Who Can Run Better? With Hogs, A&M Juggling Offensive Lines Defense Is Key
Arkansas is juggling players on the offensive line while Texas A&M is breaking in a new quarterback when they meet Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
That could make things a little difficult to score against a pair of defenses that are experienced and talented.
The Razorbacks have worked linemen all over the place and it's paying off with starting center Ricky Stromberg and right tackle Dalton Wagner questionable for the game.
"Depth is such a key part of any team," Sam Pittman said Wednesday while being as vague as possible about who's going to be lining up where. "You can't be devastated if you lose X, whoever that may be."
Maybe he knows or has an idea, but that won't be shared, probably until kickoff. He's tried at times to say who starts isn't that big of a deal, but apparently it is.
"Guys are No. 1 for a reason," he said. "There's a depth chart for a reason. Supposedly he's supposed to be your best player.
"Sometimes you find out from a guy that's been practicing all time, you find out on game day he's a lot better than you thought. Sometimes he's not as good as you thought."
READ MORE: How talented is Texas A&M's defense?
With Stromberg and Wagner out last week, he and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy got a chance to see what they have.
"I'm so glad last week we got an opportunity to see what we have available if Dalton and Ricky can't play," Pittman said. "That helped us."
By the same reasoning, Texas A&M got to see what quarterback Zach Calzada could do with a little preparation after he had to take over for starter Haynes King the week before on the road against Colorado.
"He ended up winning the game on the last drive," he said about a nail-biting 10-7 win over the Buffaloes. "Now he goes and plays New Mexico. They've got a good football team. A&M beat a good football team."
The experience has helped Calzada, from what Pittman has seen on film.
"Now the kid's throwing better," he said. "He's got better confidence. They are probably ahead of us a week."
READ MORE: Texas A&M defensive players to watch against Arkansas
The key to the Hogs' offensive line stability may be Luke Jones, who was in the mix for a starting role before the season and stepped up with the injuries.
"He's experienced," Pittman said. "Luke's played a lot of ball for us. He had a grade of 80% last week which was really good for a guy that hasn't played a whole lot. We have a lot of confidence in him.
"He's had a good week of practice."
You get the idea at least one of the two injured starting linemen aren't going to play for the Hogs. For a position group that requires more coordination than any other on the field, juggling players isn't ideal.
"Luke's a little like (Ty) Clary," Pittman said. "He can play left tackle, he can play center. He's very, very valuable to us."
Texas A&M has also been doing some juggling on the offensive line and now have a starting quarterback who took over the second week of the season.
All of which puts the spotlight on both defenses.
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