Arkansas opponent capsules

GAME 1

Texas-El Paso

DATE Sept. 5 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

2014 RECORD 7-6, 5-3 Conference USA COACH Sean Kugler (9-16 in two seasons at UTEP)

RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS RB Aaron Jones, WR/KR Autrey Golden, OL Will Hernandez, DE Roy Robertson-Harris

OUTLOOK The Miners will try to beat Arkansas at the Razorbacks’ game. Like the Razorbacks, UTEP’s offense features a strong ground game with junior tailback Aaron Jones — who rushed for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns last season — running behind a veteran offensive line that returns four starters. The problem for the Miners figures to be their passing game. Last season they averaged 142.9 passing yards per game to rank 118th nationally, and that was with senior quarterback Jameill Showers, the only quarterback to attempt a pass. Four quarterbacks are competing for the starting job. Senior Autrey Golden could be a dangerous receiver. Golden also leads all active Football Bowl Subdivision players with six touchdowns on kickoff returns.

GAME 2

Toledo

DATE Sept. 12 PLACE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock 2014 RECORD 9-4, 7-1 Mid-American Conference COACH Matt Campbell (26-13 in three seasons at Toledo) RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 8 defense KEY PLAYERS RB Kareem Hunt, WR Alonzo Russell, DE Trent Voss, DT Orion Jones.

OUTLOOK Toledo, which tied for the MAC Western Division title last season and beat Arkansas State 63-44 in the GoDaddy Bowl, is playing Arkansas for the first time. The Rockets have two quarterbacks with starting experience, but senior Phillip Ely and junior Logan Woodside are coming off injuries that required surgery. Ely, a transfer from Alabama who started the first two games last season, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game against Missouri. Woodside started 10 games but underwent ankle surgery in the offseason. Ely completed 41 of 68 passes for 541 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception, while Woodside completed 185 of 296 passes for 2,263 yards and 19 touchdowns with 8 interceptions. Junior Kareem Hunt rushed for 1,631 yards last season, including 271 against Arkansas State.

GAME 3

Texas Tech

DATE Sept. 19 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

2014 RECORD 4-8, 2-7 Big 12 Conference COACH Cliff Kingsbury (12-13 in two seasons at Texas Tech)

RETURNING STARTERS 10 offense, 7 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Davis Webb, RB DeAndre Washington, WR Jakeem Grant, DE Pete Robertson OUTLOOK David Gibbs is Texas Tech’s sixth defensive coordinator since 2009. He has a massive challenge considering the Red Raiders finished 123rd nationally in scoring defense last season, allowing an average of 41.3 points per game, and were 121st in total defense at 512.7 yards per game. After Arkansas piled up 499 yards in a 49-28 victory at Texas Tech last season, including 438 rushing yards, Matt Wallerstedt resigned as the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator and was replaced by linebackers coach Mike Smith. Texas Tech Coach Kliff Kingsbury hired Gibbs after the season and retained Smith as an assistant. Gibbs, a former Auburn defensive coordinator and NFL assistant coach, led Houston to a 20th national ranking in total defense last season (343.4 yards per game).

GAME 4

Texas A&M

DATE Sept. 26 PLACE AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas 2014 RECORD 8-5, 3-5 SEC COACH Kevin Sumlin (28-11 in three seasons at Texas A&M, 63-28 in seven seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 8 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Kyle Allen, WR Josh Reynolds, DE Myles Garrett. OT Germain Ifedi

OUTLOOK Arkansas won the first three games the teams played in Arlington in 2009-2011, but Aggies Coach Kevin Sumlin is 3-0 against the Razorbacks in SEC games. The Aggies figure to be high-powered on offense with sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen, who was the starter for the final five games last season when he combined to complete 101 of 154 passes (65.6 percent) for 1,058 yards and 13 touchdowns with 5 interceptions. Allen has several talented receivers led by Josh Reynolds and Speedy Noil. New defensive coordinator John Chavis was lured from LSU after the Aggies ranked 102nd nationally in total defense, allowing 450.8 yards per game. Chavis’ Tigers held Allen to 144 passing yards in LSU’s 23-17 victory at Texas A&M last season.

GAME 5

Tennessee

DATE Oct. 3 PLACE Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.

