FAYETTEVILLE — There were a couple of surprises on the initial availability report issued Wednesday evening by the SEC office for Arkansas football’s conference opener at No. 17 Ole Miss on Saturday at 6 p.m. Central.
The Razorbacks (2-0) listed starting defensive end Quincy Rhodes as questionable, along with punter Devin Bale, defensive linemen David Oke and Kavion Henderson and running back Markeylin Batton.
Rhodes had two sacks among six tackles in last Saturday’s 56-14 win over Arkansas State and took part in postgame interviews. The nature of his injury is unknown though he mentioned his back was sore at the interview table in Little Rock.
Bale’s injury was apparently suffered after he made the tackle after his 62-yard punt on the final play of the first quarter.
Oke is on the mend from a procedure on his knee from around the midway point of training camp. The other injuries had not been previously mentioned by Coach Sam Pittman.
Arkansas listed four players as “out” — receivers Monte Harrison, Antonio Jordan and Ismael Cisse and linebacker Mason Schueck.
Running back Cam Settles was listed as “doubtful” and cornerback Selman Bridges and linebacker Trent Whalen were listed as “probable.”
Ole Miss (2-0, 1-0 SEC) had a surprise on its injury report as tight end Luke Hasz, the transfer from Arkansas, was not listed at all. Hasz suffered an ankle injury in July and had not been available the first two games, but coach Lane Kiffin mentioned during Wednesday’s SEC coaches webinar that Hasz might be ready for Saturday.
The Rebels listed receiver Traylon Ray as out and cornerback Jaylon Braxton, an Arkansas transfer, as questionable. Five Ole Miss players were listed as probable: quarterback Austin Simmons, running back Kewan Lacy, receivers Harrison Wallace III and Deuce Alexander and tight end Dae’Quan Wright.
Turning it up
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said the Razorbacks have been cranking up the volume on speakers during practice this week to simulate the raucous noise levels expected inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night.
“You need to get the decibels up there big time because … two years ago it was really loud at Ole Miss,” Pittman said.
“We’ve had good practices so far with the crowd noise, and we’re going to turn it up a little bit more (Thursday). We just tried to build their confidence each and every day, and we hope that we’re playing it louder here than it’s going to be Saturday, even though we know a night game at Ole Miss is going to be very, very loud.”
Pittman said there are several ways to get the snap on offense in loud venues, mentioning the quarterback clap, the guard tap and the center’s head bob.
“There’s different things, but the bottom line is you better make sure that you decide what you’re going to do and practice it,” he said.
Balanced attack
Arkansas totaled 630 yards of offense and had 300-plus passing (309) and rushing (321) for the fourth time ever last Saturday against Arkansas State. The balance reflected in quarterback Taylen Green’s 239 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, along with his 151 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown.
Although it’s a two-game sample size, Green leads the SEC with 10 passing touchdowns and a 205.48 passing efficiency, topping Diego Pavia’s 199.56.
“I feel like Taylen’s a Swiss army knife,” safety Miguel Mitchell said. “It’d be hard going up against him. He can run, he can throw, he can make plays when he needs to. I feel like he gives other defenses a hard time, which is good for the Hogs.”
Defensive end Phillip Lee seconded that thought.
“I’d say I’m happy he’s on my team and I’m not going against him for one, because that dude got it,” Lee said. “From running, throwing, he’s special.”
Pressure
Rhodes is tied atop the SEC with two others with three sacks. The junior, who made his first start in last year’s Liberty Bowl, has now surpassed his tackle for loss total from last season (2).
“He’s more of a leader now,” Miguel Mitchell said. “Last year, he was kind of inexperienced a little bit, being the young guy, but now he’s definitely growing into that leadership role on the line. He makes my job a lot easier, so it’s been great for me.”
Phillip Lee, a Troy transfer, said Rhodes has a big heart and was a welcoming face on his visit.
“He told me some great stuff about Arkansas,” Lee said. “He showed me around. He’s been very close with me and it’s starting to show on the field. We’re both just getting to the quarterback.”
Lee is not far behind Rhodes on the leaderboard with 1.5 sacks as the Hogs enter SEC play.
‘Go time’
Harrison out for an extended period of time with a foot injury, valuable snaps are available for what is essentially the sixth spot in Arkansas’ rotation behind O’Mega Blake, CJ Brown, Jalen Brown, Raylen Sharpe and Kam Shanks. Harrison and Krosse Johnson, who have one reception each this season, are the only other Arkansas wideouts with a catch.
Sam Pittman was asked about the status of transfer receiver Andy Jean, who was slowed late in camp by an injury.
“Andy’s fine, (and) he needs to step up this week with Monte’s situation,” Pittman said.
“Shout out to Unc, man,” receiver O’Mega Blake said in reference to Harrison. “Prayers for him for a speedy recovery. He’s like the dad in the room, puts us in check when things aren’t going as planned or things aren’t going our way.
“It’s time for Courtney Crutchfield to come along. It’s time for Ferg (Ja’Kayden Ferguson) to come along. All those young guys. And it was like that before Unc went down. You always got to have that mentality. But now we’re on them constantly every day. And putting it in their head that, ‘You’re up. Your number can be called at any moment.’ So it’s go time.”
Kutas call
Kiffin touted the work of starting right guard Patrick Kutas, who transferred from Arkansas over the winter, during Wednesday’s SEC coaches webinar.
“Kutas has done a really good job,” Kiffin said. “Really a great leader. Really brings a great work ethic. A lot of credit to him and a lot of credit to Sam (Pittman) too. When you get guys from certain programs, you can tell that they’ve been trained really well, how they work. So we’re glad we’ve got him.”
PAT streak
The Razorbacks’ point-after-touchdown streak is up to 194 consecutive successful kicks, dating to the season finale at Missouri on Dec. 5, 2020.
Based on UA research, it is the third-longest active streak in the nation, behind Northwestern (Oct. 24, 2020) and Texas A&M (Nov. 7, 2020).
104 transfers
Arkansas and Ole Miss are both strong examples of modern-day roster building in college football.
The Rebels sport a hefty 53 transfer players on their roster, while the Razorbacks have 51. The total of 104 transfers between the rivals is roughly 50% of the teams’ full rosters.
Block king
Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris blocked a field-goal attempt against Georgia State in the season opener for the sixth blocked kick of his career.
Harris, a 6-8, 330-pounder, is one shy of the SEC career record of seven blocks, held by Kentucky’s Lonnel Dewalt (2004) and Matt Roark (2008-11).
Similar lines
Arkansas State defensive coordinator Griff McCarley served as a defensive analyst for Ole Miss in 2023 when it brought in current defensive coordinator Pete Golding. Coach Sam Pittman said the busy movement on the defensive front among ASU and Ole Miss is similar, which can be an advantage in back-to-back weeks.
“I don’t know if we can simulate Zxavian Harris,” Pittman said. “He plays end, inside, three-tech, nose and plays them all really well. Him and the rest of them, but he’s really stood out. … He’s a really good player. But we’ll do it.”
Arkansas did not allow a sack against Arkansas State, and the Red Wolves mustered only one tackle for loss. Pittman said his team wasn’t blitzed nearly as much by ASU compared to Alabama A&M in the season opener, but his offensive line was ready with protection regardless.
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