Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Playing the numbers
Unit looks for depth, improvement
FAYETTEVILLE — The numbers aren’t pretty and they are inescapable.
The Arkansas Razorbacks allowed 35 sacks in each of the past two seasons. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, did not rank last in the SEC in either season, but the combined 70 sacks the Razorbacks allowed in 2016 and 2017 were the most in the conference.
Opponents racked up 461 yards in losses on those sacks, hampering the team’s touted run game and putting quarterbacks Austin Allen, Cole Kelley and Ty Storey on the run — and often on their backs — on a high percentage of pass plays.
Those numbers were accumulated against an offensive front that included Frank Ragnow, who surrendered a half sack in his college career.
After three consecutive years of giving up the fewest sacks in the SEC from 2013-2015, the Razorbacks went drastically in the other direction, hyping eager pass rushers far and wide when Arkansas showed up across the field.
Under new head coach Chad Morris, Arkansas hopes to protect quarterbacks better in its up-tempo attack, and there are some supporting numbers that say it might work.
There are four returning starters for the Razorbacks, who will certainly miss
Ragnow, a top center candidate in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Guards Hjalte Froholdt and Johnny Gibson and tackles Colton Jackson and Brian Wallace were all the primary starters at their positions last season.
Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said the offensive line has gotten a bad rap and has rocked the impression left by a simple perusal of the statistics.
“I’ve been really pleased with the offensive line,” Craddock said last week. “I think they’re doing a heck of a job.
“Those guys, I think there’s been a big misconception about those guys coming in, and I think those guys have done a really good job of proving us wrong, proving some people wrong thus far.”
Earlier this spring, Froholdt recognized the general fan discontent from the past couple of seasons regarding the offensive line and former position coach Kurt Anderson while talking about adjusting to new coach Dustin Fry.
“There’s been a bunch of things going out there,” Froholdt said. “People have their own opinions and everything. I think both coaches are great. Of course, it’s a completely different offensive scheme, so I feel that’s one of the big differences there. Other than that, they’re both great coaches to me.”
Then there’s 76, the number of combined starts from the returning players, led by Froholdt’s 25, followed by Gibson (17) and Wallace (17), Jackson (13) and sophomore Ty Clary, who started the first four games of his college career last season.
Morris said Fry has been doing a good job of teaching the new schemes and sorting out the depth chart.
“We’re trying to play a lot of guys,” Morris said. “We’re just trying to get a rotation in there.”
Morris noted the line needs to add numbers after this fall’s incoming class.
“We only have about 10 scholarship O-linemen right now on campus,” he said. “Your projected number, the number you’d love to have, is 15 to 16. We’ll bring in three offensive linemen in the fall and that gets us to 13.
“We’re still below our number. We have to do a lot of cross-training right now, so that’s why you’re seeing some rotation of those guys at tackle.”
While Jackson, Wallace and Froholdt have seemingly maintained first-team positions through the spring, Gibson has been engaged in a good duel with Jalen Merrick at right guard. Clary and Dylan Hays, a former defensive lineman, are playing the most with the starters at center.
“We’re still trying to find that right guard spot,” Craddock said. “We’ve got a couple of guys battling in there, but I’ve been very pleased.
“The thing we’ve got to find on the offensive line is some depth. … Those guys with the twos and threes, they’ve got to continue to get better and continue to work their technique, continue to study. But I think right now they’re doing a really, really good job, the first five.”
The weight loss numbers might also bode well for the Hogs as Fry and the strength staff would like to put leaner linemen on the field to play Morris’ hurry-up style.
Wallace, listed at 337 pounds last season, has dropped down to 315. Froholdt and Jackson have maintained their listed playing weights, roughly 311 and 299 pounds, respectively, from a year ago. Gibson and Merrick are both listed as 345 pounders on the spring roster, but those numbers should drop.
While up-tempo Spread attacks are generally thought of having a finesse style of a runnning game heavier on misdirections, creases and cutbacks rather than on straight-up physical play, Froholdt said the Razorbacks will be able to do both.
“We’re going to be physical in the trenches,” he said. “Of course we’re going to spread it out, but when we run the ball we’re going to run with some power. We don’t just zone read every single play. We’re going to run the ball right up the middle, run up the gut and we’re going to get some yards.”