Not so special teams hold back Hogs
The psyche and cohesiveness of Arkansas’ beleaguered football Razorbacks improved immensely despite their 34-3 losing outcome last Saturday night against ninthranked Auburn.
Unfortunately, their special teams did not. Special teams malfunctions inflicted an especially dire impact on the Razorbacks (13, 0-1) losing by 31 points in their Southeastern Conference opener in Auburn, Ala. to the 30-point favored Tigers (3-1, 1-1).
Auburn actually was actually outgained, 290-225, by Arkansas in total offense. The Tigers were upended the previous Saturday,
22-21, by LSU (4-0, 1-0) on a game-ending field goal.
Arkansas possessed the ball
32:29 to Auburn’s 27:31, but those special teams lapses that contributed to an embarrassing 44-17 loss the previous Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville to seven-point underdog North Texas (4-0, 0-0 Conference USA), haunted the Hogs again.
Auburn’s Noah Igbinoghene returned a kickoff for a 96yard touchdown immediately after Connor Limpert’s 29-yard third-quarter field goal registered Arkansas’ only three points. The Tigers blocked one punt and partially blocked another. Auburn’s Ryan Davis caught two punts and returned them 48 and 36 yards. K.J. Davis returned one for 11.
The special teams breakdowns, plus Auburn returning a fumble to the Arkansas 2-yard line, constantly put the Razorbacks’ defense in the same abominable short-field field positions it faced against North Texas.
Overall, Arkansas’ defense coordinated by John Chavis responded pretty well to the ignominious holes dug by the special teams and the offense’s turnovers, including six interceptions against the Mean Green.
“Defensively, to have to go on a short field several times over,” Arkansas first-year head coach Chad Morris said, “to be put in a ‘first responder’ so to speak and having their backs against the wall and still kept coming out. They kept fighting and making plays.”
More plays in their own red zone than they should have ever been required to make.
“The little things, the special teams, the two weeks in a row now with the battle of field position,” Morris said. “We’ll go back and look at personnel and see how that worked. We’ll look at scheme, see if there were any tips or tendencies. Going back to work is the first thing we’re going to do.”
Curing special teams may sound easier than curing offensive or defensive ills but usually isn’t. Especially for teams in Arkansas’ plight.
Special teams rely on numbers. In many cases, reserves especially proficient at their special teams assignments allow breathers for already overworked starters to be fresh in the fourth quarter. That takes depth.
Arkansas doesn’t appear to have it.
Morris will keep trying, sorting and auditioning.
It may take recruiting to cure punting next year. So far, the one scholarship punter and two walkons haven’t cut it.
Placekicker Limpert made the one field goal but missed on another Saturday.
The defense, with senior linebacker Dre Greenlaw returning still sore from a Sept. 1 ankle injury played on, making eight tackles, including three for lost yardage.
“It’s really frustrating, man,” Greenlaw said. “But the game of football is offense, defense and special teams. If you see stuff like that happen on special teams, it’s going to affect the football game. It’s hard to come back from stuff like that.”
But they kept trying.
“I was very impressed with the way they fought,” Morris said.
And proud that after going back and forth with quarterbacks, he believes he’s got the right one in junior Ty Storey as his starter. Storey obviously wasn’t spectacular or the Hogs would have scored more than three points.
But he was determined, tough and kept the Hogs not only fighting but in the fight despite crippling penalties against an Auburn front seven that Morris calls, “As good as I’ve seen.”
“I thought Ty was just gritty,” Morris said. “He was gritty and left everything out their on the field against one of the best defensive fronts that’s probably in college football. Those guys kept bringing pressure and he kept standing in there.
“He’d get knocked down and get right back up. He played his butt off. Ty was definitely in control and command. It’s something we can build on moving forward with Ty.”
They can build on most everything offensively and defensively because they yearn to, Morris believes.
“They keep coming back and give it everything they’ve got,” Morris said “Everything. We keep asking them to give and they keep giving and giving and giving. If they’ll continue with this trend, if they continue to keep pushing and getting better, we’re closer than we can imagine.”
They would be especially closer if they could improve on special teams.