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How much did victory over Arkansas change BYU’s Big 12 expectations?

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How much did victory over Arkansas change BYU’s Big 12 expectations?


This article was first published in the Cougar Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Tuesday night.

BYU will take its 3-0 record into Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday riding high from an upset of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In that win over an SEC team, BYU turned a lot of heads and converted nonbelievers who thought that wins over Sam Houston and SUU left a myriad of questions.

Here are some of our stories about the Arkansas win and the state of the team heading into its conference opener against 3-0 Kansas:

Predictions

Question of the week: Heading into the first Big 12 league game for the Cougars, from what you’ve seen so far, how ready is BYU to be competitive and challenge these P5 teams? What will the score be Saturday?

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Jay Drew:  A week ago, I probably would have said the Cougars are not quite ready to be competitive in a Power Five conference. Let’s face it, BYU did not look good in wins over Sam Houston and Southern Utah.

Then last Saturday’s 38-31 win over Arkansas happened. Some might say it was a bit flukish — Arkansas won virtually every statistical category but the final score — but after the first five minutes the Cougars looked like they belonged on the field with the SEC team. 

They were just as good in the trenches, and not as overmatched in the speed department as it looked like they’d be after the Hogs’ first two scores. BYU settled in, started to execute, and the way it came back from two double-digit deficits was pretty impressive.

So I am going to say that the Cougars can be competitive in the Big 12 this year, beginning this week at Kansas, with one caveat: They have to stay healthy. Depth might still be an issue.

Prediction: BYU 34, Kansas 31.

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Dick Harmon: I’m guilty of doubting this football team’s abilities to win in Fayetteville. That’s on me. What I saw in the win against the Razorbacks was a team that needed some breaks to go its way, but a team that fought, showed guts and grit, never quit when down and more importantly, believed.

Arkansas had a top-22 recruiting class last cycle, had speed, size, home-field advantage and a 14-0 lead within minutes. Yet, what we saw is a BYU team that looked in better shape and condition late in the fourth quarter. For BYU’s defensive line to hassle, touch, put down and rock KJ Jefferson late in the game with a four-man rush was impressive. If you’d told me BYU would win without Keanu Hill and Kody Epps catching a pass, I’d say you had too many Cougar Tails in your belly. Jay Hill is the real deal for constructing this defense and Aaron Roderick’s play calls in SEC territory were brilliant. Finally, BYU still has a lot of improvement to make. We haven’t seen the Cougars play at their best or at full strength.

Kansas has an explosive offense and quarterback Jalon Daniels, who is an accurate and efficient passer. BYU will need to get pressure on him and be disruptive and Roderick might need to match points with his own arsenal. It’s looking more and more like Isaac Rex is a matchup nightmare for teams and BYU’s receiver depth with Parker Kingston and Chase Roberts and the two transfers is, indeed, there. Hopefully, BYU’s offensive line is coming together, communicating and working in sync in this league opener. 

Prediction: BYU 28, Kansas 24.

Cougar tales

BYU’s women, ranked No. 1 in the nation, endured a tie with TCU at home and then lost to Utah State in Logan this past week. Former Cougars receiver Puka Nacua set several NFL records this past week playing for the Los Angeles Rams. Retired basketball coach Dave Rose was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame on Monday. Dave McCann had it covered in this piece. BYU fielded a team of alumni golfers and won a $40,000 check for the program by winning the University Cup in St. George at Sand Hollow Resort.

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From the archives

From the X-verse

Extra Points

Fanalyst

Comments from Deseret News readers:

Note to A-Rod. Next time play to win, go for the TD. Don’t run up the middle three times and just hope the defense holds them off on the road vs. high-level teams, or you will lose! You have to take some small chances to win in big games and put trust in your QB to not throw an interception in those big moments. Playing not to lose ultra conservative running up the middle to burn clock and hope for the best has burned BYU over the years way more than it has helped them, and many of those coaches that have done that are no longer coaching. You got lucky and made this way closer than it needed to! At the very least, you probably make that field goal at the end without losing those 10 extra yards rushing up the middle also!

— Terry

If sending players away from the game for two years was a major advantage you can bet that every other coach would be encouraging Peace Corps and other organizations for players. But they know that it only hurts them athletically so they will not be doing it. What the coach should be saying is that it is admirable for these young men to sacrifice two years of their prime athletic lives to provide this service.

— JMH21

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Up next

  • Sept. 20 | 7 p.m. | Women’s volleyball | Houston | @ Provo
  • Sept. 21-22 | TBA | Women’s tennis | USTA Intercollegiate | @ San Diego
  • Sept. 21 | 6 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Baylor | @ Waco, Texas
  • Sept. 22 | 12:45 p.m. | Women’s cross-country | Bill Dellinger Invitational | @ Springfield, Oregon
  • Sept. 23 | 1:30 p.m. | Football | Kansas | @ Lawrence, Kansas

Former BYU star Puka Nacua, tries to avoid a tackle by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. While the Rams fell short it wasn’t for a lack of effort on Nacua’s part, who finished the day with 15 catches.

Gregory Bull, Associated Press

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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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Arkansas

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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