More Things Change for Ex-Hogs, More They Stay the Same

A look at how high profile former players, coaches did at their new non-Arkansas destinations

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Sep 2, 2023 11:47 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With so much turnover happening across the country this past season with Arkansas ties, it seemed like a good idea to update everyone on where former Razorbacks ended up and how things went on opening weekend. Here are some of the more prominent storylines surrounding those no longer with the Hogs.

Malik Hornsby, TEXAS STATE

For those who didn't keep up with the transfer portal to a psychotic degree, the Texas State blowout of Baylor popping up on the screen Saturday night probably sent Arkansas fans scrambling to the internet expecting to see a box score declaring the coming out party of departed former Razorback QB Malik Hornsby.

However, by the time the fourth quarter rolled around with the Bobcats leading 42-24, Hornsby not only hadn't thrown a pass, he hadn't even made it in for his customary three runs and one reception. The reason being that this past May, former Auburn quarterback TJ Finley transferred to Texas State, confident he could beat out Hornsby for the starting nod.

Turns out he could. The quarterback race was considered neck-and-neck two weeks ago, but Finley got the nod and his explosive, highly accurate performance at Baylor likely locked up the job for the rest of the season. Finley finished the upset with 300 yards passing and three touchdowns while Hornsby looked on.

Dowell Loggains, Trey Knox, SOUTH CAROLINA

We won't know for at least another week whether Loggains' offense will work in Columbia because the offensive line was so horrendous against North Carolina no one got to see it. Gamecocks QB Spencer Rattler spent the entire night running for his life, often with a defender in his face as soon as the ball touched his hands. How South Carolina put up 17 points with such a pathetic effort by its offensive line is hard to fathom.

Late in the game, Rattler got called for intentional grounding for throwing a pass into the stands while a Tar Heel tried on his pants to see if they'd fit. He then checked down nearly 10 yards short on 4th & Long because he was so wary of the pressure. Then, he flung another one way high on fourth down with the game on the line.

The most positive thing Rattler had going for him was when he could avoid the sack every now and then, converting the pressure into a decent run. Fittingly, the game ended with Rattler throwing for a half-yard gain on fourth down again. Loggains will need to find an offensive line over the next few weeks or no one will ever get to see what his offense is supposed to look like. As for Knox, he finished with two catches for 14 yards.

On a positive note, when Rattler wasn't taking nine sacks and avoiding at least a dozen others, he managed to throw for 353 yards. Unfortunately, despite breaking several big plays when he escaped the defensive pressure, Rattler's sacks doomed South Carolina to -2 total rushing yards.

Myles Slusher, Jodan Domineck, COLORADO
Chandler Morris, Kendal Briles, TCU

Slusher and Domineck saw plenty of playing time in what turned out to be the biggest game of the day. Slusher recorded six tackles, including a big play late, while Domineck was instrumental in the play that sealed the victory and also in the celebratory moment that played over and over on highlights throughout the day. He finished with four tackles in the upset.

Morris, a former Arkansas commit, had an OK day. The son of former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris completed 22-of-42 attempts for 279 yards while accounting for two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Briles offense generated 541 yards with his signature balanced approach. Unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, that was only 31 more total yards than Shedeur Sanders threw on a record-setting passing day for the Colorado quarterback.

Briles and Morris have now led TCU to more regular season losses than the national runner-ups had all last season.

Bobby Petrino, Texas A&M

Petrino sat high in his box above the field at College Station wearing dark sunglasses as he watched his quarterbacks put together a highly efficient scoring night against New Mexico. Connor Weigman went 18-of-23 for 236 yards and five touchdowns. Then, Max Johnson came in and threw for 41 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-9 passing. For those doing the math, that was a touchdown every five passes for the Aggies.

The running game did enough to keep things honest with 134 yards on 29 attempts for an economical 4.6 yards per carry. The most important thing for Texas A&M is one game is in the books and Petrino still appears to have permission to keep calling plays.

Barry Odom, Michael Scherer, UNLV

It's easy to look at the Running Rebels' 44-14 win over Bryant and say it's not that big of a deal because it's against an FCS school, but last September Barry Odom's defense got romped by FCS Missouri State, almost costing Arkansas the game.

The last time Odom coached a college program, he lost to Arkansas, which was more than the Missouri administration could stand. The UNLV offense had a solid night as two quarterbacks combined to guide the offense to 409 total yards. However, in true Odom fashion, Bryant also had 409 yards of offense while racking up 230 yards passing to UNLV's 126. Scherer is officially the defensive coordinator of record, but the similarities to Odom's past from a yards given up perspective puts this one at his feet.

The game was won on the ground as Odom's Rebels put up 284 yards at 7.1 yards per carry. That's a different dynamic than was expected during the few days Petrino was the offensive coordinator this past spring.

Bret Bielema, Barry Lunney, Jr., Grant Morgan, ILLINOIS

Remember when Bret Bielema coached a tight game against Toledo with Barry Lunney as his assistant while Grant Morgan watched dreaming of a chance at a full financial opportunity?

It's crazy how history repeats itself. You would think Bielema would have learned his lesson about scheduling the Rockets. There's something about the blue and gold of Toledo that is the opposite of "borderline erotic" for the former Arkansas head coach.

When the Rockets went up 28-27 with 2:59 to play, all the pressure of the past fell onto Lunney's shoulders. It looked like things were over as the Illini faced 4th & 4 after former Ole Miss quarterback Luke Altmeyer struggled to connect on a pair of passes.

Still, Lunney kept faith in his quarterback who delivered under pressure with a 33-yard strike to push into Toledo territory. Altmeyer connected on one more pass to get inside the 30 before the former Arkansas tight ends coach turned things over to his running game. Illinois pushed to the 9-yard line before running the clock down to five seconds and kicking the winning field goal.

It was a much better outcome than the last time they were all in this position. That game in 2015 ended with Brandon Allen missing on two passes from the Toledo 16, allowing for an unorthodox 16-12 upset of what was the best team of the Bielema era in Arkansas.