STRAIGHT FROM ANDY'S MOUTH: Biggest Question Mark for Hogs in Bowl, Plus Next Season
Arkansas may have hope somebody will step up at wide receiver, but that usually isn't the best plan for a bowl game or the next season.
But that's exactly what the Razorbacks have.
With Treylon Burks headed to the NFL, the Hogs will face Penn State without one of the 14 guys who caught 34.5% this season's passes.
Say what you want, but that's a big hole to fill. Throw out the catches by running backs and tight ends and the numbers are more stark. Burks had 44% of the catches by wide receivers.
Treylon Burks had 5.5 catches a game while nobody on team had two.
Gary Cosby / USA TODAY Images
Now, it gets even more alarming if you take out Trey Knox's catches and call him a tight end. That means Burks caught half of the passes from true wide receivers.
Burks averaged 5.5 catches per game. Nobody else on the team — regardless of position — averaged two catches a game.
It's a gaping hole that offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton will have had to figure out how to fill in about a month's time.
It's an opportunity for old-timers like Tyson Morris and De'Vion Warren to go out with a bang.
More people are looking at how newcomers like Bryce Stephens and Warren Thompson will do in the spotlight.
It's all a gigantic question mark right now.
And hope.
Warren Thompson is one of players that needs to fill gaping hole at wide receiver.
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Images
Everybody hopes somebody will step up. It would be a huge opportunity for Knox to get back to the promise he showed as a true freshman.
The guess is the Nittany Lions are going to play man on the wide receivers and tight ends, then crowd the box to stop the run and see how it goes.
If the Hogs can run the ball, they won't throw it much at all unless Briles starts over-thinking things. He isn't likely to do that.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson will have chances to run, but this isn't one of the non-conference pushovers the Hogs had in the regular season (and they had four of those because Texas was over-hyped to start the year).
Penn State is probably going to try and stop anything he does.
De'Vion Warren is one of the seniors who have chance to step up in bowl game.
Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Images
Which may be a preview of what's coming next season.
The 2022 opponents will see the film of this game, and they are going to be looking to see if the Hogs have any wide receivers, or if they can crowd the box and take their chances on big plays.
Burks made the big plays this season. He's gone.
Who's going to make the big play in the Outback Bowl ... or next season?
It's the question the Hogs are staring squarely in the face right now.
• STRAIGHT FROM THE ANDY'S MOUTH
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