Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
For Noland, experience evolves despite defeats
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Connor Noland got his feet wet in more ways than one Friday at Faurot Field.
Noland, a true freshman from Greenwood, got his first extensive playing time against an SEC team while taking snaps on a rainy afternoon in the University of Arkansas’ season finale.
Missouri won 38-0, but for Noland the game represented valuable experience moving forward.
“For me to come in and have that game experience in an environment like this and weather like this, you’re just setting yourself up for the future,” Noland said. “So it was great to get in there.
“I’ve always wanted to play in a big SEC game like that … but I hate losing.”
Noland completed 5 of 17 passes for 98 yards, but there also were some drops.
“I could have done better,” Noland said. “Obviously, I had some throws that I want back. But overall, I think I did a good job coming in and managing the game. Just trying to get the offense going.”
Arkansas junior quarterback Ty Storey started, but Noland replaced him with 9:54 to play in the second quarter on the Razorbacks’ sixth offensive series with Missouri leading 21-0.
Noland continued to play until true freshman John Stephens Jones went in for Arkansas’ last two series.
“I thought Connor did some good things,” Razorbacks Coach Chad Morris said. “I thought he got the ball out of his hand.
“He hit some throws that were good to see. Obviously, missed a few. I thought the more he played he got more comfortable.”
Jordan Jones dropped a pass from Noland on a thirdand-10 play from the Arkansas 3 in the second quarter that would have been a first down.
“[Noland] had a great ball up their sideline to Jordan Jones, which I thought was a big-time throw,” Morris said. “I thought the ball jumped out of his hand. I thought he had a lot of zip on the ball.”
The Razorbacks had a second and 5 at the Missouri 26 in the second quarter, but tight end Cheyenne O’Grady dropped a third-down pass and Noland was sacked by Missouri linebacker Terez Hall for a 14-yard loss on fourth down.
Noland’s 17-yard pass to O’Grady and a 17-yard run helped Arkansas move to the Missouri 4 in the third quarter, but he had an incompletion on fourth down.
On the Razorbacks’ next series, Noland’s pass to running back Devwah Whaley for a 43-yard gain helped Arkansas move to the Missouri 30, but a sack by defensive tackle Jordan Elliott on fourth down ended that drive.
Noland had a 15-yard gain when he scrambled on a third-and-12 play in the fourth quarter.
“He was trying to evade the rush by sprinting out, and we weren’t being able to hold up on the backside of it either, which was disappointing,” Morris said of Noland’s sacks. “I thought he did a good job sitting in there, trying to be as composed as possible and pulled the ball down and ran it on the big third-down conversion. That was good to see.”
Arkansas senior offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt switched from left guard to center when Noland came into the game.
“Connor came into a tough situation, but he did well,” Froholdt said. “He’s a young kid, and he has a bright future.
“He has a very positive mindset. It was good to get in the huddle with him. He’s a very athletic guy, and he has a really good arm. I’m more than positive he’s going to have a lot of success in the future.”
Noland started Arkansas’ 23-0 victory over Tulsa when Storey was sidelined by a concussion. He also played off the bench against North Texas and Mississippi State when the Razorbacks lost 4417 and 52-6, respectively.
Under a new NCAA rule, freshmen could play four games and still redshirt.
“That’s a big deal,” Noland said. “You get game experience and you still have four years of eligibility. You can’t really beat that. I think that’s a great rule for us and really benefited the players.”
Noland starred as a quarterback and pitcher at Greenwood, and he signed a football scholarship with Arkansas with the understanding he also can play baseball for Coach Dave Van Horn.
“Absolutely, you bet,” Morris said. “He will play baseball. We love guys that want to compete.”
Morris said he’s not sure how Noland will split his time between baseball practices and games and football workouts and practices this spring.
“We’ll look at that,” Morris said. “My focus was just getting through today. Now that we’re through today, we’ll regroup next week, and we’ll all get a chance to sit down and talk and go from there.”
Noland said he’s not concerned about how Morris and Van Horn will work out the details of his schedule for the spring.
“We’re going to figure it out and see how it goes,” he said. “I think I just need to be mentally tough.
“When you’re playing two sports, you’re not getting much of a break. I don’t get many off days, so it’s about keeping my head in there and keep grinding.”