No ‘Trap’ for Hogs: Offense Finds Passing Game, Rolls Georgia Southern
Yes, Arkansas has a passing game.
Most folks think the 20th-ranked Razorbacks are going to need one starting next week when the important games start but for now they'll take a 45-10 win over Georgia Southern that wasn't really that close.
The running game didn't disappear. With what is becoming a standard rotation among four different running backs, they piled up 269 yards.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson (13-of-23, 366 yards, 3 touchdowns) finished with a monster quarterback rating of 233.2.
There was still some inconsistency on shorter passes, but not a lot. Fans complain about it and so does coach Sam Pittman.
"Every time he misses a throw, it's like 'oh my gosh' in my mind," Pittman said later. "But when he throws one that goes 91, he throws a nice drop pass to Warren Thompson, 60 for a touchdown, I'm like 'well, that's what he's supposed to do.' I mean, I think Dan Marino missed a pass or two, so my mind has to work a little bit different."
It's the second time Pittman has referenced the former Miami Dolphins quarterback in a week, so make of that whatever you want. Either he really likes him or there's a comparison with Jefferson coming.
READ MORE: How Arkansas' offense dominated the Eagles
Jefferson didn't take long to get rolling. On the Hogs' first offensive play he found Tyson Morris wide open for a 47-yard scoring strike that set up a four-play scoring drive with Trelon Smith getting the final 13 up the middle and it was 7-0 really quickly.
More key passes from Jefferson set up Dominique Johnson's 11-yard scoring run to make it 14-0 before the first quarter was over.
The Hogs got a score in the second period when Jefferson found Morris again for a 14-yard scoring strike and Cam Little kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Georgia Southern got on the board when a defensive breakdown let quarterback Justin Tomlin break free on a 76-yard run. The Eagles added a field goal as the first half ended.
The Hogs led 24-10 at halftime and there was grumbling from some the score should have been bigger.
That happened in the third quarter when the Hogs broke the game open with Jefferson hitting Warren Thompson deep on a 60-yard bomb and then a short little pass to Burks near the left sideline turned into a 91-yard scoring play.
That was the second-longest scoring play in Arkansas history.
READ MORE: Arkansas' defense controlled Georgia Southern offense
Malik Hornsby added a 6-yard scoring run late for the final points but by then the outcome had been long decided.
Lost among the headlines about the offense was a defense that gave up one big play that was the result of what safety Jalen Catalon said later defensive coordinator Barry Odom said was a bad call on his part.
We’re a defense where if he makes a bad call we’ve still got to do our job and make it right," Catalon said later. "It was just one those things that we had to shake off and move on."
That one play accounted for half of the Eagles' 152 yards on the ground. In effect, the Hogs limited a triple option offense to just 76 yards on the ground and 81 in the air.
Now, though, it gets serious. SEC play starts next week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington when the Hogs play No. 7 Texas A&M.
