Roberts' 'Rocket Science' Remark About Utah's Offense A Cause For Concern

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said Tuesday that there were "a lot of busts" in defensive coverage during the Razorbacks' 43-10 loss to No. 17 Utah on Saturday.

Aside from a Christian Harrison interception in the second quarter, Arkansas had no answers for Utah's offense, led by QB Devon Dampier, who completed 18 of his 24 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

Utah's offense also featured plenty of unique formations and a two-QB system in which backup QB Byrd Ficklin threw a double pass on the first play of the game and also came in to take handoffs from Dampier. Whatever Utah wanted to do on Saturday, it did, and Roberts' unit often looked confused and out of place.

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) runs the ball against Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Christian Harrison (1) and linebacker Bradley Shaw (7) during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"We’ve got to move on and make sure it doesn’t happen again," Roberts said. "But like I said, the majority of it … the good thing, it wasn’t, oh, they out-physicaled us up front. It wasn’t, oh they out-ran us. It was just a bunch of — also a negative, it was a bunch of mental busts. We don’t have a guy on it. I mean there were several runs in there I could have made. I can run the ball for a first down there. There’s nobody on you. So, it’s things we’ve got to get cleaned up."

Perhaps the most worrying remark from Roberts' Tuesday news conferences was how he characterized Utah's offense and the mistakes, both mental and physical, it forced Arkansas' defense into.

"Some of the things we busted on, to be honest some of them were Day 1 calls," Roberts said. "I mean, Day 1 install. It's basic stuff. It wasn't nuclear physics, what they were doing. Is it complicated? Yeah. Is it nuclear physics? No, it's not. You know what I mean? If you’ve got the flat, you’ve got the flat. If you’ve got the half, you’ve got the half.

"If I've got the pitch guy, I’ve got the pitch guy. If I’ve got the quarterback, I’ve got the quarterback. Oh, good. You know what I mean? That part of it's not that hard, you know what I mean? And if I don't have somebody on the quarterback and he pulls the ball out and runs, like I said, I could do that."

Arkansas may not see another offense as unique as Utah's for the rest of this season, but for Roberts to say that the Utes' offense was not extremely complicated doesn't bode well for the rest of the season.

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) runs for a touchdown against Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Kyeaure Magloire (14) during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The offenses of Texas, LSU, Georgia and Texas A&M the Razorbacks face over the final 10 games of the season will all have more talent than Utah's, and units led by the likes of Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin are likely closer to rocket science than the offense of North Alabama, which Arkansas defended relatively well.

With No. 2 Georgia, led by QB Gunner Stockton, coming to town on Saturday, Arkansas' defense will have to play much better just to keep the Hogs in the game.

UGA's offense certainly hasn't had the need to be all that complicated through two games against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, so the Razorbacks may get the first look at what the Bulldogs' offense is truly intended to be on Saturday.

"They've been really simple," Roberts said. "He [Georgia OC Mike Bobo] hasn't really ran their whole offense in the first two ball games. He's run like, probably, Day 1 and 2 camp stuff.

"He hasn't really been running any of their stuff. But we've got years of banked things, of things they do and what they want to do, and probably a pretty good idea, I’ve got a pretty good idea of how he wants to tackle what we do and what's going to happen."

Georgia is a 24.5 point favorite against the Razorbacks. Kickoff between Arkansas and the No. 2 Bulldogs is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, with coverage on ABC and the Razorback Sports Network.

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