FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks ran for a season-high 260 yards in last week's 38-37 victory at Ole Miss.
The Razorbacks had gone for 200-plus yards in three games this season, including 236 yards in the season opener against Florida A&M. That total had been Arkansas' previous season high.
Running backs coach Reggie Mitchell rotated sophomore Devwah Whaley, senior David Williams and sophomore T.J. Hammonds at tailback in the Hogs' first game without freshman tailback Chase Hayden.
Hammonds piled up a career-high 84 yards on 11 carries in the most extensive outing of his career.
"It felt great," Hammonds said. "It just felt like I was back in high school. My teammates gave me praises, my coach gave me praises, but it's time to move on to the next team and try to get better."
Williams added 56 yards on 13 carries and Whaley had 52 yards on 12 attempts.
Hammonds said he's happy to be back at running back after moving to receiver during the spring.
"I feel like I'm going to stay there," he said. "I actually love it. I just feel like it's a great fit for me. The coaches feel like it's a great fit for me, so I'm going to just stay right there and do what I can to help the team."
Whaley and Williams both picked up blitzing defenders in pass protection against Ole Miss, a trait Hammonds must acquire, according to running backs coach Reggie Mitchell.
"The thing we've got to be able to do in order to get T.J. on the field more is he's got to learn the protections," Mitchell said. "He will. He's a smart kid.
"His first week coming from receiver to running back, we just tried to get him in on a few things. As the season goes on, he'll progress and be able to get more reps. Then we're going to try to go series like we did with Hayden, David and Devwah."
Ball security
Quarterback Cole Kelley was named SEC freshman of the week after passing for 189 yards and three touchdowns at Ole Miss, but he brought up his turnovers when asked about the award after Tuesday's practice.
"It was an extreme honor. I don't know if I really deserved it or not," Kelley said. "I played OK, but I made a few mistakes towards the end of the game that usually would cost a team."
Kelley lost a fumble and threw an interception after losing three fumbles the previous game against Auburn.
Coach Bret Bielema said Kelley has to do a better job of keeping two hands on the ball.
"When he has the ball in his hands, he has all of us in his hands," Bielema said. "It's not just the football, it's not just him, it's not just the offense, he has all of us in his hands."
Kelley said he focuses on ball security in practice drills, but that a key is making good decisions in games.
"It hasn't been really a fundamental thing," he said. "Really I try to make a play when it's not there.
"I've got to be more disciplined and know when to go down and when there's a play to be made and when there isn't. It's more of just in my head stuff."
3 and 1 TDs
Arkansas quarterback Cole Kelley became the first FBS freshman to throw three touchdown passes and rush for a touchdown in a conference game this season. Kelley threw scoring passes to Devwah Whaley, Deon Stewart and Cheyenne O'Grady and ran for a 15-yard touchdown to account for all of the Hogs' offensive touchdowns against Ole Miss.
Kelley is the fifth Arkansas quarterback with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in the same game during the SEC era, and the only freshman to accomplish the feat.
K-Rich on list
Arkansas defensive back Kevin Richardson, Arkansas State running back Johnston White and Auburn receiver Will Hastings are among 63 nominees for the Burlsworth Trophy, it was announced Tuesday.
The award is named in honor of former Razorbacks All-American offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth, and since 2010 has been presented by the Springdale Rotary Club and Burlsworth Foundation to the top player who began his college career as a walk-on.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, who won the Burlsworth Trophy the previous two seasons, is among the nominees along with Washington State quarterback Luke Falk, a two-time finalist.
Three finalists for this year's trophy will be announced Nov. 14. They will attend a luncheon Dec. 4 at the Springdale Holiday Inn and Convention Center, where the winner will be announced.
Richardson, of Jacksonville, has 27 tackles and 3 interceptions this season, and last week at Ole Miss returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown. White has 50 carries for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns and 8 receptions for 84 yards for the Red Wolves. Hastings, of Little Rock, has 17 receptions for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Tigers.
Runnin' Rebels
Arkansas' four-game winning streak over Ole Miss tied for the Hogs' longest in the series while in the SEC. The Razorbacks won five in a row over the Rebels in 1985-1989 before joining the SEC.
Arkansas also won four in a row from 2004-2007 by an average score of 36-8. The average score in the current four-game streak is 39-30.
Streak breaker
The Razorbacks' 38-37 victory over Ole Miss with Cole Kelley at quarterback was the team's first for a starting quarterback without the surname Allen since Nov. 3, 2012, a span of nearly five years covering 61 games.
Tyler Wilson, who directed a 19-15 victory against Tulsa late in the 2012 season, was the last player not named Allen to win as Arkansas' starting quarterback.
Arkansas had gone 0-3 in starts by A.J. Derby (28-24 at Rutgers on Sept. 21, 2013) and Kelley (41-9 at No. 1 Alabama, 52-20 vs. No. 21 Auburn the past two weeks) during the past five years.
Brandon Allen accumulated a record of 18-19 in three seasons as the starting quarterback. Austin Allen, who is recovering from a right shoulder injury, has a record of 9-9.
Fourth and 1
The Razorbacks lost their first chance to take a lead in the third quarter Saturday when they failed to convert a fourth and 1 at the Ole Miss 30. Cole Kelley tried a hidden-ball play on which he dropped down as if fumbling the snap, then popped up to look for tight end Jeremy Patton on a release down the middle.
"It was a great call," Kelley said. "We practiced it all week, and I thought it was going to work really good."
Bret Bielema said the Razorbacks got the look they wanted, but Ole Miss brought pressure up the middle in an unexpected spot, which put heat on Kelley just as he rose.
"Yeah, good call," Bielema said. "It's one of those calls where everybody says, 'Oh, why'd they do that?' It was a great look. It was the look that we wanted. They pressured a little bit different, brought a guy inside. If you stand around and wet your pants about that one, you're not going to make the next one. So we moved on."
SEC Network analyst Matt Stinchcomb questioned why the Hogs got fancy with the call after having so much success running against the Rebels.
Power 5 punishment
Coastal Carolina, Arkansas' opponent Saturday at Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium, is 0-4 against teams from Power 5 conferences and 0-2 against SEC teams since starting football in 2003.
The Chanticleers lost 59-0 at Georgia in 2011 and 70-10 at South Carolina in 2013. Their other losses to Power 5 teams were a 66-10 loss at Penn State in 2008 and a 49-3 loss at Clemson in 2009.
Coastal Carolina's average score against Power 5 teams is 61-6.
Sports on 11/01/2017