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BYU Enemy Scouting Report: Arkansas Razorbacks

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BYU Enemy Scouting Report: Arkansas Razorbacks


Game location: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Game time/channel: 7:30 PM ET/ESPN2

Spread: Arkansas (-8)

Head coach: Sam Pittman

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2023 Season Thus Far

Arkansas and BYU actually have had similar starts to the season. They have both faced a lighter schedule to begin the year, with two beatable opponents. Both teams have struggled to establish the run.

Arkansas handily defeated Western Carolina to open the year, 56-13. However, Kent State gave them a bit more trouble in Week 2. Even though the Razorbacks won 28-6, there are clearly some things for Pittman’s crew to fix.

Both teams are a somewhat underwhelming 2-0 with issues along the offensive line.

When BYU Has the Ball

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Kedon Slovis made major improvements between weeks one and two. He earned himself a passer efficiency rating greater than 195, which is the sixth-best mark of his college career, dating back to his days at USC in 2019 and 2020.

BYU’s receivers and tight ends also showed up, with Darius Lassiter, Issac Rex, and Chase Roberts all notching more than 73 yards and each with a receiving touchdown. They will be tested with the talent and speed on Arkansas’ defense.

Where BYU will be most tested is along their offensive line. Arkansas is tied for the third most sacks in the entire FBS through two weeks, with 9.0. They also have the fifth-most tackles for loss. Safe to say, their front seven has been very disruptive, albeit against far inferior competition to BYU.

Either way, BYU’s offensive line must show marked improvement, especially in the run game. They cannot afford to become one-dimensional.

The running backs, more specifically, Aidan Robbins, need to step it up as well.

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When Arkansas Has the Ball

Quite simply, Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson is going to be a problem. As BYU saw in Provo last season, he is one of the best overall quarterbacks in the SEC. He is 6-foot-3 and almost 250 pounds, roughly the size of former Auburn legend Cam Newton. Heading into this season, he has had back-to-back seasons of at least 2,600 passing yards and 21 touchdowns through the air, with over 600 rushing yards and at least six rushing scores.

The biggest key for BYU will be containing Jefferson and not letting him play backyard football with receivers downfield. That means they need to get quick pressure and bring him down when they get a chance, something they did not do last season. Jefferson is very difficult to sack, given his size and improvisation skills.

A big factor in this game will be the absence of star running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders due to injury. He was one of the best running backs in all FBS last season, with 1,443 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season against the porous BYU defense, Sanders had one of the best games of his career, with 175 rushing yards and two scores. They have big shoes to fill in his absence.

BYU needs to make sure Arkansas can’t get the running game going to support the talented Jefferson. If Arkansas starts dictating the game on offense with sustained drives, this might be a long Saturday evening in Fayetteville for BYU and their fans that made the trip.

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How BYU Can Win

The Cougars must build on the success they had on offense last week against Southern Utah (the jump in quality of competition needs no analysis here). BYU must do better than 2.1 yards per carry. The offensive line needs to be the aggressor, not the other way around.

On defense, it’s about taking advantage of opportunities. Those opportunities being getting Arkansas’ offense off the field quickly on third and mediums, sacking Jefferson, and any chance for takeaways. If Arkansas feels any amount of comfort on offense and is in rhythm, the Cougars will have a tough task keeping up.

Prediction: Arkansas 30, BYU 23



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Arkansas

DoorDash activates severe weather protocol, suspending service in parts of Arkansas

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DoorDash activates severe weather protocol, suspending service in parts of Arkansas


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Due to the ongoing winter storm sweeping through the Natural State, DoorDash has activated its Severe Weather Protocol and temporarily suspended operations in Little Rock and various parts of the Natural State.

According to a release Friday night, the precautionary measure comes as the winter storms deliver hazardous conditions across the city, including heavy snowfall and strong winds.

Cities with suspended operations include Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Pine Bluff, Jacksonville, Cabot, Searcy, Malvern, Lonoke, Heber Springs, Star City, Clinton, Rison and Sheridan.

“With heavy snowfall and low visibility, the snowstorm is a serious threat to our community, and we’ve taken decisive action by activating our Severe Weather Protocol,” DoorDash spokesperson Julian Crowley said. “We deeply appreciate the patience and understanding of Dashers, merchants and consumers, and will resume operations as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

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Officials said they will continue to monitor conditions on the ground and will communicate additional changes to their operations as needed. 



