Arkansas
Key Arkansas Offensive Players that Could Give Auburn Fits
Amidst a season of struggle, Auburn football isn’t a favorite against the 2-5 Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs have a new head coach, are 0-3 in the SEC, but are overall ranked above the Tigers, who are 3-4 with a 0-4 SEC record.
Bobby Petrino’s squad, despite struggles, boasts a litany of talented offensive players that could easily cause significant issues for Auburn, a credible threat given that the team currently leads the SEC in total offense. The game could quickly evolve into a high-scoring affair for the Hogs, especially if Auburn’s offense is unable to stay on the field.
Here’s a look at a few key Razorbacks that could cause strife for Hugh Freeze’s strong Tiger defense.
Every high-flying offense has to have a general, and Taylen Green is far from an exception to the rule. On the season, Green boasts an impressive 1,910 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns, complemented by 589 rushing yards and five more touchdowns with his legs.
He’s currently boasting a whopping 155.9 passer rating and has been dicing up defenses all year. Green’s offense even put up 42 points in a three-point shootout loss to Texas A&M, a team that Auburn only scored 10 points against.
In fact, the lowest-scoring game of the year for the Razorbacks was 13 points against Notre Dame, but they’ve shown an ability to put up very high point totals against other top-tier defenses, like 31 against Tennessee and 35 against Ole Miss.
Conversely, the Tigers have yet to score more than 17 points in SEC play, so they’ll have to step up if they want to keep up with Green’s pace.
No quarterback can generate these high-scoring results on his own, of course; receiving help is crucial. Green’s favorite target this season has been O’Mega Blake, who’s boasting 582 yards on 42 receptions, good for an average of 13.9 yards per catch.
He’s also hauled in four touchdowns on the season, but his longest play of the season was just 36 yards. The Tigers will need to limit his production, as he’s far and away the most-targetted receiver in Arkansas’ core.
The Tigers famously struggle to limit tight end play, and Rohan Jones could quickly take apart any hopes of a Tigers victory if he’s not contained. His nine receptions on the season are quite a misleading stat, as he’s the Hogs’ second leading receiver by yards this season.
On his nine receptions, Jones has accumulated over 280 yards, good for a terrifying average of 31.2 yards per catch. He’s tied for second in total receiving touchdowns with three, and he also boasts the Hogs’ longest receiving touchdown of the season, at 62 yards.
Statistically, one in every three Rohan Jones catches is a touchdown, likely due to the fact that he doesn’t receive many targets, making him a variable threat, particularly later in the game, where Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino surely hopes the Tigers’ defense will have forgotten about him.
Rounding out a balanced Razorback attack is Mike Washington, Jr., a senior running back who’s been able to keep defenses on their toes all season. On 96 carries, he’s accumulated 671 yards and five touchdowns, but his average of seven yards per touch is something the Tigers can’t allow to continue if they want to emerge victorious.
Washington has been a strong rushing threat for the Razorbacks for three years now, and he’s proven to be strong on essential short-gain plays while still flashing significant ability to break off long runs.
He complements his quarterback’s rushing, too; the two of them have combined for 1,260 rushing yards in just seven games this season. The Razorbacks’ attack is impressively balanced, with 1,577 rushing yards and 2,019 passing yards this season, and Washington’s veteran production is almost certainly to blame.
Auburn’s displayed abilities to limit the rushing game, particularly against Ahmad Hardy and Missouri, while also flashing impressive pass coverage, particularly in games like Texas A&M, but the Tigers’ defense hasn’t faced a threat as balanced as the Razorbacks this season.
The Tigers have limited every single opponent to under 24 points this season, but since that’s likely to change this week against Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks, the Tiger offense will have to find its footing in all four quarters, and potentially beyond.
The game will be played at 11:45 a.m. CDT in Fayetteville, Ark.
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Arkansas
Arkansas Bested by Mizzou on Sunday
It was a tight battle all the way through, but ultimately No. 7 Missouri took down No. 8 Arkansas in Sunday’s SEC dual, 197.425-197.225.
There was plenty for the Gymbacks to be proud of in the meet, starting with the all-around performance of freshman Allison Cucci. She earned a new career high of 39.500, good for the all-around crown and the highest of any freshman in the nation this season. Cucci also tied for first on vault (9.900) and got second on beam (9.925).
