FAYETTEVILLE — Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman, who missed the previous two games with a shoulder injury, has been “taking reps on the side” in practice, Coach Mike Elko said Wednesday.
“I think he’s progressing and getting better,” Elko said. “We’re hopeful that we’re going to have him available on Saturday. It will kind of be more of a game-time decision in that regard.”
TJ Shanahan, who started at center last week against Bowling Green, won’t play against Arkansas due to a leg injury, Elko said.
The Aggies have started three centers, with Mark Nabou suffering a season-ending knee injury in the opener against Notre Dame and his replacement, Kolinu’u Faaiu, suffering an injury at Florida.
Faaiu is listed as the starting center against Arkansas with Ashton Funk as the backup. Faaui went in against Bowling Green after Shanahan’s injury.
Safety Bryce Anderson was listed as questionable in the Aggies’ first injury report posted Wednesday.
No FG
Coach Sam Pittman said he felt it was too risky to try a field goal from the Auburn 20-yard line with 1:00 remaining and the Tigers out of timeouts during the Hogs’ 24-14 win Saturday.
Instead of trying a 38-yard field goal on fourth-and-20, the Hogs handed off to Braylen Russell, who was held up for no gain, stopping the clock with 56 seconds left on the change of possession.
“There’s no way we could lose unless they block a field goal and return it,” Pittman said. “The thing is, if you make the field goal what difference does it make? You’re up 13.
“The other thing you have to do is you have to kick the ball off again. So you have two special teams scenarios there where if you get it down to 52 seconds left [ahead by] 10, you probably have a pretty good feeling you’re going to win.
“The risk of a blocked field goal and/or making it and having to kick off was much greater to me than having them have the ball down there inside the 20 and them having to go somewhere around 80 yards with 52 seconds, no timeouts and score again.”
Pitt’s concern
Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said he thinks the entire coaching fraternity is concerned about the situation former Missouri coach and Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom is facing in his second season at UNLV.
Transfer quarterback Matthew Sluka announced Tuesday night he was going to redshirt after the Rebels’ 3-0 start due to what he termed were “unfulfilled commitments” related to name, image and likeness.
“I think we all are concerned about it, to be honest with you,” Pittman said on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “What happened, he said, she said, all that. The one thing about a football coach is you can’t really comment on those things and the kid can. The kid can, the agent can, whoever can, but you can’t. So a lot of times, the real story is somewhere in between.”
Highlight reel
Pittman said he was going to show the Razorbacks five clips of plays on special teams in Monday’s meetings, including two tackles by snapper Ashton Ngo on Auburn punt returner Keionte Scott and one by kickoff man Devin Bale.
The other clips, he said, were for the work by Bryce Stephens and Dazmin James in coverage and of Dylan Hasz taking up three or four blockers on coverage.
“The message is, this is about a team,” Pittman said. “I think the guys are really buying in on special teams. We could’ve played better and all that, but we played really well.”
Clark named
Arkansas defensive back Hudson Clark was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy on Wednesday by the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame.
The Campbell Trophy is given annually to the best football scholar-athlete in the country for his combined success in academics, football and leadership.
Clark, also a semifinalist for the award in 2023, was named a first-team Academic All-American and NFF Hampshire Honor Society member last year.
A redshirt senior from Dallas, Clark has five career interceptions and 187 tackles, both team highs among active Arkansas players.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 23 and each of those players will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.
A suplex?
Arkansas tailback Ja’Quinden Jackson had some interesting reps in pass protection at Auburn.
In addition to a few routine reps in which he met a blitzer in the gap and held him up, Jackson had two wild plays.
On a fourth-and-1 call late in the second quarter, Jackson just whiffed on the right edge on linebacker Jalen McLeod, who had unimpeded access to Taylen Green on a play-action throw and sacked him for a 6-yard loss.
Later, on a critical 6-yard keeper by Green to pick up third-and-4 on an Arkansas touchdown drive, Jackson was responsible for edge blitzer Eugene Asante. As the linebacker neared Jackson, he went low to drive into the back and Jackson appeared to clasp his arms around Asante’s left leg, pivoting and upending him before planting him in the grass as Green wheeled past.
The Auburn sideline erupted in protest on the play, with lip readers noting Coach Hugh Freeze shouted to the nearest official, “He suplexed the **** out of him!”
ESPN analyst Roddy Jones defended Jackson’s block as the network replayed it three times.
“I didn’t see a hold,” Jones said. “He kind of got his arms around him as he got lifted.”
Added play-by-play announcer Mark Jones, “That kind of reminds me of Greco-Roman wrestling in the Olympics.”