Arkansas Insider Previews BYU at Arkansas

Checking in with an Arkansas insider to preview BYU-Arkansas

BYU is 2-0 and preparing for its most challenging test of the season against Arkansas. We caught up with Arkansas insider Daniel Shi of AllHogs to preview this matchup of two undefeated teams.

Q: What do you feel like you have learned about this Arkansas team through two weeks?

A: Not much. I don't mean that in a facetious way. Much like BYU, the schedule ramps up from here pretty quickly after, in all honesty, two cupcakes to start the season, relatively speaking. The biggest thing we've learned so far is just how reliant Arkansas' offense is on KJ Jefferson's legs, perhaps even more than in years past because all of the receivers are new and are going to take some time adjusting to both new surroundings and new offensive coordinator Dan Enos's playbook.

Q: What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of this 2023 Arkansas team?

Strengths

1. Quarterback- Jefferson had some issues throwing the ball in week two, somewhat akin to the performance Slovis put in week one, but other than that he's been nearly perfect. He bailed the offense out in week two against Kent State with his legs. Arkansas is one of nine FBS teams without a turnover yet, much of that is thanks to Jefferson. He manages the game well and has become the one constant on a team that does not have much continuity from last year with 19 new transfers.
2. Defensive Line- Trajan Jeffcoat is coming off SEC Lineman of the Week honors after racking up 1.5 sacks. Other names to watch include LSU transfer Landon Jackson and Louisiana Tech transfer Kelvie Rose, who has slowly moved to taking more reps with the first team.
3. Special Teams- Isaiah Sategna might be one of the fastest players in all of college football, the former track star has already broken a few returns this year. Pittman has been hesitant to give him reps at receiver because of his youth (redshirt freshman) and "not being as physical" (quoting Pittman). The punter, Max Fletcher, is much improved in his second season after coming over from Australia. Pittman has also been lauding Cam Little's increased range all camp, but we have no earthly idea if that's coach speak because he hasn't attempted any field goals in the first two games.

Weaknesses:

1. The offensive line- What a mess. Partly that's due to injury, Left tackle Devon Manuel has been sidelined for a while now and presumably will continue to be for the BYU game. Senior left guard Brady Latham missed the opener. The other part of it is just, at risk of sounding like a broken record here, there are a lot of moving parts. Right guard Josh Braun is a transfer from Florida, although he didn't start there at the end of the tenure. Beaux Limmer, now the center (former center Ricky Stromberg got drafted) after 23 starts at guard has had a couple of bad snaps already. Pittman has explained what the problem is, I'm not going to pretend to understand the jargon, but I've attached it here.
2. The secondary- This is more an indictment of last year. Neither quarterback that they've faced Cole Gonzales (WCU) and Michael Alaimo (KSU) are particularly good passers. Jaheim Singletary, transfer from Georgia, (last week's leading tackler with 12) should help things, but Slovis should have plenty of others to pick on.

Q: Arkansas has a new DC leading the defense this year - what is he trying to accomplish with his new scheme?

Travis Williams is a high-energy guy. His M.O. has been to blitz in the past but hasn't really felt the need to so far. He may do that quite a bit this week, especially with the potential weaknesses in the secondary.

Q: Without Rocket Sanders in the lineup, what is the level of concern for the Razorback rushing attack?

High, not necessarily because he's out, but more the offensive line issues mentioned above. AJ Green is more than capable of slotting into the starting role, but the rushing attack wasn't particularly good when he played in week one either. This is a team that finished seventh nationally in yards per game last year with the exact same running backs. They currently sit 84th and 108th in yards per carry.

Q: KJ Jefferson is a decorated quarterback that obviously gave BYU a bunch of problems last year. If you were BYU DC Jay Hill, how would you go about limiting Jefferson?

Easier said than done, but account for him in the box pretty much at all costs. He has talked about how running the ball gets him going and unlocks other parts of his game. If Arkansas throws it over the top a few times, you might just have to take your medicine and live with it. Without Jefferson's legs, the game against Kent State gets unnecessarily interesting for Arkansas.

Q: Arkansas wins this game if _______. BYU wins this game if ________.

Whoever's offensive line plays better is probably going to win this game. Slovis is probably a little less proven of the two quarterbacks, so it'll be interesting to see how he holds up.

Q: BYU fans travel well - what can those BYU fans attending the game expect from the environment at Razorbacks Stadium?

Hopefully, the same kindness that Hog fans were shown in Provo, but my buddy who went to Provo told me "Don't count on it." Lots of Hog Calls and rowdy Southerners. The tone surrounding this game has shifted within the past 10-14 days, with how lethargic the team looked last week in addition to the injury of Sanders, fans have quickly realized that if they don't win this game, this season will swallow the Hogs like quicksand, especially with what the conference schedule to follow.