2014 RECORD 7-6, 3-5 SEC COACH Butch Jones (12-13 in two seasons at Tennessee, 62-40 in eight seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 10 offense, 8 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Josh Dobbs, RB Jalen Hurd, LB Jaylen

Reeves-Maybin, DE Curt Maggit

OUTLOOK Arkansas and Tennessee were once permanent East- West rivals in the SEC, but that turned out to be temporary. After the teams met the Razorbacks’ first 11 seasons in the SEC from 1992 to 2002, Arkansas and Tennessee are playing for the first time since 2011. The Volunteers have plenty in common with the Razorbacks going into Butch Jones’ third season as coach and coming off a bowl victory (45-28 over Iowa) to finish 7-6. Tennessee, like Arkansas, is ranked among the top 25 nationally in most preseason polls and at SEC media days was picked to finish second in the East behind Georgia. Playing Oklahoma — which beat Tennessee 34-10 last season — in the second game at home should provide some insight into whether the Vols have returned to being a nationally elite team. Junior Josh Dobbs was forced into a starting role at quarterback last season because of injuries and helped Tennessee to a 4-1 record down the stretch. He is among 18 returning starters, giving fans hope the Vols can win the East for the first time since 2007.

GAME 6

Alabama

DATE Oct. 10 PLACE Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2014 RECORD 12-2, 7-1 SEC COACH Nick Saban (86-17 in eight seasons at Alabama, 177-59-1 in 19 seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 2 offense, 7 defense KEY PLAYERS RB Derrick Henry, C Ryan Kelly, LB Reggie Ragland, CB Cyrus Jones

OUTLOOK Nick Saban hasn’t lost to Arkansas since returning to the SEC as Alabama’s coach for the 2007 season. Including five seasons at LSU, Saban is 11- 2 against the Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide won the SEC championship last season and were among four teams which took part in the first college football playoff, but their season ended on a disappointing note with a 42-35 loss to Ohio State in a national semifinal game in the Sugar Bowl. After winning three national titles in a four- year span between 2009 and 2012, Alabama has gone two years without winning one while going 23- 4. The competition for the starting quarterback position remained open going into fall camp — will fifth-year senior Jacob Coker ever get to start after transferring from Florida State? — while Alabama is well- stocked at tailback with Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake. Only two starters are back on offense, but Saban has recruited so well that Alabama has plenty of talent to fill that void. The Crimson Tide defense figures to be stout, as usual, led by senior linebacker Reggie Ragland ( 95 tackles last season) and senior cornerback Cyrus Jones (three interceptions).

GAME 7

Auburn

DATE Oct. 24 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

2014 RECORD 8-5, 4-4 SEC COACH Gus Malzahn (20-7 in two seasons at Auburn, 29-10 in three seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Jeremy Johnson, WR Duke Williams, FS Johnathan Ford, DE Carl Lawson

OUTLOOK Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn is breaking in a new full-time starting quarterback in junior Jeremy Johnson, but the Tigers are still ranked among the top 10 nationally in most preseason polls. While Johnson was Nick Marshall’s backup the past two seasons, he started last season’s opener against Arkansas — Marshall was suspended for the first half for disciplinary reasons — and completed 12 of 16 passes for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns before Marshall replaced him in the second half. In 13 games over his first two seasons, including a start against Western Carolina as a freshman in 2013, Johnson has combined to pass for 828 yards and nine touchdowns. Johnson isn’t the running threat Marshall presented, but he can move around in the pocket and scramble when needed. Will Muschamp is making his third Auburn stop and second as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. The former Florida coach was an Auburn graduate assistant in 1995- 1996 and returned as defensive coordinator in 2006-2007.

GAME 8

Tennessee-Martin

DATE Oct. 31 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville 2014 RECORD 6-6, 5-3 Ohio Valley Conference COACH Jason Simpson (58-45 in nine seasons at Tennessee-Martin)

RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Jarod Henderson, RB Trent Garland, DE Deantae Glover, LB Nick Dance

OUTLOOK Tennessee-Martin is playing Arkansas for the first time, but Skyhawks offensive coordinator John Bond will be in familiar territory. Bond is a Rogers native who graduated from Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1985. After starring as a quarterback for Rogers High School, he played one season at Arkansas before suffering a career-ending injury. He then helped coach the Razorbacks in 1983-1985 as a student assistant for Lou Holtz and graduate assistant for Ken Hatfield. Bond has a veteran quarterback in fifth-year senior Jarod Henderson, who has made 18 career starts. Henderson completed 158 of 249 passes last season for 1,880 yards and 14 touchdowns.

