FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks' running attack thrived in the first scrimmage of camp Saturday, but the passing game showed it has much work to do after the 117-play workout at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Coach Bret Bielema said the story of camp so far has been the play of the defensive front, which helped harass quarterback Brandon Allen into a 10-of-23 performance for 110 yards. Allen did not throw a touchdown pass and was intercepted by cornerback Jared Collins on his third throw.
The starters accounted for 10 of the defense's 18 tackles for loss. There were eight sacks, with rush end Tevin Beanum claiming three. Karl Roesler added two sacks, while Jeremiah Ledbetter, JaMichael Winston and Henre Toliver had one each.
"They want to make a big deal out of our offensive front and whatnot, but I can't say enough about our D-line growth and progression and the depth that we've got there," Bielema said. "Some guys are playing strong up front, which I think affected us early on. Some guys were in B.A.'s lap that were causing a little bit of pressure.
"This wasn't Brandon's best day."
Defensive pressure also forced a high throw in the right flats from Austin Allen that freshman cornerback Ryan Pulley intercepted and returned 41 yards for a touchdown during Austin Allen's third sequence with the second-team offense.
The defense finished with three takeaways, two against the starters.
Collins read an out route for Damon Mitchell and made a catch on the right sideline just before going out of bounds on the game's sixth snap. In red zone work, safety Santos Ramirez crashed hard into tailback Jonathan Williams and forced a fumble that was recovered by nickel back Kevin Richardson.
The Razorbacks' running game looked to be in midseason form.
All four top tailbacks broke off big runs -- including a 43-yard touchdown run up the middle by Alex Collins and a 63-yard off-tackle touchdown run by freshman Rawleigh Williams III.
Williams, a freshman, had 15 carries for 106 yards while Collins added 71 yards on six carries. Jonathan Williams had a 39-yard run over the left side and wrapped up his day with 69 yards on 11 carries before coming off with what Bielema termed a "tender" ankle injury that did not appear to be severe.
Big back Kody Walker had a tackle-breaking 18-yard run and a 2-yard touchdown to cap a 69-yard move-the-ball sequence for the first offense. That series was extended by a defensive holding call against linebacker Khalia Hackett and featured a 16-yard draw play by Rawleigh Williams.
Bielema, reflecting back on off-season research, noted that 45 of Arkansas' 49 touchdown drives included either an explosive play on offense or a defensive penalty, and the 69-yard sequence led by Brandon Allen had both.
Rawleigh Williams started the scoring on a handoff from Rafe Peavey, hitting a seam to the short side of the field and accelerating past pursuers for the 63-yard score during situational work.
The top four backs accounted for 282 rushing yards on 38 carries, an average of 7.4 yards per carry.
The Razorbacks were held without a touchdown in four series that started in the red zone, having to settle for short field goals from Cole Hedlund, Lane Saling and Adam McFain.
The top individual plays on offense included a touchdown catch by redshirt freshman Jojo Robinson. Robinson caught a short slant over the middle from Austin Allen on a fourth-and-3 play, juked Ramirez to the turf at the 21 and turned it into a 38-yard touchdown.
"Jojo Robinson made a huge play on the slant route and turned it into seven," Bielema said.
Senior Keon Hatcher rested a minor shoulder injury, opening the door for more receivers to work with the top offense. Junior college transfer Dominique Reed had three catches for 42 yards, and he nearly came down with a fade route that would have gone for 37 yards from Austin Allen. The side judge ruled Reed bobbled the ball as he fell out of bounds after grabbing the lofted pass against Pulley.
Bielema said a rugged Friday workout, a stiff crosswind and Hatcher's absence probably contributed to the sub-par showing by Brandon Allen. Additionally, he said all the offensive units performed better in the second half of the scrimmage in move-the-ball periods rather than the situational work in the first half.
Sports on 08/16/2015