Both Sides Think They Won Razorbacks' Scrimmage – and That's the Point

When your wide receiver and your linebacker can't agree on who won the scrimmage, that's usually a sign spring ball is going the right way.

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield at spring practice. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Figuring out who won a college football scrimmage hasn't changed in over 50 years. It's pretty simple.

Ask an offensive player who won a scrimmage and he's going to tell you the offense did.

Ask a defensive player the same question and he's going to look at you like you just said something in a foreign language.

That's not spin. That's not just making stuff up for the cameras. That's just the way football works.

It's probably the way things are supposed to work.

So when Arkansas wrapped up it's second major spring scrimmage on Saturday and wide receiver Ismael Cisse walked out of that closed practice declaring, "I'd say we won" wasn't news.

When linebacker Bradley Shaw looked somebody square in the eye a couple of minutes later and said "no sir," well, that's not a problem.

That's players doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing in April.

Two Answers to One Simple Question

Here's the thing about Cisse's confidence. It wasn't empty.

The offense came into Saturday carrying some baggage from a week ago when the defense got the better of them in the first spring scrimmage.

Cisse didn't try to hide that.

"Last week the defense, they had a good day. They got us," Cisse said. "So we didn't want to go out two weekends 0-2, so we just had a different mentality to make sure we score by all means and we did that today."

That kind of honesty is appreciated. He didn't pretend week one didn't happen.

He just made sure week two went differently and by most accounts it did. The whole thing wasn't open to the media or anybody else so we're just going off what the official propaganda is.

The offense ran roughly 90 plays in a closed scrimmage and found the end zone. Quarterback KJ Jackson put together a productive day with five completions covering at least 10 yards totaling 104 yards through the air.

The signature moment came when Jackson found Chris Marshall on a 19-yard touchdown to cap a 75-yard drive. The Hogs moved the ball and finished the drive. That's what offenses are supposed to do.

Cisse even knew that touchdown was coming before it happened.

"I had told him before the play actually just be ready," Cisse said of Marshall. "He's coming to you on the touchdown. So crazy it happened a couple of plays later."

Now take a walk across the field and find Shaw.

"No sir," he said flatly when asked if the offense won. "We always want to come out and get better. And we're an eager team that always wants to get better, and we want to compete to the highest level that we can."

I love that answer. Shaw didn't give a quote designed to make the highlight reel. He gave a competitor's answer.

The defense isn't handing anybody a trophy in April and he wanted to make sure you understood that.

Death, taxes, and Courtney Crutchfield getting open 💯 pic.twitter.com/EU6b3LQwWu

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) April 11, 2026

Jackson and Hill Both Made Their Cases

One of the more interesting threads coming out of Saturday is what it tells us about the quarterback situation.

Jackson's been getting most of the first-team work based on how practices have been going and he looked the part Saturday.

But AJ Hill isn't going away quietly and that's good news for the Hogs whether we're talking about competition or depth.

Hill connected on four passes of at least 10 yards for 98 combined yards. His biggest play was a 43-yard strike to tight end Maddox Lassiter that had to turn some heads.

He also found Courtney Crutchfield for a 16-yard score during two-minute work at the end of practice. That matters because two-minute situations separate quarterbacks who can manage a game from ones who can actually win one.

Cisse put it about as well as anyone could.

"Obviously, two different quarterbacks. KJ's a lefty, AJ's a righty. They're both great quarterbacks, so I just can't wait to just keep competing. It's been fun," he said. "Both of them doing a great job. Excited to compete with both of them."

That's a receiver who's comfortable catching passes from either guy and that's not a small thing.

Comfort leads to production and production is what this offense needs heading into the fall. It doesn't hurt if he's not taking sides.

Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Bradley Shaw during practices on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs On SI Images

Shaw's Defense Has an Argument Too

Here's where I'd push back on Cisse just a little.

The defense turned the ball over twice. DJ Hairston picked off a pass and took it back for a pick-six.

Ian Williams added another interception. Neither of those players even runs with the first unit — Hairston's typically a second-team guy and Williams came in with the third group.

That means the backups on defense were creating turnovers against what we have to assume were at least some first and second-team offensive players.

It's something the Hogs haven't seen on a consistent basis.

Sophomore defensive tackle Carlon Jones recorded the scrimmage's only sack. Caleb Bell led the team with two tackles for lost yardage.

Shaw himself got into the backfield for a tackle for a loss. Trajen Odom, Danny Beale and Steven Soles Jr. each added one as well.

You can score a touchdown and still lose the turnover battle. You can move the ball and still give the defense moments it can hang its helmet on.

Both happened Saturday and both sides deserve credit for making it a real competition rather than a glorified walkthrough.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson during spring practices. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

The Part Nobody's Arguing About

Bboth sides of the ball can shake hands over kicker Max Gilbert having himself a day.

The Tennessee transfer missed the first scrimmage with an illness and maybe some folks were starting to wonder.

He answered those questions Saturday by going 3-for-3 on field goal tries from 34, 42 and 53 yards.

That 53-yarder is the kind of kick that makes an offensive coordinator breathe easier when he's staring down a fourth-and-long from midfield late in a SEC game.

Braeden McAlister connected from 30 and 34 yards but missed from 46 and 53. Charlie Von Der Meden made kicks from 46 and 52 yards but missed the 42-yarder.

There's competition at every position on this roster right now and the kicking game is no exception.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield at spring practice. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

What Saturday Really Means

Nobody's handing out a championship trophy for winning a closed April scrimmage.

I've been around this game long enough to know that what happens in then doesn't usually predict what happens in September. Mindset does carry over.

When Cisse refuses to go 0-2 in back-to-back scrimmages and Bradley Shaw refuses to let the offense take a victory lap is a mindset that carries over.

When the second and third-team defenders are making picks and the backup quarterback is dropping 43-yard strikes on tight ends, well, that's a depth chart competing the right way.

The Razorbacks don't need to know who won Saturday's scrimmage. They need to keep having that argument every single week until August.

The fact that both sides believe they won is the best possible outcome — and the coaching staff knows it.

So who won Saturday's spring scrimmage in Fayetteville?

Ask Cisse and he'll tell you the offense did. Ask Shaw and he'll tell you something else entirely.

Me? I'd say Arkansas won.

And that's good enough for now.