Razorbacks recovering mentally, physically from CSU loss

FAYETTEVILLE — Fourth-year junior Colton Jackson, last season’s starting left tackle idled since undergoing back surgery in July, practiced full-go with the Arkansas football team Tuesday for the first time since his surgery.

Jackson, practiced last week on a limited basis, but he missed both Saturday’s 34-27 loss to Colorado State (1-2) in Fort Collins, Colo., and the previous Saturday’s 55-20 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois (0-2) at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. He practiced Tuesday with the second unit.

True freshman Noah Gatlin started at left tackle and played every snap against Colorado State. Gatlin remained the first-team tackle Tuesday as the 1-1 Razorbacks ready for Saturday’s 3 p.m. non-conference game against the 2-0 North Texas Mean Green in Fayetteville.

Redshirt freshman Shane Clenin also practiced Tuesday. Clenin was the starting left tackle against Eastern Illinois, but he was idled last week by a sprained ankle.

Gatlin said the veteran linemen, Jackson and the seniors, mentored him going into his first start. Senior starters on the line include right guard Johnny Gibson, center Hjalte Froholdt and right tackle Brian Wallace.

“Colton’s a great mentor for me,” Gatlin said. “You know, I’ve learned a ton from Colton. Just getting to learn from him has helped my game out tremendously. I’ve learned a lot from Johnny.

“When I came on my official visit, he kind of took me around and showed me, so I’ve known Johnny for awhile now. Getting to learn from him and just kind of pick up things from Hjalte’s game and B-Wall’s game has helped me out a lot.”

Gatlin said he knew he needed all of the help he could get as a true freshman starting the season’s second game at a position which most linemen do not start in a major college game until they are at least third-year sophomores.

“I knew I had to play with Shane being hurt, and so I just took it like I was the starter that week and gave it all I had,” Gatlin said.

The 6-7, 293-pound rookie drew high praise from Froholdt.

“He did extremely well,” Froholdt said. “I think he came out with his hair on fire. He did a tremendous job for it being his first start and on the road in a hostile environment.”

“Yeah, I was pretty fired up,” Gatlin said. Gatlin said he will be equally fired up but more sure of what he’s doing if asked to start against North Texas.

“I definitely think my confidence is a lot higher than it was,” Gatlin said. “I just have to keep preparing and, knowing that I’m a true freshman, I’m probably going to get attacked a little more than the other guys. Just staying prepared and being ready.”

First-team senior weakside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, idled since spraining his ankle after making 10 tackles during the first quarter against Eastern Illinois, did not practice Tuesday. True freshman Bumper Pool started at weakside linebacker against Colorado State and likely starts again Saturday.

Senior defensive end Randy Ramsey, not yet used in a 2018 game because of a preseason hamstring injury, took part in some drills on Tuesday with a green limited practice jersey. Arkansas head coach Chad Morris said junior Sosa Agim moved from starting defensive tackle to starting defensive end against Colorado State and excelled.

Arkansas lost a 27-9 third quarter lead at Colorado State, an experience the Hogs must both learn from yet forget, said senior safety Santos Ramirez as North Texas comes armed with national passing leader Mason Fine.

“Like coach always says, of course the outcome

didn’t happen the way we wanted it to happen, but you’ve got to have amnesia,” Ramirez said. “You’ve got to move forward.”

The defense better think forward because Fine is dandy. He averages 431 passing yards in the Mean Green’s 46-23 and 58-16 2-0 start over SMU (0-2) and Incarnate Word (0-2).

“He’s a great quarterback,” Ramirez said. “He does a great job looking off safeties and puts the ball in the right place. He’s got velocity on the ball, and the receivers are very talented. A lot of big bodies out there that know their timing with their quarterback. So we have to go out and have our best game, especially in the secondary.”

A complete game, he said, which Arkansas obviously did not muster in Saturday’s fourth quarter.

“You have to have that type of mentality to keep our foot on peoples’ necks when they’re down, man,” Ramirez said. “We’ve got to keep our foot on their neck. We can’t sit here and think the game is over, especially in college football on the D-1 level.”