Hogs wrapping up last week of preseason practice
FAYETTEVILLE — Holding practices closed to the media on Thursday and again today, the Razorbacks are wrapping up their final preseason week without a game.
Third-year sophomore linebacker Grant Morgan, of Greenwood, was asked after Wednesday’s hard practice in pads if it sinks in that game week starts Sunday as the Razorbacks prepare for their Sept. 1 season opener at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
The game is scheduled to be televised on the SEC Network (Resort Channel 79) at 3 p.m.
“No,” Morgan replied. “I think a lot of players are trying to focus one day at a time. I know a lot of people think we’re two weeks away from the game, but for us we are looking at tomorrow. We have a recovery walk through day, and I think we are going to come into it mentally focused.”
Eastern Illinois, of the Ohio Valley Conference, is the lone lower tier opponent coach Chad Morris’ Razorbacks play this season, but it is likely to have more Arkansans’ emotions than any team. The Panthers play in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA.
Eastern Illinois coach Kim Dameron is a former Razorback defensive back and wide receiver lettering for Lou Holtz from 1979-82 and the son of a coach while growing up in Harrison, Rogers and Bentonville. He has recruited hard in his native state.
Just from Camden alone, Dameron has Camden Fairview alums Jonathan McCoy, a freshman tight end, and defensive backs Corneliuss Page and Iziah Gulley, both starters at times last season.
The Eastern Illinois roster also includes defensive back Jordan Jackson, of Blytheville; Sylvan Hills grad and freshman safety Darius Waddell, of Sherwood; freshman defensive lineman Davion Moore, of North Little Rock; and redshirt freshman safety Marcus Bornslater, of Crossett.
During the 20 minutes of practice that was open to the media on Tuesday, redshirt freshman left guard Kirby Adcock, of Nashville, was singled out and made to do up-downs because he jumped offsides. Adcock also was singled out positively for his performance last Wednesday by offensive coordinator Joe Craddock.
“Kirby Adcock has been getting some reps in there and done some really good things,” Craddock said Wednesday. “One of the things I’ve noticed about Kirby since the spring is he has gotten a lot more confidence. He was one of the guys I had to refocus yesterday (Tuesday), but he really responded today and had a good practice. He has done a really, really good job at this point and looks a lot differently physically. Mentally, he understands a lot more what we’re trying to do than in the spring.”
Adcock has been pushed at left guard by Austin Capps, the junior two-year letterman from Star City. He lettered as a defensive tackle before he was moved to offense during the August preseason as the injury bug repeatedly bit the offensive line.
Arkansas fans can get two previews of the Colorado State Rams before Arkansas kicks off its season.
The Rams, of the Mountain West Conference, host the Razorbacks in a Sept. 8 non-conference game at 6:30 p.m. in Fort Collins, Colo. The game is scheduled to be televised by the CBS Sports Network (Resort Channel 32).
Colorado State will host conference opponent Hawai’i on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Rams will also travel to Denver on Aug. 31 for the annual Rocky Mountain Showdown against the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Denver Broncos’ Mile High Stadium.
Rams head coach Mike Bobo, the former Georgia offensive coordinator for coach Mark Richt, just returned to coaching the Rams after being hospitalized since Aug. 11 to receive treatment for numbness in his feet. Bobo begins his fourth season at Colorado State off of three consecutive 7-6 campaigns.
Craddock, defensive coordinator John “Chief” Chavis and players made media available said the Razorbacks responded much better in Wednesday’s closed practice than Tuesday’s closed workout, which drew public criticism from Morris.
“Yesterday was not bad, but it was better today,” Chavis said. “They’ve had a chance to see the tape and some things we needed to work on. I mentioned that on Saturday morning, or early Saturday evening when we finished. The tackling and the tracking and the simulating tackling was much better, much better today.”
Craddock claimed Wednesday’s workout had nowhere to go but up from Tuesday.
“We had probably one of our worst days since we’ve been here,” Craddock said. “I had to grab a couple of guys’ attention. We had to reel them back in real quick and get them re-focused on football. And I was very proud of the way our guys responded today — one of our better days of camp and to this point since school started.”
Fall semester classes began at the University of Arkansas on Monday.
Senior reserve Michael Taylor operated at firstteam defensive end during Wednesday’s first 20 minutes of practice. He filled in for senior Randy Ramsey, who has drawn high praise but missed the last several practices with a hamstring injury that Morris and Chavis say is healing well.
“We’re hoping we’re going to get him back in a day or two,” Chavis said. “He’s getting close.”
Gabe Richardson continues running first-team at the opposite defensive end.
Offensively, freshman receiver Mike Woods ran first-team during the first 20 minutes and made some catches, and La’Michael Pettway caught a deep ball from third-year sophomore quarterback Cole Kelley.
Kelley opened Wednesday on second team while fourth-year junior Ty Storey quarterbacked the first team, reversing Tuesday’s pecking order.
“The same, the exact same,” Craddock said of the QB battle. “We’re still trying to find that guy, and there’s been good days and some bad and just looking for some consistency, and hopefully we’ll name a guy here pretty soon.”
Craddock did say it’s not for lack of effort that neither Storey, Kelley nor the young challengers have seized the job. Also contending for time at quarterback are redshirt freshman Dalton Hyatt and true freshmen Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones,
Only walk-on quarterback Jack Lindsey, the holder for place-kicks which included 35-yarders by Connor Limpert and Preston Stafford during Wednesday’s first 20 minutes, has a definite assigned role for the Sept. 1 season opener against Eastern Illinois.
“We’ve got some really good candidates,” Craddock said. “They’re all really good players, and I fully anticipated this being a hard decision. Those guys have all worked their butt off, and they all really deserve an opportunity from their work ethic and their progress to this point in the offense. But in reality, only one guy can run out there for the first play. Doesn’t mean he’s going to be the only guy to play but only one can run out there for the first play of the season.”
Practicing against the quarterbacks daily makes it too close to call for Morgan.
“Man, whoever is choosing the starting quarterback has a tough job,” Morgan said. “They are all playing really good. Every single one of them is competing. We are showing each just as much pressure as the next and they are all playing really well right now.”
Morgan also commented on Wednesday’s improvement over Tuesday’s practice.
“We came out there with a passion, and it really showed,” Morgan said. “And I think the coaches bought into it as well. They didn’t have to go down and get on us. Chief didn’t have to yell at halftime. So, it was definitely player-led today.”
The Razorbacks will conclude their final preseason week on Saturday with what Morris calls “the Beanie Bowl,” a mock game inside Razorback Stadium. The game is designed to allow the coaches to make substitutions during game situations and test their communication with assistants in the press box to those along with Morris on the sideline.