Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Planning ahead
Hogs set post-bye course after misstep
FAYETTEVILLE — The trajectory of the Arkansas Razorbacks’ rough first season under Chad Morris took a different turn Saturday.
Morris didn’t like the direction the Hogs took in a 45-31 loss to Vanderbilt that clinched a losing season and eliminated the possibility of a bowl berth.
With the Razorbacks (2-7, 0-5 SEC) entering an open date this Saturday, Morris and the players have two weeks to contemplate what they felt was a competitive setback.
“I think the biggest thing is … just disappointed in our performance,” Morris said on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “We’ve shown a track of steady improvement this year, and that wasn’t the case as of Saturday.
“It wasn’t all bad because we did do some things that were good. We weren’t on the same track of improvement that we’d been on, and that’s what was frustrating.”
Healing a handful of dinged-up players and devoting more intensive practice time to younger players have been focal points this week, Morris said.
True freshmen can redshirt if they play in four or fewer games this season, based on new NCAA regulations, so that is a likely course for the Razorbacks for their finishing threegame stretch against LSU at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Nov. 10, followed by road games at Mississippi State and Missouri.
“We’ve got a few guys that still have a game, possibly two games, underneath them that we would like to see get in and get some game experience,” Morris said. “I know Isaiah Nichols has another game.
Noah Gatlin has another game. So we anticipate these guys getting in and doing some playing.”
Quarterback Connor Noland, who played most of the way during a 23-0 victory over Tulsa two weeks ago, would have two more games available to play in and retain the ability to redshirt.
Morris said linebacker Dre Greenlaw has not practiced this week while returning from an ankle injury that kept him out of all but a handful of plays against Vanderbilt, but he expects the senior to be ready to play against LSU. Senior defensive back Kevin Richardson (foot/ankle) and Jared Cornelius (ankle) are expected to be day to day for game preparations next week.
Morris said Devwah Whaley did a little bit of running Tuesday as he recovers from ankle surgery after the 37-33 loss to Ole Miss on Oct. 13. The junior is questionable for the LSU game.
Sophomore Rakeem Boyd has taken the reins as the lead back in Whaley’s absence and has contributed to an interesting SEC factoid over the past month. There have been three conference games in which both teams have featured a 100-yard rusher, and Boyd has been in all three.
On Oct. 6, Boyd rushed for 102 yards while Alabama’s Damien Harris had 111. Against Ole Miss, Boyd had 109 yards and Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’amu had 141. On Saturday, Boyd posted his third 100-yard game with 113 yards while Vandy’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn racked up 172.
Prior to the Vanderbilt game, Morris had talked up the Razorbacks’ late bye. Arkansas and Vanderbilt were the last teams to have an open date.
“I love the bye week has been late,” Morris said Oct. 24. “I think it has allowed us to continue to get better every week without having any disruption in our schedule, which is what this football
team needs. They need persistence and consistency in the schedule.
“With that being said, we’ll be coming into a bye week at the right time, trying to get some guys healthy to finish the final three weeks of the season out.”
Morris said the young players, many of whom have been on the scout team all season, are getting in some live practice this week — with the team working Tuesday, Wednesday and today — after the normal practice routine for the veterans.
Morris said younger players the coaching staff already had identified as being future contributors had been the most impressive.
“We want to continue to try to bring along your Nick Fulwiders, those guys like that — Noah Gatlin, he’s getting a lot of live work right now. Ladarrius Bishop,” Morris said. “Again, it’s the same guys we know. We’re just trying to get them some really good live work in there.
“We’ll continue that process the rest of the season now that there’s not going to be any bowl practice. We will continue that a little bit each day as we continue to develop these younger guys as we’ve done this year.”
Bowl teams get to put in 15 practices on their campus before heading to a bowl site, and that time is typically spent giving younger players more individual focus than they receive during the season.
Morris said the coaching staff will be out recruiting late this week before a brief break Saturday, followed by practice Sunday.
“We’ll get away,” Morris said. “Our coaching staff will get out of the office. They’ll be out recruiting Thursday night, at games Friday night, and then Saturday we try to get away and kind of recharge and reload. I may watch a few games, but more than anything I hope to be sitting in the woods somewhere.
“That’s kind of my plan, just to kind of get away from it, sit in the woods for a few hours and enjoy just being outside.”