Unit developing despite injuries
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Chad Morris must be wondering what else can happen to his offensive line.
Thus far, at least no locusts have been spotted swarming around the linemen at practice, but they continue to be plagued by injuries.
The latest hit to the line is Dalton Wagner who had surgery Wednesday to have his appendix removed.
Morris said he hopes Wagner will be able to return to practice in 10 to 14 days, which makes him questionable for the Sept. 1 opener against Eastern Illinois.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Morris said of whether Wagner will be ready to play. “I don’t think anybody can answer that just yet.
“We’re fortunate we’re going to be able to get him back and fortunate we’ve got other guys in there that are learning and picking up.”
Wagner, a redshirt freshman, is the fourth lineman to have surgery since mid-July. He was at first-team left tackle because junior Colton Jackson underwent back surgery and is expected to miss the first six games.
There were eight scholarship linemen, Morris said, during a recent practice.
“Well, obviously it presents challenges,” he said. “But so does the course of a season and you’ve got to be ready for those.”
Morris said he couldn’t recall dealing with so many offensive line injuries during his coaching career.
“But if it has to happen,
I’d much rather it happen early than late in a season,” he said. “Guys are getting a lot of good work in and moving around. Coach [Dustin] Fry’s doing an excellent job of developing these guys.”
Senior Deion Malone moved from defensive tackle to guard to help with depth, but he sustained a season-ending knee surgery the first week of camp.
True freshman tackle Ryan Winkel underwent surgery for a pectoral injury he suffered in July while he was warming up to lift weights. Junior guard Jalen Merrick is still waiting to be cleared to practice after experiencing headaches over the summer.
Linemen who have missed practice or worn green non-contact jerseys include senior tackle Brian Wallace, sophomore center Dylan Hays and sophomore guard Tyler Hall.
Senior right guard Johnny Gibson, a returning starter, is the only lineman who has worked at the same position on the first-team line throughout camp.
“It’s been interesting seeing everyone else [moving around], being the guy that usually is the one that has to play different positions,” said Gibson, who last season started at right guard and both tackle spots. “Seeing everyone else being able to do it is really good, so someone else can go fill a role that’s needed.”
Senior Hjalte Froholdt, who started every game the last two seasons at left guard, moved to center early in camp.
“A little transition, some growing pains,” Froholdt said. “Of course, you’ve got to make sure the snap gets in. I had a couple of issues early on, but I think I picked that up pretty quickly.
“The main issue is that even though it’s only a couple of inches, you’re closer to the defender. You have to get your footwork in quicker. You have to get your hands up quicker.”
Gibson and Wallace give the Razorbacks experience on right side of Froholdt, but two redshirt freshmen — guard Kirby Adcock and tackle Shane Clenin — worked with the starters on the left side during Thursday’s practice.
“If they’re out there, that means Coach trusts them, and if Coach trusts them, I trust them,” Gibson said. “We all trust each other. If they’re out there, that means they can play and they can get the job done.”
The second-team line Thursday was Hays at center, Capps at left guard, true freshman Noah Gatlin at left tackle, Hall at right guard and sophomore Ty Clary — who started the first four games last season at right guard —at right tackle.
“They don’t get overwhelmed,” Gibson said of the younger linemen. “They stay level-headed.”
Capps’ first practice with the offense was in Saturday’s scrimmage.
“My head was spinning,” he said. “I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said Capps did well under the circumstances.
“I’ve absolutely loved having Capps over there,”Craddock said after the scrimmage. “He’s done a heck of a job trying to learn it quickly. I think he can be really, really good for us, really special.”
Morris managed a chuckle when asked his reaction to learning Wagner needed an appendectomy.
“You look at it and you just kind of shake your head and go ‘Well, OK, what’s next? Who’s next now that we’ve got to move around?’ ” Morris said. “You don’t have time to dwell. You just have to be, ‘OK, we’ve been dealt that hand and we’ve got to move on.’
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve just got to respond.”