FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks know they must start showing better offensive balance to set up a successful season.
To get there, the University of Arkansas passing game has to be more productive, starting with Saturday's 6 p.m. showdown against No. 15 Texas at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
"I hope it's much better," Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said of the passing attack. "We certainly have worked on it."
In last week's 38-17 win over Rice, quarterback KJ Jefferson completed 12 of 21 passes for 128 yards, the lowest passing total in the SEC and 119th among the 130 FBS teams on the opening weekend.
Jefferson's numbers were strong in the second half, when he completed 8 of 10 throws for 107 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown strike to Tyson Morris.
His first-half numbers were almost jaw dropping. The 6-3 Jefferson, who had lit up Missouri for 274 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in his only start of 2020, was 4 of 11 for 21 yards with an interception in the opening half.
It was clear offensive coordinator Kendal Briles had schemed up some shorter throws early in the game to get Jefferson in the swing, but that didn't work out. Jefferson was sacked after holding the ball too long on the first offensive snap of the season. On third down, he fired a slant high for top wideout Treylon Burks.
Over the next two series, a pass for Morris was broken up, then Burks dropped a little dump pass and Jefferson sailed one over Burks again.
Jefferson was 0 for 4 before he completed a 4-yard screen to De'Vion Warren on the third-to-last play of the first quarter.
"Just coming out of fall camp, first-game mistakes, we knew they were going to happen," said Jefferson, who also attributed the shaky start to jitters. "We knew we were gonna have some adversity early on.
"Coach Briles stayed in my ear, just telling me to play ball, be myself and that I don't have to do too much. Just play ball."
Jefferson had a better second quarter and an 80% completion rate in the second half, starting with his 31-yard downfield strike to Morris for a one-armed catch. That play, the only Hogs' completion of 20-plus yards against Rice, seemed to serve as a spark.
"Any time that you can have a threat vertically, you're going to loosen everybody up," Pittman said. "If you look at our game Saturday, I mean, we were three and out, three and out, three and out, three and out. And so you're not going to throw a lot of deep balls, you know what I mean?"
Pittman said Briles was trying to come up with ways to stay on the field and move the chains as Rice controlled the second quarter with strong field position but failed to build more than a 10-7 lead. Two third and shorts for the Hogs in the second quarter blew up on a Burks end around that was met in the backfield and a mistimed snap that hit Burks in motion and fell to the ground.
"It probably wouldn't be the most popular call at that time from KB to throw four vert[ical]s," Pittman said.
Morris credited the Arkansas defense with keeping the game close as the offense searched for a rhythm.
"Defense had our back throughout the first half and the second half, but I felt in the second half we came out, we got up in ourselves and gave us the best shot to win," Morris said. "We had a good second-half performance."
The Razorbacks had their running game in gear virtually throughout, led by Trelon Smith's 102 yards on 22 carries. The running attack produced seven plays of 10 yards or longer, two by Jefferson of 34 and 38 yards, three by reserve tailback Raheim "Rocket" Sanders and a 20-yarder by Smith.
"I thought he ran really hard," Pittman said of Smith. "That's kind of who he is to be honest with you. He's that spark plug that we need on offense.
"I thought our line did a good job against them. I felt we wore them down with our tempo and our speed ... from the start of the third quarter on."
Pittman said running backs coach Jimmy Smith did an excellent job rotating backs against the Owls.
"I was really proud of the way Jimmy substituted the running backs, too," Pittman said. "I thought Rocket did well, and of course Dominique [Johnson] at the end of the game. I was proud of our line and we just continue to get better."
Jefferson contributed 89 rushing yards to the Razorbacks' 245-yard effort, which ranks 28th in the nation.
Texas expects the Razorbacks to try to establish the run.
"They're definitely going to try to run, see what they can get as far as that," Longhorns linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said. "We know they're going to try to pound the ball, SEC football, try to big-guy us, but you know we're ready for it."
The Hogs are 73rd nationally in total offense (373.0 ypg) heading into Week 2, paired up against a Texas defense that ranks No. 68 (358.0 ypg).
"We need our good players to play good," Pittman said. "That's just any team, but I think our receivers will show up better. Obviously with KJ, we had three or four drops and we had a penalty on a lineman down field that negated a big gain for us.
"We've got to get away from those things. We've got to quit hurting ourselves and dropping passes and having penalties. That's coaching as well. Certainly all of us in the building have tried to figure out that situation. I think we'll be much better Saturday."
If Texas tries to jam up the box to slow the run game and challenge Jefferson's arm, he'll be up against a secondary that faced adversity itself last week.
The Longhorns gave up 282 passing yards on 28-of-40 passing (70% completions) in their 38-18 win over Louisiana-Lafayette to rank 98th in the nation. The Texas run defense permitted 76 yards against the Ragin Cajuns and ranks 30th in the country.
