Freshmen shine for Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE - True freshmen Koilan Jackson and Chase Hayden on offense and on defense redshirt freshman linebackers Grant Morgan and Giovanni LaFrance were among the standouts during Arkansas’ first scrimmage of the preseason Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Freshman receiver Jackson, the son of former Oklahoma AllAmerican/NFL great tight end Keith Jackson and a high school of alum of Pulaski Joe T. Robinson, made the scrimmage’s single biggest play. Against the first defense and guarded closely by top Razorbacks’ cornerback Ryan Pulley, Jackson still snagged a 45-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman fourth-year team walk-on quarterback Carson Proctor.
Jackson’s catch earned wild applause from his 10 reserve teammates and a congratulatory end zone handshake from Pulley.
“I walked up to the line and saw he was a little flat-footed," Jackson said. “I ran past and saw the ball was in the air and it was a perfect pass
from Carson. It fell right in my hands. He (Pulley) was right there but any ball that’s in the air, I’ve got to make it mine. I dropped one today. So I shook that off and just made another play.”
Receivers coach Michael Smith lauded Jackson’s catch but also noted he dropped one and that Proctor “dropped a dime” with his perfect pass.
Hayden, 5-10, 191, with speed complementing top Arkansas power running tailbacks Devwah Whaley, the sophomore letterman starter, and graduate student senior South Carolina transfer David Williams, dazzled on a breakaway 74-yard run against the first defense and led all rushers 15 carries for 174 yards .
“Now Chase Hayden made a big play against our ones and I want to see exactly what happened there,” Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. “I do know Chase has proven to us that he can make something out of nothing. But I want to know how that ball hit the end zone line. And then obviously the long ball to Koilan over Ryan’s head. So we’ve got a few things (for the first defense) obviously to keep going but I like the demeanor of our defense.”
Whaley, 20 for 77, and David Williams, 14 for 55, displayed their downhill power throughout the scrimmage.
With starting weakside linebacker Dre Greenlaw withheld still mending last winter’s broken foot, and starting middle linebacker Di’Jon “Scoota” Harris injured during the scrimmage, Morgan of Greenwood and La France of New Orleans excelled in their expanded opportunities. Both made eight tackles with three for each behind the line of scrimmage.
“Giovanni LaFrance changed his body over the winter workouts,” Bielema said. “I believe he had three TFLs today. He's an explosive player. He's a kid I saw on film and excited because at linebacker we kind of need another guy or two to come along. Grant Morgan has been exciting. He’s a guy that shows up play after play.”
First-teamers McTelvin “Sosa” Agim of Hope at defensive end and outside linebacker Randy Ramsey also made three tackles each behind the line with Ramsey causing the scrimmage’s lone fumble.
Third-year sophomore receiver La’Michael Pettway, challenged at the outset of preseason camp by Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema as vulnerable to getting passed by among a talented group of incoming freshman receivers including Koilan Jackson and Cabot’s Jarrod Barnes, continued his big week of big practices responding to the head coach calling him out.
Arkansas native Pettway of Nashville, even with covering freshman cornerback Kamren Curl flagged for a declined pass interference penalty, caught a 67-yard pass from starting quarterback Austin Allen to the one during the 140-play that repeated first, second and third down situations. For the scrimmage, Pettway caught 5 Allen passes for 165 yards.
Allen sizzled against the backup defense completing 19 of 22 for 304 yards.
In the backup quarterback competition, third-year sophomore Ty Storey of Charleston, with one wide open pass dropped, completed 9 of 15 for 47 yards while redshirt freshman Cole Kelley, his fumble recovered by freshman running back Maleek Williams, completed 8 of 12 for 60 yards.
Walk-on quarterbacks Proctor and Jack Lindsey were 1 of 2 for 45 yards and 1 of 3 for 10 yards.
Saturday night on Twitter, Bielema mourned Saturday’s passing of Pat Gazzola, proprietor of the Catfish Hole restaurants in Fayetteville and Alma.
A longtime ardent Razorbacks booster whose Fayetteville restaurant hosts Bielema’s in season radio show and the in season radio shows of preceding Razorbacks coaches Bobby Petrino and John L. Smith and also was a close friend of former Razorbacks Coach Houston Nutt.
“Lost a great friend and Razorback legend today with Pat Gazzola,” Bielema tweeted.