FAYETTEVILLE -- Junior college transfer Jeremiah Ledbetter's debut at Arkansas went even better than he expected.
The 6-3, 280-pound junior led the Razorbacks with eight tackles.
"I didn't even know I had that many tackles," Ledbetter said. "It really did surprise me when they told me I led the team in tackles. I didn't expect that at all."
Ledbetter's production in the 48-13 victory over Texas-El Paso has given him work with the first-team defense this week. Defensive line coach Rory Segrest said he expects Ledbetter will start against Toledo on Saturday and split time again with sophomore Tevin Beanum.
"He was our leading tackler last week and we want to get the most productive guys on the field," Segrest said. "Very similar to this past game, he and Tevin played an equal number of snaps, and I don't see that being any different this week."
Ledbetter said his decision to go through spring drills at Arkansas paid off.
"I was just focused on the specific details and knowing what I needed to do, which allowed me to play faster and make plays," he said. "Just knowing the playbook."
Ledbetter said the frequent rotation for the defensive front worked out well.
"We all stayed fresh," he said. "None of us were even tired when we got into the game."
Pellet mouth
Defensive end JaMichael Winston went down against Texas-El Paso, but he didn't suffer a tweak or a sprain.
When the Arkansas medical personnel got to him near the far sideline, they discovered he had gotten a face full of rubber pellets from the artificial playing turf.
"They always seem to jump and catch you in the eye and the mouth," Winston said. "They're flying all over the place. That was just some freak accident stuff, but we cleaned it out and I got back in the game the next play."
Flag bearers
Coach Bret Bielema said the football program added a feature last weekend, having two players run onto the field carrying a U.S. flag and an Arkansas state flag.
Defensive end Tevin Beanum carried the U.S. flag and center Mitch Smothers carried the Arkansas flag.
For the Toledo game, tight ends Alex Voelzke (U.S.) and Hunter Henry (Arkansas) will carry the flags. Voelzke is wearing No. 88 to honor the memory of former Razorback Garrett Uekman, who died in 2010.
Sprinkle express
Each of tight end Jeremy Sprinkle's two catches, which totaled 60 yards, ignited fans at Reynolds Razorback Stadium as the 6-6, 255-pounder caught the ball in space and quickly hit full stride.
"It's pretty nice when you catch it and you hear the crowd get louder," Sprinkle said. "That's just what I try to do. I try to bring excitement."
Quarterback Brandon Allen said Sprinkle "can run like a deer and we've known that for a while. ... He's a guy that takes three strides and he's 30 yards down the field."
Tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. said Sprinkle is adept at catching balls in the flats and making something happen.
"He's big and long and he can run," Lunney said. "Hopefully we'll see more of that, but he had a good start to what we're hoping is going to be a really good year for him."
Long beard
Defensive coordinator Robb Smith wore a Pittsburgh Pirates jersey to his Monday news conference in support of his favorite Major League Baseball team. Asked about his growing beard during training camp, Smith said he would probably keep growing it as long as the Pirates were in the playoffs.
Young guns
Arkansas will face two of the four youngest head coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools the next two games.
Toledo Coach Matt Campbell, 35, is the third-youngest coach and Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury, 36, is the fourth-youngest.
Campbell has a 26-13 record in his fourth season.
"I think it's been a learning experience," he said. "I think it is for anybody, no matter what your age. For me it's been about growth, and it's been a really enjoyable experience. It's been a great place to be. We've had a chance to really build our football program."
Campbell has the best winning percentage in school history (.667) for a coach with at least three seasons. Campbell, of Massillon, Ohio, played on the defensive line at Mount Union College for three seasons (1999-2002), winning Division III national championships in 2001 and 2002.
Western Michigan's PJ Fleck, 34, is the nation's youngest coach followed by Troy's Neal Brown, 35, who was born four months before Campbell.
Raw Rawleigh
Freshman tailback Rawleigh Williams found little room against UTEP's crowded front running mostly behind Arkansas' second offensive line.
Williams rushed for 45 yards on 16 carries in his debut, with a long run of 8 yards.
Bret Bielema said he bumped into Williams and his parents Saturday night at Deluxe Burger.
"I walked over there and it was like we got beat by 15," Bielema said. "Rawleigh was a little bit down, with mom and dad.
"I think he's been used to celebrating so many 100-yard, three-touchdown games, then all of a sudden he didn't get that and he was upset, in my opinion, for all the right reasons."
Williams said he and his family weren't down.
"They were excited I got to play in front of all those people and that their son is playing big-time football," Williams said. "Me, of course, I'm down if I feel like I missed some things. I feel like I missed a couple of holes. Watching film, I can always correct that and I'm excited to get back out there again."
Worth noting
• Arkansas pass catchers did not have a dropped pass in the season opener.
• Linebacker Josh Harris tweaked a hamstring in the days leading up to the opener and played only a few snaps toward the end of the game.
• Defensive line coach Rory Segrest said he used a rotation of 11 players on the front in the opener. Segrest said the players with the highest game grades were DeMarcus Hodge, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Tevin Beanum and Mitchell Loewen.
• Toledo strong safety Chaz Whittaker was leading the nation in interceptions last Thursday, if only briefly. Whittaker had two interceptions in the first half of the Rockets' suspended game against Stony Brook before bad weather turned the game into a no contest and statistics were not counted.
Sports on 09/10/2015