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Knowing the Florida Gators Opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks

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Knowing the Florida Gators Opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks


Gainesville, Fla. – The Florida Gators men’s basketball team’s next destination is Fayetteville, Ark., as they’ll take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2) on Saturday for their third SEC matchup of the season. 

Florida is currently sitting at 14-1 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. They opened their SEC slate with a nail-biting loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, losing 106-100 in Lexington. 

However, the Gators were able to avenge this loss with one of the most dominant wins in men’s basketball history on Tuesday over No. 1 Tennessee. They trounced the Volunteers 73-43 in the O’Dome, marking the Gators’ first regular-season win over an AP No. 1-ranked team in program history and the biggest win over a No. 1-ranked team in the NCAA since 1968. 

But enough about what Florida has done this season, let’s shift the focus to their opponents, the Razorbacks, and see who they are. 

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Arkansas’ season started out nice with a win over Lipscomb. However, it wouldn’t be the same for them in their second game of the season against then-ranked No. 8 Baylor, as they found themselves on the losing end of a tightly contested battle. 

Then, following a good stretch for the team in red, they were tasked with the current No. 13 in the AP Poll, Illinois, and things wouldn’t go so well for new Razorbacks head coach John Calipari. His team was outclassed in this game 90-77, which ended their winning streak at four. 

Arkansas did make amends with their fans a few games later, though. While participating in the Jimmy V Classic, they matched up with then-ranked No. 14 Michigan, who they narrowed past 89-87. 

This win over the Wolverines helped maintain a three-game win streak that would eventually turn into a six-game streak. However, since SEC play started for the Razorbacks, they are 0-2 with losses to Tennessee and Ole Miss, who are currently ranked in the Top 25 AP Poll. 

These pair of losses put Arkansas at just a 1-4 record against teams on their schedule to have been ranked or that are currently ranked.

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While it was a complete roster overhaul for Calipari and the Razorbacks this offseason that was fueled by the transfer portal, their biggest grab has been from the high school ranks. 

They added highly ranked players like Johnell Davis, Adou Thiero and Jonas Aidoo all from the portal, but it’s former five-star guard Boogie Fland who’s been arguably the best player for the Razorbacks this season. 

Fland is averaging 15.5 points, 5.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game through 15 games this season. He is also connecting on 35.7 percent of his threes, which shows he’s more than just an inside scorer. Additionally, his 5.9 assists rank 24th among his competitors. 

But in these first two SEC games, Fland is just 10-for-35 from the field and 3-for-17 from deep. 

If the Gators can’t keep him in check like he’s been over these last two, then it might be a long afternoon for the visitors on Saturday. 

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Despite bringing in tons of talent that should’ve resulted in a great offense, Arkansas has been anything but that. 

They currently rank inside the bottom five teams in the SEC in scoring offense, averaging 79.4 points per game. They do have two players scoring at least 15.0 points per game, but that’s pretty much it. Outside of Thiero (16.9) and Fland, they only have one other player in double figures (DJ Wagner, 10.5). 

Moreover, if this becomes a free-throw-dominated affair, the Gators shouldn’t be too worried about the Razorbacks’ performance at the line. They are shooting 71.1 percent from the charity stripe, which is good for 12th in the league. 

And, lastly, they have little to no presence on the glass. They are the worst team in the SEC in offensive rebounding, and they are 13th out of 16 teams in overall rebounding. These are two areas where the Gators dominate, and if things play out like they have been this season, then the visitors should outmuscle their counterparts. 

This game will be televised on Saturday at 4 pm on ESPN. 

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Viewer pictures: The Natural State transforms into a winter wonderland

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Viewer pictures: The Natural State transforms into a winter wonderland


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A winter storm rolled into Arkansas Thursday and brought with it snow to the majority of western and central Arkansas.

Many from around the Natural State sent in pictures of their area covered in snow.

Though Arkansas is already full of natural beauty, there’s something about the state covered in snow that makes it even more of a winter wonderland.

Several kids from around the state got out and took advantage of the day off of school by throwing snowballs, digging up the snow, sledding and of course making snow angels.

Many who got out in the snow had enough accumulated to make snow men.

Share your snow day pictures at KARK.com/winter-pics.

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