FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' Rawleigh Williams III and Devwah Whaley formed the SEC's fifth-most productive tailback combination last season with a combined 1,962 rushing yards.
Williams, who ranked third in SEC rushing with 1,360 yards as a sophomore, and Whaley, who rushed for 602 rushing yards as a freshman, will be the third-highest SEC tandem returning next fall.
Running backs
position glance
RETURNING STARTERS TB Rawleigh Williams III (11 starts in 2016), FB Kendrick Jackson (2)
KEY LOSSES RB Kody Walker (2), TB T.J. Hammonds (moved to WR)
WHO’S BACK TB Devwah Whaley, TB Juan Day, RB Hayden Johnson (also TE)
WHO’S NEW TB Maleek Williams (early enrollee)
WALK-ONS TB Connor McPherson, FB Justice Hobbs
ANALYSIS Rawleigh Williams and Whaley are in position to emerge as one of the best duos in the SEC and the nation after combining for 1,962 rushing yards last season. Reading blocking schemes to understand the cuts, picking up blitzes and ball security are key areas the top two runners have focused on this spring. Day and Williams have shown power as quality backups who will be joined by speedy Chase Hayden in the fall. Kendrick Jackson has developed into the prototypical blocking back in the Bielema/Enos scheme.
Only Auburn's Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson (2,119 rushing yards) and Georgia's Nick Chubb and Sony Michel (1,970) surpassed the combined yards of the Razorbacks tailbacks.
"I think if you're one of the best in the SEC, you've got a chance of being the best in the country," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. "Those two guys, man, they're very gifted. Rawleigh probably has shown me that he's got a little bit more patience than we've ever seen, and that's a good thing on some of the wide plays. Devwah, as we all know, is very gifted."
Williams and Whaley have worked at filling the gaps in their games during the first four weeks of spring. Offensive coordinator Dan Enos and running backs coach Reggie Mitchell have pushed them to improve at their feel for cuts, footwork, pass protection and ball security, all key elements in Arkansas' scheme.
"As we wrap it up, the thing I'd like to see those guys do is ... just to be able to pay a little more attention to detail," Mitchell said on Thursday. "We've done a pretty good job of not having missed assignments. I'd like to get through the rest of spring without a turnover."
The only turnover during scrimmage work for the running backs was a fumble by true freshman Maleek Williams, forced by linebacker Josh Harris, in the second scrimmage on April 15.
"In the scrimmages they've been really good," Mitchell said. "Coach B stresses that, you know ball security is job security. We've had a few in practice. What I would like to see is go through the rest of spring, even in practice, without any turnovers."
Bielema said Saturday he didn't recall anybody running a lap around the Walker Pavilion with a ball tucked under his arm, the standard punishment for a fumble.
"So I don't think there was one ball on the ground today," Bielema said. "We've been pretty conscientious about it. We did a pretty intense high-security ball drill today when they were tired.
"We stressed and moved that drill to the end of practice, so they have to do it when they're tired."
Enos structured some of his call sheets for the scrimmages to give Williams more looks at the blocking schemes and his preferred cuts on some plays he did not make last season.
"We missed some reads on Saturday in the scrimmage and our tempo was not great on some of the plays," Enos said Thursday. "We've really made an emphasis of that here this week as well."
Rawleigh Williams, who did not go through live work last spring as he recovered from surgery to repair a disc in his neck, said he lost a little bit of weight over the winter.
"I feel the best I've felt in three years," Williams said earlier in the spring. "I'm excited to move forward this spring and set myself up for the fall."
Whaley said he wanted to improve in every facet of his game during the spring.
"Just working on being a better back all around," Whaley said. "Just pass protection, running speed, strength, getting bigger, faster and stronger. Pretty much everything."
Mitchell said pass protection, where many young backs have the most work to do in college because they aren't asked to do much in high school, has gotten better.
"We might have missed a blitz just from a guy not seeing it, but from a physical standpoint, when they've noticed it they've been able to pick it up," he said. "I've been pleased. And it's been the younger guys who have missed it. Rawleigh and Devwah have been pretty good as far as picking up blitzes."
Rawleigh Williams and Whaley combined for 9 100-yard games in 2016, 7 by Williams and 2 by Whaley. The Razorbacks were 6-1 when Williams hit the 100-yard mark, the only exception being their second-half collapse in a 28-24 loss at Missouri as Williams put up 117 rushing yards.
Sports on 04/23/2017