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The Hogs are back, and did not disappoint on Saturday. Arkansas comes into 2015 after finishing with some of the strongest momentum from the 2014 season. Fans of the Hogs have been worried for some time after finding out that star Jonathan Williams will be out for the season with a foot injury. But after seeing the performance by Arkansas on Saturday, those fears have been tossed in the trash.
The biggest takeaway from the 48-13 domination of UTEP is Arkansas’ improved passing game. After new offensive coordinator Dan Enos‘ hiring for the Razorbacks in the offseason, Head coach Bret Bielema has expressed his excitement numerous times about the quality work Enos has done thus far. After Saturday, the whole state of Arkansas can be excited as well.
Brandon Allen is better than ever, that much can be said. You may think that UTEP isn’t a tough enough opponent to assume anything, but these are the facts. Allen’s passing has never been more accurate, and he proved that time and time again. In the end, Allen hit a career high 308 yards and tied a career high of four TDs, while completing 14 of his 18 passes. Having Allen performing up to SEC standards is only going to help Arkansas be on the way to becoming a national championship contending squad.
Another aspect for the Hogs to be excited about is the wide receiving corps, as well as the tight ends. Returning Senior Keon Hatcher led the day with six catches and two touchdowns, but Jared Cornelius and Drew Morgan were able to get in on the action, each recording touchdowns on essentially the same screen play. Another guy who shined today is Jeremy Sprinkle in the tight end spot. Hunter Henry is usually an absolute star at that position but seeing Sprinkle get some action on Saturday was refreshing and shows the depth at that position.
The shakier part of the day was the Arkansas defense, but only in the first half. In the beginning of the game, UTEP’s Aaron Jones tore up the field. Jones has rushed for over 2,000 yards in his two seasons at UTEP, so it was no surprise that he was able to get some things done.
When the second half started, however, the Arkansas defense switched gears and got an interception right off the bat of the third quarter. This turnover definitely set the stage for the rest of the game, as UTEP wasn’t able to get down the field until the Hogs threw in their backups.
Alex Collins and Kody Walker were the only backs to really make an impact. Collins had a great season opener, including a 70 yard run to end the first half. He will be the No. 1 guy for the Hogs, so to have him get off to a strong start is huge for them. Another back is Kody Walker, the 6-foot-2 260 pound. bulldozer.
He did all that was expected of him, which was make linemen and linebackers look stupid throw defenders off of him like they were wind.True freshman Rawleigh Williams III, another back, did a good job for his level of experience. Hopefully, he can improve on what he did Saturday and become a key part of the offense.
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