Redshirt junior had a fantastic outing as a floor specialist and scored a 9.900 on vault and 9.925 on floor. Both marks were good for a share of first place on the events. Senior Morgan Price earned a big 9.925 at bars anchor, which tied for first on the event.
The last two events of the day kept Arkansas in contention with Mizzou, as the Gymbacks went 49.425 on both floor and beam, the latter a season high.
Bars
After a 9.675 from Joscelyn Roberson in the lead-off spot, Hailey Klein got the Gymbacks on pace again with a 9.875. Avery King made her collegiate debut next and delivered a great 9.825 routine in a last-minute situation. Her fellow freshmen Avalon Campbell and Allison Cucci went next and scored a 9.750 and 9.800, respectively. Morgan Price anchored with the energy Arkansas needed and capped her routine with a stick to score 9.925. Arkansas finished the bars rotation with a 49.175.
Vault
Cami Weaver and Leah Smith opened the vault rotation with Yurchenko fulls, scoring 9.800 and 9.750. Cucci and Klein were the team’s first 1.5s of the day, and the two scored 9.875 and 9.800, respectively. Lauren Williams went 9.875 in the fifth position and Morgan Price earned a 9.850. The Gymbacks scored 49.200 total on vault.
Floor
Arkansas started out floor with a 9.825 from Hailey Klein and a 9.850 from Cami Weaver. Cucci then broke into the 9.900 range with a new career high 9.900 midway through the rotation. Smith went 9.850 in the fourth position, keeping Arkansas on pace. Williams and Roberson closed the rotation strong with scores of 9.925 and 9.900, which pushed the Gymbacks’ floor total to 49.425.
Beam
Madison Gustitus began the beam rotation with a 9.775, and Priscilla Park went 9.875 next for the Gymbacks. Klein concluded her all-around day with a 9.850 on beam midway through the final rotation. Cucci came up next and got a huge 9.925, a new personal best for her. Weaver followed with a 9.875, which brought Roberson up to anchor. She did her usual and scored a 9.900, and Arkansas closed the meet with a 49.425 event score on beam, a new season high.
Up Next
Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena for its home finale against No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday, March 6. The meet has been deemed a White Out, and the team is pushing fans to help break the NCAA gymnastics attendance record, which is currently just over 16,000. It will also be Senior Night, honoring a fantastic class of Razorbacks. Action is set for 7:15 p.m. and tickets are available online, by phone, or in person. The meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
More Information
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Gymnastics. You can also find the Razorbacks on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Gymnastics) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackGym).
Arkansas
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Arkansas will need more than Robinson’s coerced contribution | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Wally Hall
Wally Hall is assistant managing sports editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock after an honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force, he is a member and past president of the Football Writers Association of America, member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, past president and current executive committee and board member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and voter for the Heisman Trophy. He has been awarded Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year 10 times and has been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Arkansas Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.
Arkansas
Who is Taylen Green? Arkansas QB dazzles with record-setting NFL combine performance
Will Garrett Nussmeier’s size hold him back in the NFL?
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier will look to impress scouts at the NFL Combine despite size concerns.
Move over, Anthony Richardson. There’s a new quarterback athletic marvel at the NFL scouting combine.
On Saturday in Indianapolis, Arkansas’ Taylen Green broke Richardson’s top marks at the position since 2003 for both the vertical leap and broad jump. Green’s 43½-inch vertical topped Richardson’s previous high by three inches, while his 11-2 broad jump beat the Indianapolis Colts signal-caller’s measurement by five inches.
Then, Green reeled off a 4.36-second 40-yard dash time. That stood as the second-best time for any quarterback since 2003, trailing only Reggie McNeal in 2006 (4.35 seconds). Richardson, for comparison, logged a 4.43-second mark in 2023.
Green didn’t even bother with a second attempt after his initial time.
The testing profile created quite the stir around the 6-6, 227-pound passer, who had widely projected as a developmental option for teams on Day 3.
NFL Network’s Charles Davis said Green told him that no teams had approached him about working out as a receiver, adding that he would not be interested in a position switch.
Green started for the Razorbacks for the last two seasons after playing the first three years of his career at Boise State. Known for his running ability and ample arm strength, Green threw for 2,714 yards and 19 touchdowns last year while adding 777 yards and eight scores on the ground.
It was a banner day for Arkansas, as running back Mike Washington Jr. also stood out among his peers with a group-leading 4.33-second 40-yard dash as well as strong marks in the vertical leap (39 inches) and broad jump (10-8).
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