No Sanders? Other Running Backs ready to Rocket Rushing Attack

AJ Green ready to take a more substantial role in a room without top running back

Author:
Daniel Shi
Updated:
Sep 13, 2023 10:10 AM EDT
Original:
Sep 12, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — All 26 games. No starts.

Junior running back AJ Green enters his third season on the hill. Although Green racked up 639 rushing yards across his first two campaigns, he has always played behind senior Raheim "Rocket" Sanders. Now with Sanders sidelined for the second straight week and his status for the conference opener against LSU very much in question, the opportunity is there for Green to lead this vaunted rushing attack that has yet to get going. That starts with BYU.

"It’s going to be a new team coming in," Green said. "They’re going to fight; we’re going to fight. Somebody has to go down. Either way, it’s going to be a fight."

The struggles in the run game to begin the season have been well documented by both Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman and those around the team. Green knows something needs to change, and fast.

"We’ve got some people that left (on the offensive line)," Green said. "We’re not all comfortable yet. That’s what we’ve been working on every single day ... We’re going to learn to execute our plays better."

Fixing the run game doesn't just involve the running backs. The offensive line comes in to Saturday's 6:30 p.m. kick-off with a new chip on its shoulder after back-to-back subpar games.

"The run game is kind of what we want to be known for," senior guard Brady Latham said. "We’ve had success in the past in the run game and we want to continue to have success. We’ve taken these challenges really personal, and it’s something we’re going to get fixed."

Green, alongside sophomore Rashod Dubinion who has moved into the backup role, will look to lead the ride the offensive line's veteran presence to sustain Arkansas' tradition of rushing success in the Pittman era. In his first game as a starter, he rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries. Green is keen on not changing his approach just because he's now the starter in the interim.

"I’m out there with the starting unit a lot," Green said. "It wasn’t really anything different to me. It was just that I got the ball first last game. But I mean, it’s like the same looks that we get."

Green and the rest of the Arkansas offense will take on the BYU Cougars Saturdy on ESPN2 and fuboTV.