Allen’s iffy status puts Kelley on call
FAYETTEVILLE — Austin Allen’s status for the Alabama game on Saturday is day to day.
Allen, the senior quarterback for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, was knocked out of Saturday’s 48-22 loss at South Carolina late in the third quarter due to an issue with the shoulder on his passing arm.
Allen took several shots in the game, had his right shoulder checked on
periodically and adjusted his throwing motion to a sidearm delivery at some points during the game.
“I think he was probably sore,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos said on Monday. “He’s gonna stay out there, compete and play, but he changed the level of his throwing arm. I think he was compensating for what he was feeling.”
Allen has undergone testing to determine whether what he’s experiencing is soreness or if there are any structural problems.
“Still in an evaluation process with him,” Coach Bret Bielema said. “He could be returned as early as today, tomorrow. Don’t really know anything until we get into a few more results.”
Bielema said Allen’s medical issues are not concussion related.
“It’s nothing with his head at all,” Bielema said. “Obviously he got hit and rung up on that one play pretty good, but there wasn’t anything to this
point of anything on a concussion.”
Allen completed 12 of 24 passes for 84 yards, his lowest yardage total in 18 starts, with one touchdown and one interception. Redshirt freshman Cole Kelley came in and led two touchdown drives, completing 8 of 13 passes for 140 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Both Allen and Kelley contributed to the Hogs’ giveaway program with their interceptions returned for touchdowns.
The SEC Network pointed out Allen had taken more hits than any FBS quarterback since the start of 2016, putting the figure at 125 through a portion of the first half on Saturday.
Bielema said he’s had analysts point out Allen’s toughness in staying in the pocket and delivering the ball despite sensing an impending hit.
“I’ve had several NFL guys, several analysts, guys that come in and do our games talk about how he’ll stare down a hit coming at him if he knows the ball is going to go out on time,” Bielema said when asked about whether Allen might need to take a rest to
recover from the physical toll he’s taken.
“I think for normal quarterbacks or for somebody that doesn’t embrace that, then I’d 100 percent agree with you, but if you’re talking about Austin Allen, I don’t think that even enters it.”
Bielema sounded adamant about the need for officials to protect his quarterback.
“My biggest concern, last year there was a play that I thought was a critical play in the year, when he got hit a little bit late, a little bit low,” he said, referencing a hit from Auburn’s Carl Lawson that eventually knocked Allen out of that game. “Then this year he’s had two plays now where he’s been hit and they’ve
thrown the flag away after the play. It gets frustrating to think your quarterback should be protected better than that.”
The last time Arkansas had a veteran starting quarterback listed as questionable for a game against Alabama, redshirt freshman Brandon Allen made his first career start in place of Tyler Wilson in a 52-0 loss to the Crimson Tide in 2012.
Kelley would get the call if Austin Allen is not cleared to play on Saturday.
Enos said that even though Kelley’s statistics might have come with a few South Carolina backups on the field, the Gamecocks were not just playing back to prevent deep balls and not pressuring.
“I loved his pocket posture and presence, his accuracy and the way he was moving around in the pocket,” Enos said.
“They were still running their blitz packages. We saw several blitzes while he was in there, so it wasn’t just like they gave up. … And you know, he’s a freshman playing in this league. I don’t care who he plays against, they’re pretty good.
“We don’t get caught up
like, ‘Well, that doesn’t count because he’s a second-string player.’ We just evaluate him on what he did and how he did it.”
Bielema was asked whether there are certain scenarios where Kelley might be a better fit than a healthy Allen.
“I think probably a great response is Cole, right?” Bielema replied. “I mean, Cole said if Austin can go he’s our quarterback. I think that’s a great indicator of a guy being in the right frame of mind.”
Kelley played down any notion that he would unseat the senior.
“People like to make controversies out of nothing,” Kelley said on Saturday. “Austin is QB 1 like everybody knows and like I know. There’s no controversy.
“I am prepared, but knowing Austin, he’ll probably be ready to go.”
Kelley’s production in four games as a backup is diffiuclt to ignore, even if you include a fumble (recovered by teammate David Williams) and the pick-six interception against South Carolina.
Kelley, 6-7, 268 pounds, has completed 11 of 18 passes (61.1 percent) for 186 yards with 3
touchdowns.
Kelley’s efficiency rating is a whopping 191.8, largely because of the high touchdown rate, which came on a 10-yard tight end screen to Cheyenne O’Grady against Florida A&M, a play-action 2-yard pass to David Williams against Texas A&M and a perfectly thrown 34-yard strike with the pass rush closing in at South Carolina.
“The way the offensive guys rallied when Cole got in there I think was a very good sign,” Bielema said.
Bielema said Allen’s play against South Carolina included a bit of frustration over a couple of dropped passes.
“I think obviously Austin was affected by not just the last play that he was in there,” Bielema said. “I think he was a guy that was trying to do everything he can and needed relief and that was a way to get it to him in the end.
“I thought another great indicator for us was just the way our guys responded and obviously comforted Austin, but also the way that they switched gears right into Cole and got behind him, it was really cool.”