Contrasting Rushing Attacks Set To Clash When Arkansas Meets Utah

FAYETTEVILLE — It was a tale of two rushing attacks in Week 1 for Arkansas and Utah.

The Utes, led by LaMarcus Bell and Wayshawn Parker, ran for a whopping 364 yards on just 49 carries, good for 7.4 yards a run, in their 66-14 victory over Idaho on Sept. 3.

Arkansas, on the other hand, managed just 147 rushing yards and 3 yards per carry against another FCS foe in North Alabama, and while the Lions did hold Samford to -8 rushing yards on Aug. 29, it was an uninspiring performance on the ground from the Razorbacks, who will face much bigger and more talented defenses in each of their 11 remaining contests.

"You're facing a tough Utah defense, so we've got to be creative," head coach Ryan Silverfield said Monday. "We've got to find ways to run the ball effectively. I’ve done this a long time, 28 years, and there have been times where you know the run games had struggled getting going. The next week, it's a different story. But it's going to take all parts in order to get the run game going.

"I kind of alluded to this a little bit Saturday night. If we can stretch the ball downfield, that’s going to open up some things, and if we can’t, and we’re not able to win the one-on-one matchups at wide receiver, at tight end, at running back, and the quarterback’s not able to do it, then it’d get tough sledding because there’s an extra hat in the box and that can create some issues.

"So we’ve got to look into that and figure out what’s our best answer going forward. But I’ve got full confidence, I really do. All is not lost. Am I disappointed with what happened? Sure. But guess what? My eyes got to go forward."

"We didn't run the ball how we wanted to, how we know we can."

RB Sutton Smith and QB1 KJ Jackson on what went wrong in the run game and what needs to improve. #WPS

📺⤵️https://t.co/j59wrUk74V pic.twitter.com/583WhuKTgY
— Pig Trail Nation (@PigTrailNation) September 6, 2026

With KJ Jackson's first road start upcoming on Saturday, establishing the run will be even more important. Putting such an important game in what will be a raucous environment entirely on the shoulders of a quarterback in only his third career start isn't a recipe for success. Nor is Arkansas consistently being behind the chains due to runs going for no gain or a loss.

Arkansas' defense did a good job against North Alabama, who ran the football 20 times for only 40 yards. But against a better offensive line and a very talented stable of running backs and a mobile quarterback in Devon Dampier, Ron Roberts' unit is in for a challenge.

At the end of Saturday night, a peek at the rushing numbers for Arkansas and Utah could be very telling as to who won the football game.

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