FAYETTEVILLE -- The obvious question for University of Arkansas Coach Chad Morris after the Razorbacks opened the season with a 55-20 victory over Eastern Illinois is whether Ty Storey is his new starting quarterback?
Storey came off the bench to completed 12 of 17 passes for 261 yards and had a 2-yard rushing touchdown to spark an offense that struggled early under starting quarterback Cole Kelley.
"We're going to go back and re-evaluate this and see," Morris said. "Both of these guys have to be ready to play. They have to. It's a long season.
"They have to get adequate reps, but in the same sentence, you have to get the ball in the end zone. Cole knows that. Cole's a fierce competitor. He was over there cheering Ty on on the sidelines. That says a whole lot about Cole."
Storey certainly wasn't ready to declare himself the starter for Arkansas' next game at Colorado State on Saturday night when asked whether he had done enough to earn the job.
"I don't think that's my job to answer that," Storey said. "Talk to the big man, I guess."
A more pressing question for Morris than who will be his starting quarterback is what happened to Arkansas' running game against Eastern Illinois.
The Panthers, an Ohio Valley Conference team, held the Razorbacks to 2.2 rushing yards per attempt.
Arkansas' 37 carries for 80 yards included Daulton Hyatt being sacked for a 4-yard loss and taking three kneel-downs for a combined 7 lost yards to end the game, so the true rushing stats were 33 carries for 91 yards -- still an anemic 2.8 yards per carry.
"We've got to be able to run the football better," Morris said. "I thought that was an area we wanted to hang our hat on and the inability to run the football was definitely not what we stand for, it's not what this is about, it's definitely not how we're planning to build this program.
"But it gave us a start. So we'll be able to go back in and re-evaluate exactly what we've got to do to get better."
Junior starting running back Devwah Whaley had 10 carries fro 28 yards -- including a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter -- to lead the Razorbacks.
Redshirt freshman Maleek Williams had three carries for 17 yards; Storey three carries for 15; and junior T.J. Hammonds 3 times for 14.
"I was really proud of our defense the way they rose up against the run," EIU Coach Kim Dameron said. "That was our game plan coming in -- don't let them run it, and make them throw it, and we did.
"We just outnumbered the run. We tried to make sure we had a free hitter at the point of attack most of the time. At least we tried to make the ball go where we wanted it to go. To hold somebody under 100 [rushing] yards, that's a pretty good effort."
Redshirt freshmen offensive linemen Shane Clenin and Kirby Adcock made their first starts for Arkansas at left tackle and left guard. Clenin started in place of injured junior Colton Jackson (back), and Adcock started at left guard with senior Hjalte Froholdt -- the starting left guard the previous two seasons -- taking over at center for injured Dylan Hays (back).
"Obviously, you've got to give Eastern Illinois some credit," Morris said. "I know they were definitely bringing some pressure and dropping some safeties down in the box.
"I'm not quick to make an assessment on [the running game] until I go back in and watch the film."
Morris said the Razorbacks have to improve in all phases of the running game.
"We've got to run harder, we've got to block better, we've got to hold our blocks better," he said. "Those things we'll just go back in and re-evaluate."
Sophomore Ty Clary got some snaps at left guard, with seniors Johnny Gibson and Brian Wallace on the right side guard and tackle.
"We just have to get our run game cleaned up," Morris said. "That's the biggest thing. Going against our defense as much as we do running the football, we'll get better. I can assure you of that."
Storey got his most extensive playing time since his senior season at Charleston High School in 2014.
"It felt great," Storey said. "It's been a while. So it was good to get out there and get hit again, just move around.
"It was fun just being out there with my guys."
Sports on 09/03/2018