GAME 9

Mississippi

DATE Nov. 7 PLACE Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Miss.

2014 RECORD 9-4, 5-3 SEC COACH Hugh Freeze (24-15 in three seasons at Ole Miss, 52-22 in six seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 9 offense, 7 defense KEY PLAYERS OT Laremy Tunsil, TE Evan Engram, WR Laquon Treadwell, DT Robert Nkemdiche

OUTLOOK If Ole Miss is ever going to play in the SEC Championship Game, this might be the season. The Rebels have a loaded junior class, including several players likely to leave early for the NFL Draft, including defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. A key for the Rebels to win the SEC West is to find a starting quarterback. Bo Wallace may have made some bone-headed plays at times, but he was talented and made a lot of yards passing and running. With Wallace gone, junior Chad Kelly — a junior college transfer who began his career at Clemson — and sophomores Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincade are competing for the starting job. Early in fall camp Coach Hugh Freeze had yet to name a starter.

GAME 10

LSU

DATE Nov. 14 PLACE Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge 2014 RECORD 8-5, 4-4 SEC COACH Les Miles (103-29 in 10 seasons at LSU, 131-50 in 13 seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS RB Leonard Fournette, OT Jerald Hawkins, FS Jamal Adams, LB Kendell Beckwith

OUTLOOK LSU’s inability last season to have a starting quarterback emerge who could play well consistently doomed the Tigers to an 8- 5 record, including a 17-0 loss at Arkansas when the Razorbacks broke their 17-game SEC losing streak. The same struggling quarterbacks return — sophomore Brandon Harris and junior Anthony Jennings — but Harris appears to be much improved according to media reports from Baton Rouge. Jennings started 12 games last season — Harris started the sixth game in a 41-7 loss at Auburn — and completed 111 of 227 passes (48.9 percent) for 1,611 yards and 11 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 292 yards. Harris completed 25 of 45 passes (55.6 percent) for 452 yards and 6 touchdowns with 2 interceptions and rushed 26 times for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns. Coach Les Miles has said he probably won’t announce a starter before the season opener against McNeese State.

GAME 11

Mississippi State

DATE Nov. 21 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville 2014 RECORD 10-3, 6-2 SEC COACH Dan Mullen (46-31 in six seasons at Mississippi

State)

RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Dak Prescott, WR De’Runnya Wilson, DT Chris Jones, LB Beniquez Brown

OUTLOOK Mississippi State earned its first No. 1 ranking last season, played in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 1941 and won 10 games for the third time ever, but the Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh — last — in the West at SEC media days. What gives? The West is expected to be brutally tough again with five teams ranked in the preseason coaches poll (Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Arkansas ... everyone but Mississippi State and Texas A&M) and the Bulldogs return just eight starters. Fortunately for Mississippi State, one of those returning starters is senior quarterback Dak Prescott, last season’s All-SEC first-team choice. Prescott should keep the Bulldogs in most every game and give them a shot to compete for the West title given the division’s balance. Prescott accounted for 41 touchdowns last season and 4,435 yards in total offense. He completed 244 of 396 passes for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns with 11 interceptions last season and rushed 210 times for 986 yards and 14 touchdowns.

GAME 12

Missouri

DATE Nov. 27 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

2014 RECORD 11-3, 7-1 SEC COACH Gary Pinkel (113-66 in 15 seasons at Missouri, 186-103-3 in 24 seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Maty Mauk, C Evan Boehm, RB Russell Hansbrough, LB Kentrell Brothers

OUTLOOK Missouri is going for its third consecutive SEC East title after finishing a combined 14-2 in conference play, but the Tigers continue to have to fight for respect in the SEC. They were picked to finish third in the East in a vote at SEC media days, but at least that is better than sixth and fourth, where they were picked the previous two seasons. The Tigers should continue to win at a pretty good rate in the SEC as long as Gary Pinkel is their coach. Pinkel is in his 16th season at Missouri, matching Georgia’s Mark Richt for the longest tenure for a coach at his current SEC school. Junior Maty Mauk, 14-4 as a starting quarterback, is back to lead the offense. He passed for 2,648 yards and 25 touchdowns last season but needs to make better decisions at times after throwing 13 interceptions. The Tigers are breaking in a new set of starting receivers, but Mauk said they have plenty of talent, notably sophomore Nate Brown. Barry Odom, a former Missouri player and assistant coach, is back with Pinkel as the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator.