Wright is the fourth Razorback to suffer a season-ending injury this year.

Fullbacks Kiero Small and Kody Walker, as well as linebacker Alonzo Highsmith, are all out for the rest of the season.

“It’s challenging, but that’s just part of the deal. We’ll never use that as an excuse,” Petrino said. “You have to play with who you got, do your best, and go out there and compete.”

TAT: Razorbacks Need to Fill Void Against Kentucky

This article originally appeared in the October 9, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

     Coming off Arkansas’ first Southeastern Conference victory of the season, a 24-7 win at Auburn, UA interim head coach John L. Smith is proud of his players.

     “The players came out and did a great job of preparing last week,” Smith said. “Those guys deserve a tremendous pat on the back and now we have to build on that.”

     Injuries were again a headline, with senior linebacker, and team-leader in tackles, Alonzo Highsmith coming out of the game in the first half. Smith said he sustained a ligament injury in his foot that will require an operation and cause him to miss the rest of the season.

     Senior linebacker/defensive end Tank Wright had an MRI yesterday and his status for Saturday’s game is uncertain, leaving a large hole at the linebacker spot.

     “We’re going to have to bump some guys around to fill that void,” Smith said. “It’ll probably be a little bit of filling the void by committee.”

     Smith said junior Jarrett Lake and senior Matt Marshall would probably get the majority of the snaps. He also expects senior Terrell Williams to take up the leadership role among the linebackers.

     “(Williams) has been placed in that role where he has to be the leader,” Smith said. “He has to start being more vocal and get everyone lined up.”

     At cornerback, sophomore Tevin Mitchel will be back from having his gallbladder removed and senior Kaelon Kelleybrew will return after suffering an “injury above the shoulders” against Texas A&M. However, Smith is pleased with the performance of freshmen Will Hines and Dayvon McKinney.

     “The two young guys did a real good job,” Smith said. “Both of those guys were very active and did very well.”

     Senior tight end Chris Gragg’s status is also still uncertain, but he did run on Sunday night, “very gingerly,” Smith said.

     The amount of injuries suffered by the Razorbacks this season is more than Smith has had in recent memory.

     “You always know there’s going to be one (injury), maybe two, but we’ve had some serious ones this year,” Smith said.

     Against the Tigers, Arkansas’ defense forced five turnovers and picked up eight sacks.

     “They played hard and battled the entire game,” Smith said. “When the offense sputtered, the defense came in and did a great job.”

     Sophomore defensive end, and Huntsville, Ala. native, Trey Flowers led the Razorbacks with 3.5 sacks, earning him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.

     “It was great to see him go home and have such a great day,” Smith said. “That was exciting.”

     Offensively, senior running back Dennis Johnson accounted for 91 total yards, 76 coming on the ground, and two touchdowns. Freshman Jonathan Williams added 34 rushing yards.

     “We have some depth there,” Smith said. “Williams has been getting better and better every week and Dennis was having a good day, so we wanted to continue with that.”

     This Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats come into Fayetteville with a 1-5 overall record and 0-3 SEC record.

     The Wildcats are not an unfamiliar foe for Smith, as he compiled a 3-2 record against them as the head coach at Louisville from 1998-2002.

     “It’s natural (not to like them) because of the number of years I spent at Louisville,” Smith said. “That was our rival.”

     Saturday, though, he will be focused on this year’s team, who has been struck with injuries at the quarterback position.

     Sophomore quarterback Maxwell Smith injured his ankle against South Carolina two weeks ago and freshman quarterback Patrick Towles injured his ankle last week against Mississippi State. Smith expects freshman Jalen Whitlow to get the start this week.

     “We are going to prepare for (Whitlow), but I know (Towles) played a little last week,” Smith said. “We have to prepare for whoever it is we see.”

     Regardless of who plays, Smith is glad to be back in Fayetteville and ready to play Kentucky.

     “We’re excited to be at home again and back in front of our crowd,” Smith said. “We have to go to the field and really, really prepare for this game this week.”