Hogs’ youthful O-line braces for Aggies
FAYETTEVILLE — Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the week Frank Ragnow freaked out discussing the problems that Texas A&M’s defense presents in Arkansas’ league opener.
Tenth-ranked A&M, 3-0 after winning its SEC opener last week, faces No. 17 Arkansas (3-0) at 8 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game airs on ESPN (Resort Channel 30).
“What kind of problems?” Ragnow fast repeated the question Wednesday evening after practice. “Well, 15 and 10 (A&M defensive ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall) are two just freakish athletes. They have got No. 5 (defensive tackle Daylan Mack), who is a freak. The other interior guy (defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson) is a freak. They’ve got a front seven that watching film are a lot more physical this year it looks like. So they present a ton of problems.”
The Hog need to double buckle down, Ragnow said.
“We are calling this a two-chinstrap game,” Ragnow said. “Because you need two chinstraps, because their guys are coming after you and they’ll find you.”
Of course, the Aggies know that Arkansas has
guys coming after and finding them. Senior left tackle Dan Skipper and Ragnow, moved last week from center to right guard, are back-to-back SEC offensive lineman of the week for their performances against TCU (41-38 victory in double overtime in Fort Worth) and Texas State (42-3 in Fayetteville).
Coach Bret Bielema has indicated the Hogs will continue alternating Colton Jackson, a redshirt freshman who has started all three games, and third-year sophomore Brian Wallace at right tackle, as he did last week, and again alternate University of Texas transfer Jake Raulerson and sophomore Zach Rogers at center while sophomore left guard Hjalte Froholdt, Ragnow and Skipper pick up where they left off.
Ragnow was asked about Jackson and Wallace at right tackle.
“Good,” Ragnow said. “They are two guys —Colton Jackson and B-Wall — that you can tell really care about the game. It is just the mental things that kind of hold them back. Colton is a young guy and B-Wall is just struggling with the playbook a little bit. But they are two guys that care about the game, so it is easy to work with guys that want to get better.”
Arkansas offensive-line coach Kurt Anderson also was asked about Wallace and Jackson and if Wallace might get his first start.
“He (Wallace) has had a great week of preparation and he graded out well in the (Texas State) game,” Anderson said. “The plan was to have it nice and even, but there was a 16play drive in there (all with Jackson) that kinda skewed the numbers, but he played well. He’s had a good week of preparation for Texas A&M, so we’ll see.” How has Jackson responded? “Jackson’s also had a good week of practice,” Anderson said. “A very good week of practice, so I anticipate both guys are preparing like they’re gonna be the starter and there’s still time to be had in terms of preparation so very similar to last week, we’ll see as we get closer. It goes all the way up until game time in the way that I do it.”
Froholdt, a native of Denmark and moved just last spring from the defensive line, has steadily improved.
“Yeah, that’s usually what happens when you start to get some game experience and start to play and get exposed to certain things,” Anderson said. “Kinda the same common theme. Same thing with spring ball and then fall camp, and now as games have continued to roll through for him, he continues to learn. He continues to grow, and he’s a very bright guy and a very competitive guy. He’s his harshest critic.”
Arkansas senior Dominique Reed, the fastest of the Razorbacks’ receivers, has shown increasingly closer flashes to last year’s form when the then first-year junior college transfer caught fire midseason for most of his 28 catches for 535 yards and six touchdowns.
This would be a good week for those flashes to fan full flame, receivers coach Michael Smith said.
“I hope he’s real close to breaking out this week,” Smith said Wednesday. “We need him to play well. He has had some opportunities to make some plays. Unfortunately, we missed him a couple of times but he’s right there. I’m hoping it’s like last year when we we got into SEC play the light went on and he clicked and I am hoping that happens this weekend.”
Junior starting quarterback Austin Allen sees Reed, four catches for 53 yards and 15 and 18 yard gains on two of his three runs on reverses, sees Reed’s play coming up because his attitude stays up.
“Just the way he works during the week,” Allen said. “He’s not pouting that he’s not getting enough (catches) or anything like that. He’s a hard worker and wants the best for the team. He knows the catches are going to come. He’s a bigplay threat every time he is out there, so I am sure it will come.”