Practice in rain not continued punishment for Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE — Practicing outside in Tuesday’s rain while the Walker Indoor Football Practice Center was available was not Arkansas coach Chad Morris continuing to punish the Razorbacks for their sluggish start to Monday’s practice.
Morris would have practiced them in Tuesday’s rain even if Monday’s practice had set a standard to beat Alabama.
In his first meeting with media since the Razorbacks scrimmaged on Saturday, Morris explained both his ire and the team’s response to the displeasure he displayed by instituting up-downs during Monday’s practice and the benefits of a full wet ball practice in Tuesday’s late morning rain bereft of lightning.
“I thought yesterday our energy level was extremely low,” Morris said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s not our style, not what we’re about. So, I challenged them really hard yesterday.
“My message to them was, ‘You either push, or I will.’ I had to push a little bit yesterday, but that’s OK. They responded well today, and I was excited about that. Much better energy today.”
Apparently, they responded like ducks to water or Hogs in slop, just like Morris hoped under conditions he planned to capitalize whenever they first arose. He said back in May he scripted a wet ball practice for an August deluge.
“Today was a big wet ball drill all day long,” Morris said. “The only disappointment was it let up on us right there at the
end. I was wishing it would have rained a little harder and a little longer. But guys responded. That was good stuff, able to let those quarterbacks handle the wet ball and the running backs handle the wet ball.”
Morris said the team had decent ball security during the practice.
“I think there might have been one that got on the ground today, but I was more concerned with how the centers (senior first-teamer Hjalte Froholdt and sophomore second-teamer Dylan Hays) were going to get the (shotgun) snaps back there to the quarterback, and I thought we did some good things there,” Morris said.
During the first 20 minutes of practice open to media, senior tight end Jeremy Patton was helped off the field during Monday’s practice. The team reported on Tuesday the leg injury should not sideline him a considerable length of time.
“We actually had some good news on Jeremy,” Morris said. “It’s a bruise, and Jeremy will be back. Hopefully, we get him back in the next week or so, but we’ll see.”
Senior starting right tackle Brian Wallace, withheld from the scrimmage and Monday’s and Tuesday’s practices, “should resume drills today,” Morris said.
With junior defensive end and Hope grad McTelvin “Sosa” Agim now practicing at defensive tackle with junior defensive tackle Austin Capps, of Star City, moved to backup left guard on the injury-beleaguered offensive line, reserve linebacker Alexy Jean-Baptiste now practices at defensive end behind Randy Ramsey, Gabe Richardson, Michael Taylor and junior Jamario Bell, of Junction City.
Agim, generally deemed Arkansas’ best defensive lineman coming off last season, actually has worked second team while getting reoriented to playing tackle, which he did as a freshman in a 4-3 scheme the Hogs use again under new defensive coordinator John Chavis. He was moved to an end in last year’s 3-4 defensive scheme.
It is hard to imagine Agim staying second-team for long.
“He’s disruptive and quick and getting off blocks,” Morris said.
But the coach said senior defensive tackles T.J. Smith and Armon Watts, running firstteam, and sophomore Jonathan Marshall all have impressed.
Sophomore letterman reserve defensive tackle Briston Guidry is practicing after missing the first two weeks of preseason with an ailing back.
“We’ve got to get a little more out of him,” Morris said. “Hopefully, he’ll start coming on and getting himself back into playing shape.”
Also on defense, Morris lauded true freshmen Bumper Pool, practicing second-team behind senior Dre Greenlaw at weakside Will linebacker, and defensive backs Joe Foucha and Myles Mason.
Morris said that film of Saturday’s scrimmage confirmed his initial post-scrimmage assessment that fourth-year junior Ty Storey, of Charleston, and third-year sophomore Cole Kelley, of Lafayette, La., remain in a dead heat pursuing the starting quarterback job.
“Watching the film, I thought Ty came out and did some really good things for us early on,” Morris said. “He was very in control, and I am very pleased with him running the offense. As the scrimmage went on, I think Cole picked up and did some good things as well, maybe not started as quick as we wanted to see, but I think we saw some good things at the finish.”