Hogs’ offensive line will have hands full with Aggies
FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week Frank Ragnow freaked out discussing the problems that Texas A&M’s defense presents in the Razorbacks’ SEC opener Saturday night.
Coach Bret Bielema’s 17th-ranked Razorbacks (3-0) and coach Kevin Sumlin’s No. 10 Aggies (3-0,1-0) clash at 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“What kind of problems?” Ragnow fast repeated the question Wednesday evening after practice.
“Well 15 and 10 (A&M defensive ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall) are two just freakish athletes. They have got No. 5 (defensive tackle Daylan Mack) who is a freak. The other interior guy (defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson) is a freak. They’ve got a front seven that watching film are a lot more physical this year it looks like. So they present a ton of problems.”
The Hogs need to double buckle down, Ragnow said.
“We are calling this a two-chinstrap game,” Ragnow said. “Because you need two chinstraps because their guys are coming after you and they’ll find you.”
Of course, the Aggies know that Arkansas has guys coming after and finding them.
Senior left tackle Dan Skipper and Ragnow, moved last week from center to right guard, have won the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award in back-to-back weeks.
Bielema has indicated the Hogs will continue alternating Colton Jackson and Brian Wallace at right tackle like last week. Jake Raulerson and Zach Rogers will alternate at center, while left guard Hjalte Froholdt, Ragnow and Skipper will pick up where they left off.
Ragnow was asked about Jackson and Wallace at right tackle.
“Good,” Ragnow said. “They are two guys that you can tell really
care about the game. It is just the mental things that kind of hold them back. Colton is a young guy and B-Wall is just struggling with the playbook a little bit. But they are two guys that care about the game, so it is easy to work with guys that want to get better.”
Arkansas offensive line coach Kurt Anderson also was asked about Wallace and Jackson and if Wallace might get his first start.
“He (Wallace) has had a great week of preparation and he graded out well in the (Texas State) game,” Anderson said. “The plan was to have it nice and even, but there was a 16-play drive in there (all with Jackson) that kinda skewed the numbers, but he played well. He’s had a good week of preparation for Texas A&M, so we’ll see.”
How has Jackson responded? “Jackson’s also had a good week of practice,” Anderson said. “A very good week of practice, so I anticipate both guys are preparing like they’re gonna be the starter and there’s still time to be had in terms of preparation so very similar to last week, we’ll see as we get closer. It goes all the way up until game time in the way that I do it.”
Froholdt, a native of Denmark and moved just last spring from the defensive line, has steadily improved.
“Yeah, that’s usually what happens when you start to get some game experience and start to play and get exposed to certain things,” Anderson said. “Kinda the same common theme. Same thing with spring ball and then fall camp, and now as games have continued to roll through for him, he continues to learn. He continues to grow, and he’s a very bright guy and a very competitive guy. He’s his harshest critic.”
Arkansas senior Dominique Reed, the fastest of the Razorbacks’ receivers, has shown increasingly closer flashes last year’s form when caught fire midseason for most of his 28 catches for 535 yards and six touchdowns.
This would be a good week for those flashes to fan full flame, receivers coach Michael Smith said.
“I hope he’s real close to breaking out this week,” Smith said Wednesday. “We need him to play well. He has had some opportunities to make some plays. Unfortunately, we missed him a couple of times but he’s right there.
I’m hoping it’s like last year when we got into SEC play, the light went on and he clicked. I am hoping that happens this weekend.”
Junior starting quarterback Austin Allen sees Reed’s play coming up because his attitude stays up.
“Just the way he works during the week,” Allen said. “He’s not pouting that he’s not getting enough balls or anything like that. He’s a hard worker and wants the best for the team. He knows the catches are going to come. He’s a big play threat every time he is out there so I am sure it will come.”