FAYETTEVILLE -- Bret Bielema has given Arkansas' drive to be a better road team a name this fall.
The Razorbacks are calling their preparations for road games "Code Red." Bielema said the name is a way to make sure players are "just a little more high alert about what we need to do to win on the road."
With that in mind, Bielema said the team is treating Saturday's game against Toledo in Little Rock as a road game to begin implementation of the Code Red strategy. It will come in handy beginning in two weeks when the Razorbacks have a three-game stretch against Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, followed by road games at Tennessee and Alabama.
"We'll pump some crowd noise, even though it's a friendly atmosphere on Saturday," Bielema said. "We'll begin to do that a little bit so our guys aren't taken back when we go to prepare later on versus A&M and obviously Tennessee and Alabama."
The Razorbacks are 1-8 in true road games under Bielema and 1-1 in neutral-site games. Arkansas is 0-7 in SEC road games under Bielema.
O'Grady to play
Bret Bielema said Thursday night on his weekly radio show that true freshman tight end C.J. O'Grady will play Saturday.
O'Grady, 18, was reinstated to the team this week after being suspended indefinitely Aug. 28 as result of being arrested for driving while intoxicated on his motor scooter and being a minor in possession of alcohol.
Injury report
Arkansas cornerback Cornelius Floyd (hamstring) is doubtful for Saturday's game, while linebacker Josh Harris (hamstring) and tight end Alex Voelzke (back) are probable.
For Toledo, running back Terry Swanson (ankle), cornerback Trevon Mathis (leg) and linebacker Chase Murdock (hamstring) are questionable, while cornerback Jordan Martin (leg) and tight end Adam Kulon (knee) are out.
Rockets tailback Kareem Hunt and defensive end Allen Covington are out while serving a two-game season-opening suspension.
Captain Mooty
Jim Mooty, an All-American running back for Arkansas as a senior in 1959, will be the A-Club honorary captain for the Toledo game.
Mooty helped the Razorbacks go 9-2 in 1959 when they shared the Southwest Conference title, beat Georgia Tech 14-7 in the Gator Bowl and finished No. 9 in the final Associated Press poll. Mooty is a member of Arkansas' All-Century team, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the UA Sports Hall of Honor.
Shorter than Skipper
Arkansas defensive end JaMichael Winston said facing 6-8, 310-pound Toledo left tackle Storm Norton will be nothing new for him.
"I play against [6-10] Dan Skipper all the time," Winston said. "Being able to match up against him every day in practice, it kind of gives me the reps I need against a lengthy guy and being able to see over a guy like that."
In tune
Quarterback Brandon Allen said he felt a comfort level with the play-calling of first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos last week.
Enos is on the sideline, a departure from predecessor Jim Chaney, who called plays from the press box the previous two seasons.
"It was different with him being on the sideline, but I thought it went really well," Allen said. "We really stayed locked in. I was right on schedule with him. Being on the sideline with him, he was able to relay what his thoughts were for the next drive, so I was able to get those plays in my head."
'Sleepy' awakes
Davyon "Sleepy" McKinney's long road back from Achilles surgery hit a milepost last week when the senior wrestled a loose ball away from Texas-El Paso punter Alan Luna to set up Arkansas' second short-field touchdown of the third quarter, a 3-yard blast by Kody Walker.
"I was going to contain the coverage and I saw him bobble the ball and drop it and I just went in and dived at it," McKinney said. "I noted he was fumbling with it on the ground, so I just went in and hit him real hard and took it away from him."
McKinney, a safety from Forrest City, suffered his Achilles injury in last year's 17-10 loss at No. 1 Mississippi State.
"I was out so long ago that to see me back out there running around was a special moment," he said.
Let him play
Arkansas' coaches had been leaning toward redshirting freshman center Zach Rogers, but that plan changed and he got a few snaps against UTEP.
Rogers proved in fall camp he was ready to play as Mitch Smothers' backup, Coach Bret Bielema said, and offensive line coach Sam Pittman said there was another factor involved in the decision.
Pittman said he figured it was about time Rogers played after missing all but two games of his final two seasons at Hebron (Texas) High School. Rogers missed all of his junior year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, then broke his left ankle in the second game of his senior season.
"Zach and I sat down and talked about it along with Coach B," Pittman said. "I said, 'You're healthy, let's go play.' He was ecstatic about that."
Sleeve swag
The shirt Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen wore under his jersey for the opener against Texas-El Paso had the left sleeve cut off at the shoulder.
"Last year Brandon always wore two sleeves or a half-sleeve," receiver Keon Hatcher said. "I was like, 'Go one sleeve, man, swag it up a little bit.'
"He started wearing one sleeve during camp and I'm like, 'There you go, you're getting it.' He came out there with it in the game and did his thing."
Allen completed 14 of 18 passes for a career-high 308 yards and 4 touchdowns against UTEP.
"The receivers thought I didn't have enough swag, so they cut off one of my sleeves," Allen said. "They picked the left sleeve. I really could care less what I'm wearing, but whatever makes the receivers happy. It's worked out so far, so I think we'll keep it going."
MAC vs. SEC
The current configuration of Mid-American Conference teams has an 11-81 record against SEC teams heading into the Razorbacks' game against Toledo on Saturday.
Toledo is 0-3 against the SEC, with all the games coming since 2013 against Missouri and Florida.
Six of the MAC's victories came against Kentucky and Vanderbilt, two of the SEC's traditionally weaker teams.
Only two teams from the MAC have beaten an SEC West team, and it hasn't been done since Northern Illinois' 19-16 upset at Alabama in 2003.
"In games like this, it's always fun to have a challenge like that and to compete against the best in the country," Toledo linebacker Chase Murdock said. "I think they have a lot of really great players, but I like our guys too."
Sports on 09/11/2015