Arkansas
What Josh Heupel Said Previewing Arkansas On SEC Coaches Teleconference | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel answered questions from reporters on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday in his last media availability before the Vols head to Fayetteville to face Arkansas.
Heupel discussed Arkansas’ success offensively on third down, the challenges that quarterbacks Taylen Green presents and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said on Wednesday.
More From RTI: Best of Arkansas Sports’ Andrew Hutchinson Talks Tennessee’s Trip To Fayetteville
Opening Statement
“Good afternoon everybody. Big football game in front of us this week. Obviously we’re playing a really good Arkansas football team. You can look really in every phase of the game and see that they’re playing well. It’s a football team that’s a couple plays away from being undefeated and I know that’ll be a great environment Saturday night. So we got to do ordinary things at a really high level and, and play extremely smart football to give ourselves a chance in this one. Defensively, those guys are doing a great job against the run. And really all three levels of the defense are playing in coordination, in sync. And offensively, their ability to run the football, running back is playing extremely well. And their quarterback, being as mobile as he is, got a chance to have a huge impact on the football game. So we got to do a great job on him on quarterback designed runs. We got to do a great job of as we’re applying pressure and trying to push the pocket, not letting him escape and extend and make plays. And it’s a football game that our team’s looking forward to.
They’ve had good preparation so far this week. We got to continue to prepare the right way to give ourselves a chance to go play good football on Saturday.”
On Tennessee transfers Addison Nichols and Doneiko Slaughter starting for Arkansas
“That’s the era of college football that we’re in, where you have an opportunity to, at times during the season, play guys that were inside of your own program. And those two guys are really good kids. They do things the right way off the field. They compete extremely hard on the field and both of those guys are playing extremely well for Arkansas right now.”
On how different this Arkansas team is from last season, what Tennessee has seen while preparing for the Razorbacks
“I just think they’re playing extremely well in all three phases of the game. They play smart football, don’t give up a ton of big plays defensively. They’ve been really good against the run. They’re big, strong physical. I think on the offensive side of the football, the quarterback is a difference maker for them. And just as a complete team, they’re playing extremely well together. And like I said, there are a couple plays away from being undefeated. I have a ton of respect for coach.
I think he does a great job. He’s one of the good good guys in the business. You can tell that his team believes in him and that they play extremely hard for him.”
On Arkansas’ ability to convert on third down this season and what he’s seen out of Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator
“Yeah, coach has done a really good job for a really long time on the offensive side of the football. And that’s him being able to subtly tweak what he’s seeing from the structure on the other side of the football, the defenses that he is facing. He’s put his guys in a position to be successful. They’re playing smart football, assignment sound on the offensive side of the football, o-line is playing extremely well. And then they put their quarterback in a position where he’s got a chance to impact the football game.”
On if he seems any vulnerability in Arkansas’ protection as it prepares to face Tennessee’s pass rush and blitz packages
“Yeah, their offensive line is playing well, in my opinion. We’ve done a good job of affecting the quarterback. That’s with our front four and also being able to do that within our pressure packages on normal downs and third down. Our pressures, I think we’ve gotten better. Fundamentally, we’ve done a better job of keeping contain within our pressure packages. Our linebackers and safeties have done a nice job when they’ve been pressuring. In this football game, the quarterback’s ability to escape is something that all 11 got to do a great job of understanding. And if he does break contain, we got to find a way to make him uncomfortable. You got to chase him down. He’s got great speed. We got to do a great job of matching out the wide receivers on scramble drill.”
On Arkansas running back Ja’Quinden Jackson
“Man, he is a really good player. I think he does a great job of pressing the line of scrimmage, using the double teams, escaping to space when it’s time to. Does a good job of getting behind his pads as well at the end of the run.”
After a cool/chilly morning that started in the 40s and 50s, Tuesday will warm to the upper 70s and low 80s with nothing but sunshine all day long.
There will be a weak front passing through Arkansas on Wednesday. There will briefly be a few clouds along the time the front actually passes through. But once the front clears, it will once again become sunny.
Starting Friday and lasting through the weekend and into next week a strong south wind will set up. That will warm Arkansas into the mid and upper 80s and introduce a higher level of humidity. It will feel a little like Summer this weekend. Rain chances will return to Central Arkansas starting on Sunday.
With a big upper-level system and cold front approaching early next week, the rain and thunderstorm chance will go up Monday, Monday night and Tuesday. Some strong to severe storms may occur Monday evening. The front will become stationary on Tuesday which will prolong the rainy period and overall help the drought situation Arkansas is facing.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Purple is the color of the month in Arkansas, and Lupus Awareness Month is bringing a busy stretch of events, including a mayoral proclamation and a smooth jazz concert featuring acclaimed saxophonist Merlon Devine.
A proclamation for Lupus Awareness Month is set for 6 p.m. in North Little Rock, with Mayor Hardwick expected to present it. Organizers encouraged lupus warriors and supporters to come out.
Anita Boone, President of the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas Inc. and a former lupus warrior, described the day-to-day reality of living with the disease: “One minute you’re feeling amazing, the next minute your body is saying we can’t do this.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, described during the interview as a condition where the immune system attacks the body “inside out.” It can affect organs throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. Boone also shared personal impacts, saying, “I am losing, actually, ear from hearing, just because of lupus.”
The Lupus Foundation of Arkansas is also inviting the community to a Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert this Sunday, May 17, at 3:30 at The Space with Grace event venue, 2005 Main St., North Little Rock.
Gale Davis, committee chair for the Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert shared details about the concert.
Davis said guests are encouraged to “dress to impress,” though formalwear isn’t required. The event will include a photo backdrop, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and sponsored tables aimed at networking. It’s also a chance for people to meet other lupus warriors, learn more about the foundation’s work, and watch a video presentation highlighting events from the past year.
The featured artist, Merlon Devine, was described as an acclaimed saxophonist known for a soulful, smooth jazz sound, with a career spanning more than two decades and performances across the country and around the world. He’s also an Arkansas native who attended Little Rock Central High School. He now lives in Southern Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.
Davis said Devine’s connection to lupus is personal. She said his father had lupus and has since died, though he didn’t die from lupus. They also said Divine had a sister who died from lupus in 1981 and that he currently has two sisters living with lupus.
She also shared that, according to his doctors, Devine was born with acute asthma and underdeveloped lungs. His latest single, released last year, is called “Mercy.”
Tickets must be purchased online and will not be sold at the door. They’re available online by clicking on the flyer. Prices are $40 for individual tickets, or $400 for a table of nine, with an option to sponsor a table.
Organizers also noted another proclamation is planned for the Little Rock side with Mayor Frank Scott tomorrow, and encouraged people to follow the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas on social media for updates.
The concert will take place this Sunday at the Space With Grace Venue in North Little Rock.
ASHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Arkansas man died after crashing a dirt bike on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, crashed into a tree while riding a dirt bike on private property in Ashland Township near Grant on Sunday before 2:30 p.m., according to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers.
Emergency responders tried to save his life but he died at the scene.
Troopers are still investigating but do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash.
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MSP did not initially release any additional information.
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