Hog Receiver Curiously Quiet Through Two Weeks

Tyrone Broden only has one catch through games against Western Carolina and Kent State

Author:
Daniel Shi
Publish date:
Sep 10, 2023 8:53 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Listed at 6-foot-7 inches tall, redshirt senior wide receiver Tyrone Broden could slot in for Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman on the hardwood. Instead, he transferred from Bowling Green as one of the tallest receivers in the country to serve as a deep threat in the Dan Enos offense.

The question coming into the season was how all the receivers, including Broden, would transition from smaller schools to going up against Power 5 defenses. Given the way the schedule was set up with an FCS opener followed by a Group of 5 team, this was supposed to be the transition period for the receiver group.

Two of the receivers have adjusted relatively well. Redshirt senior Isaac TeSlaa has six catches for 117 yards through the first two games and has made several contested catches. Fellow redshirt senior Andrew Armstrong has three touchdowns on the young season.

Coach Sam Pittman stressed the importance of getting Broden going leading up to the game against Kent State, but none of it materialized. Through two weeks, Broden has one catch for three yards and has mainly been used as a gunner on special teams. The only pass he caught was a pass behind the line of scrimmage against Western Carolina and was not targeted at all against Kent State.

"We need to amp him up and the only way you can do that is put him with the guys and see if you can feel good about it," Pittman said prior to the game. "That’s what we’ve done, and he’s had a good week."

Broden's 506 yards and team-leading seven touchdowns at Bowling Green last year were a huge part of the Falcons making a bowl for the first time since 2015. In his three seasons prior to arriving at Arkansas, he had season-long catches of 34, 64 and 44 yards each year for Bowling Green, proving his value as a threat down the field.

Broden insists that he is fully capable of making an impact and understands the new offense he is working with.

"I'm very ready," Broden said after practice on Aug. 23. "I know the playbook in and out. I've played all (receiver) positions on the field. So far, it's been going good."

It was a slow day for the receivers overall. Quarterback KJ Jefferson only completed 13 passes for 136 yards against a Kent State defense that allowed 334 yards through the air in their opener against the University of Central Florida, including 281 to former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Even if Broden does not start behind TeSlaa, Armstrong and emerging redshirt sophomore Jaedon Wilson, he needs to integrate into some kind of substantial role on offense if Arkansas is going to sustain success moving forward.