Chad Morris, coordinators recap second fall scrimmage

Arkansas coach Chad Morris directs his players Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, during practice at the university practice field on campus in Fayetteville.
Arkansas coach Chad Morris directs his players Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, during practice at the university practice field on campus in Fayetteville.

Chad Morris

– Morris said the program had 300-plus former Razorbacks on campus today. He told them there's something special happening here, and if they lock arms then they'll be able to get it done.

– Morris said the team got out of the scrimmage healthy for the most part, just the usual bumps and bruises.

– Several plays were made today by some young guys. Joe Foucha was the first name mentioned by Morris. He had a big interception. Santos Ramirez also picked off a pass. Santos is doing a good job leading the secondary. Kam Curl had a solid day, too.

– Morris said he was looking for receivers to make plays today. Jordan Jones had a couple of really nice catches and a touchdown. Jonathan Nance also caught a touchdown pass. Morris thought the offense got into a better groove the longer the scrimmage went on.

– Morris thinks they've been smart and physical in camp. They will close out camp tonight and have a final dress rehearsal next Saturday night.

– There were some breakdowns in pass protection today, Morris said, and that has to be addressed. The quarterbacks were not live. On the quarterback battle, Morris said guys continued pushing each other. They were consistent.

– Noah Gatlin is going to have a phenomenal career, Morris said. Taking on the reps he has has been impressive. Silas Robinson has gotten a lot of reps, too. You'd like to have the depth to be able to bring them on slowly, but that hasn't been the case. He's been pleased with those two guys.

– Dorian Gerald has to continue to get into shape. He's good for 3-4 plays then he has to come out. He's going to be a good player. He's aware that he has to get in better playing shape. Randy Ramsey will be back full-go on Monday. Michael Taylor has gotten a lot of reps, and Gabe Richardson had a solid camp. Nick Fulwider "is an absolute giant." He's got a tremendous upside, Morris said.

– The staff hasn't gotten all the information they need on Jalen Merrick, who has missed some time with headaches he began experiencing during the summer. They're preparing as if he will not be ready for the season.

– The running backs were probably feeling better than they should have at this point in camp. Jeff Traylor had a sit down with them, and they responded and finished strong. They have to continue to get better at pass protection. They have some good film to learn from from today's scrimmage.

– Morris said Arkansas' punters had a really good day, but still some consistency to work on in the kicking game. Blake Johnson and Reid Bauer both punted well today, Morris said.

– TJ Hammonds (left ankle) has practiced the last two days and got quite a few reps in today in the scrimmage. Morris said he was full speed.

– Tuesday and Wednesday practice will be extended. He said the team will have class on grass and meetings on Thursday. Saturday will be a mock game featuring a lot of situational things. They'll simulate everything from the Hog Walk on through the game. They'll have a tough practice Friday night and Sunday night then get ready for game week.

Joe Craddock

– Cole Kelley started today's scrimmage because Ty Storey started last Saturday's scrimmage. Craddock said they feel like they're 50-50 in terms of reps. Craddock said Storey threw a couple of picks. He doesn't remember the third interception of the day.

– From an install standpoint, the young linemen have done a good job picking things up as quick as they have.

– Craddock said they need to get the kinks out. A lot of talk has been about offensive linemen, but you have to have guys making plays down the field, doing things the right way. Austin Capps has done an incredible job picking things up.

– Craddock doesn't want to comment on the past in regards to the sacks allowed. It takes everybody, he said, from receivers to running backs. It's not just the five guys up front.

– Jarrod Barnes made a "heck of a play," he said. Jared Cornelius made a good play to open practice yesterday.

– The running backs deserve the praise, and they've been running hard. They've got to protect the football. The coaches limited a couple of guys in the scrimmage today.

– Jeremy Patton's injury made some other guys step up. The main thing is when they send some of those guys in the game that they know what to do. Cheyenne O'Grady has had a couple of his best practices the last few days. Austin Cantrell is steady, and Craddock said he's "glad he's on our team."

John Chavis

– "I'm not satisfied nearly with the way we tackled today." The kids are working hard, but they tackled much better in the first scrimmage. That's my responsibility. I'm glad we didn't have a real game today because we didn't tackle well enough today to win.

– Dorian Gerald will make an impact this year. "He's got to. ... We'll have 4-5 ends and no doubt he'll be part of that."

– Chavis is excited about where Bumper Pool is. Dee Walker got a good bit of work at linebacker today, too. He feels better about where the depth is versus nine days ago.

– D'Vone McClure has had a really, really good camp. He hadn't played football in a long time, and he's very mature. Mentally, he's got to put it all together. They're playing him more at Nickel than at any other position.

– "We are a pressure defense, and to be honest, we didn't pressure today as much as we normally do." Chavis likes his guys up front. He wants to be able to rush the passer with speed, and there's speed inside matched up with guards.

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