Arkansas football plays its first road game of the 2024 season at No. 16 Oklahoma State on Saturday. It’s an early test for both teams, which both opened the season with wins over Football Championship Subdivision opponents.
It’s the first game between the Razorbacks (1-0) and Cowboys (1-0) since 1980, when Arkansas won 33-20 in Little Rock. Arkansas owns the all-time series with a record of 30-15-1.
Here’s a look at what the Razorbacks and Cowboys have at each position before kickoff Saturday (11 a.m., ABC).
Quarterback
Advantage: Oklahoma State
Both Taylen Green and Alan Bowman have areas of concern and potential for growth.
Bowman put up impressive numbers with Oklahoma State last season with 3,460 yards through the air (247.1 per game), good for third-most in a pass-happy Big 12. His completion rate of 60.7% left something to be desired, though, as did his 14 interceptions to 15 touchdowns. Bowman enters 2024 with problems to fix but plenty of talent around him to help.
Green is in a similar spot. His 57.1% completion rate in 2023 is cause for concern, and he threw 9 interceptions to 11 touchdowns. Like Bowman, he led his team to the conference title game — though Green did it in the Mountain West while splitting time at quarterback with a true freshman for part of the year. He performed well against UAPB in Week 1, and he’ll have his first big test against the Cowboys.
Offensive line
Advantage: Oklahoma State
Experience matters on the offensive line, and Oklahoma State has one of the most veteran fronts in college football. Eight players have at least 12 career starts, allowing the Cowboys to rotate with what they hope isn’t much drop-off. All five starters are sixth-year players, and all played more than 750 snaps for Oklahoma State last season. On3 rated the unit fifth-best in the country this preseason.
Arkansas’ line was a problem last season, but the Razorbacks have plugged holes with talented transfers and are optimistic about their new front. Depth is a concern, especially after starting left guard Patrick Kutas missed most of the preseason and Week 1 with a back injury. E’Marion Harris shows promise as his replacement, but Arkansas can’t afford to lose much more on the line. It’s an untested unit that could prove to be an improvement over last season but must perform well against opponents like Oklahoma State.
Wide receiver
Advantage: Oklahoma State
Much like on the offensive line, Oklahoma State has a lot of experience at receiver. Its top three players are all coming off good seasons in 2023.
The Cowboys’ top two receivers from last year, Brennan Presley (991 yards on 101 catches) and Rashod Owens (895 on 63), are both back. They join De’Zhaun Stribling, who stood out in the first four games of 2023 before a broken wrist cut his season short. The group has the opportunity for big numbers again with defenses trying to stop Gordon in the run game.
Arkansas’ receiver corps is also led by returning players. Andrew Armstrong and Tyrone Broden are the clear top two, but there is some concern about depth as Armstrong dealt with a hamstring issue in preseason camp. He is questionable for the game, per coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks’ receivers didn’t put up big numbers in 2023 in a generally ineffective passing offense, and they’ll need a better passer and more consistency to show improvement. A solid showing against the Cowboys would be a good place to start.
Tight end
Advantage: Arkansas
Tight end is one of the Razorbacks’ deepest and strongest positions. Led by Luke Hasz, whose breakout freshman season was cut short by injury in 2023, Arkansas’ tight ends figure to feature prominently as receivers in Bobby Petrino’s offense. The group’s blocking ability against Power 4 teams remains to be seen, and Petrino stressed it as an area that needed some improvement in the preseason.
Oklahoma State’s tight ends are a relative unknown. Ohio graduate transfer Tyler Foster, who is the most experienced tight end on the roster, figures to be the starter. Fifth-year Quinton Stewart hasn’t played much on offense in his career, and the other tight ends don’t have much experience.
Running back
Advantage: Oklahoma State
Arkansas’ running backs are expected to be a strength this season, but Oklahoma State can trump almost anyone’s RB room thanks to Ollie Gordon. He won the Doak Walker Award for the best running back in the country in 2023 and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Gordon led the nation in rushing yards (1,732) and rushing touchdowns (21).
Arkansas’ run game was its biggest strength as it dominated UAPB, with four running backs scoring at least one touchdown in the blowout. Ja’Quinden Jackson leads the group, and he ran for 101 yards against UAPB. The Razorbacks have solid depth with Rodney Hill and Braylen Russell. Still, a healthy Gordon is a game-changing player for Oklahoma State and gives them the edge any time.
Defensive line
Advantage: Arkansas
Arkansas’ defensive line has solid starters with veteran end Landon Jackson and tackles Eric Gregory and Cam Ball. At the other end spot, the Razorbacks have two solid options with Nico Davillier and Anton Juncaj. Depth is a concern at tackle, but in general, the Razorbacks should feel confident about their front. Jackson will likely be the most talented defensive lineman on the field in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State’s line has potential, but it has a lot to prove. The Cowboys dismissed their defensive line coach after last season. Statistically, the unit was around the middle of the Big 12 in rushing defense (ninth – 166.9 yards allowed per game) and sacks (eighth – 1.93 per game), and they came in at fourth in tackles for loss per game with 5.93. The Cowboys could have a good unit, but seeing them in action against a team like Arkansas will give a better indication of whether they’ve improved.
Linebacker
Advantage: Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have the veteran talent back after a solid year, while Arkansas is the group with potential that needs to be tested. The Razorbacks are confident in the transfer-heavy group of linebackers it assembled, plus returning sophomore Brad Spence. How they fare against Oklahoma State will be telling.
The Cowboys have a potent duo in the middle of their defense with Collin Oliver and Nick Martin. The two tied to lead the team in sacks with six last season. Martin had a team-best 16 tackles for loss, and Oliver was second with 15.5. Martin had a shocking 140 total tackles, second-most among power-conference players. Pro Football Focus ranks Oklahoma State’s linebacker corps the ninth-best in the country.
Defensive back
Advantage: Arkansas
Arkansas’ pass defense improved dramatically last season, and many of its secondary players are back for 2024. At corner, Jaylon Braxton will look to build off a great freshman season, and Arkansas seems to feel confident in Marquise Robinson, Jaheim Singletary and Kee’yon Stewart. At safety, Jayden Johnson returns, the versatile Larry Worth will be intriguing to watch, and TJ Metcalf and Hudson Clark have been battling. Tennessee transfer Doneiko Slaughter won the starting nickel job, and the Razorbacks have some other versatile defenders who could get time there, too.
The secondary was a weakness for Oklahoma State last season. The Cowboys were last in the Big 12 in pass defense and passing plays of 10-, 20- or 30-plus yards. The Cowboys have a gifted corner in Korie Black, but the depth is uncertain. The safeties will look to improve in deep coverage, but there are some veterans back to help.
Special teams
Advantage: Arkansas
Arkansas and Oklahoma State have similar special teams situations. Both have punters they’re confident in — Devin Bale for Arkansas and Hudson Kaak for Oklahoma State — and promising return men — Isaiah Sategna for the Razorbacks and Brennan for the Cowboys. But both also have questions about field goal kicking.
Oklahoma State will have Logan Ward at kicker. He kicked some PATs last season and handled kickoffs, but whether he will be a consistent field-goal kicker is something the Cowboys are watching. He got off to a strong start in Week 1: He went 3-for-3 with makes from 25, 42, 52 and yards out.
Arkansas has the advantage in terms of experience Abilene Christian transfer Kyle Ramsey, who made all of his PATs in Week 1 is first on the depth chart at kicker. The Oklahoma State game could include his first field goal attempt as a Razorback.