Razorbacks on run in first scrimmage

Arkansas running back Devwah Whaley carries the ball during a drill Saturday, April 1, 2017, during practice at the university practice field in Fayetteville.
Arkansas running back Devwah Whaley carries the ball during a drill Saturday, April 1, 2017, during practice at the university practice field in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Bret Bielema has emphasized toughness and a strong finish throughout winter conditioning and spring drills, and he got both in Saturday's first spring scrimmage for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

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With the sound of heavy equipment at work in the north end zone of Reynolds Razorback Stadium serving as a backdrop, the Hogs ran through a 135-play scrimmage that ended on a big finish. Bijhon Jackson, a 335-pound nose guard, grabbed a tipped pass for an interception off Cole Kelley and was rumbling toward the north end zone as whistles ended the workout.

Jackson's touchdown return was one of two takeaways on the day, one each by the first and second units, and one of three scores.

Kelley connected with Jordan Jones over the middle for a breakaway 63-yard touchdown against the second-team defense on the 11th play of the day, and Rawleigh Williams bolted through the middle late in the scrimmage for a 68-yard touchdown for the starting offense.

Bielema maintained an upbeat attitude about the direction of spring practices.

"Overall through practice No. 6, I'm excited where they're at and where they're going," Bielema said.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville put an emphasis on the running game, with top backs Williams and Devwah Whaley both getting lots of action.

Williams ran for 189 yards on 19 carries, while Whaley added 86 yards on 14 runs. Freshman Maleek Williams had 18 carries for 88 yards, Juan Day added 2 carries for 36 yards, and Connor McPherson contributed 11 carries for 63 yards.

"Offensively, I thought our ones especially did some really good things," Bielema said. "We ran the ball really with all [groups] pretty well. I know Rawleigh and Devwah do really good. I was glad to see Maleek and J. Day get out there and do those things. Rawleigh ... and Devwah have a nice competition going."

The defense, which is transitioning to a 3-4 front, was limited to tackling high, meaning players could not dive for tackles from the knee down to cut down on the chance for injuries.

"This is our first tackle session of the spring, and I would not allow our guys to go low," Bielema said. "You saw one guy went low early, and I got all over him. I just don't want to put our guys at risk, so that really puts our defensive guys at a disadvantage."

Senior Austin Allen took all his snaps with the first offense and completed 14 of 21 passes for 149 yards in an unofficial count. On a six-play, move-the-ball sequence late in the game, Allen led the starters 54 yards to the 4-yard line before the series was halted. Whaley had 2 carries for 26 yards on the series, and Allen went 2 for 3, including a sideline completion for 14 yards to LaMichael Pettway for a first down on the final play.

Allen threw one interception, a pass over the middle on which safety Santos Ramirez jumped a route and had possession of the ball on a diving grab before it bounced free and into the arms of linebacker De'Jon Harris.

Sophomore Ty Storey and the freshman Kelley split snaps with the second offense. Both had impressive throws, but each of them also had misfires and lulls lasting several plays.

Storey completed 7 of 13 passes for 84 yards, connecting on his final five throws in a row, but he also overthrew a would-be 17-yard touchdown to Jones.

Kelley started 3 of 3 for 75 yards, including the touchdown strike to Jones, but he completed only 1 of his final 7 throws and had the batted pass interception by Jackson to complete the workout.

Jones, coming off a redshirt year, had a team-high four catches for 99 yards.

"Jordan is tremendously talented, extremely intelligent," Bielema said. "But what we've got to do is convince Jordan Jones he can be good. If Jordan Jones wants to be a really good player, he can be that."

Senior Jared Cornelius added 4 catches for 53 yards, while Jonathan Nance had 2 receptions for 36 yards and Pettway added 3 catches for 35 yards.

Senior safety Josh Liddell had a team-high 11 tackles to lead the defense, while the linebacker Harris had 10. Linebackers Dwayne Eugene, Randy Ramsey and Josh Harris had eight tackles each, and defensive end McTelvin Agim, safety DeAndre Coley, and linebackers Dee Walker and Terrell Collins had 7 tackles apiece.

The Razorbacks will practice Tuesday and Thursday next week leading to their next scrimmage Saturday.

Sports on 04/09/2017

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