FAYETTEVILLE -- Quarterback KJ Jefferson is the second University of Arkansas player to be a three-time captain and the first in 126 years.
The first three-time captain was Herbert Fishback from 1895-97.
"It's a blessing, that's all I can say," Jefferson said during a Tuesday evening video conference. "It's a blessing to be captain three years in a row.
"I mean, just my teammates, they're high on me and I don't take being a captain lightly at all. I embrace each and every day of it. I embrace the moment, live in the moment as well."
The fifth-year senior from Sardis, Miss., has been a captain since his redshirt sophomore season in 2021.
According to "The Razorbacks," a book on the history of Arkansas football written by former Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporters Orville Henry and Jim Bailey, Fishback was from Fort Smith "and the first campus football hero at Arkansas."
Fishback played fullback and was one of Arkansas' original 14 players in the team's first season of 1894.
The son of William Meade Fishback, Arkansas' governor from 1893-95, Herbert Fishback died on Jan. 3, 1898, in Fayetteville from pneumonia, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, while he still was a student at the UA. He was buried in Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith.
'Memorial'ize it
Defensive end Zach Williams of Little Rock said he is stoked about playing what will be his last game in his hometown Saturday.
The fifth-year senior has been involved in only two games at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium as a collegian. He notched five tackles, the second-highest total on the team, in a 45-3 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Oct. 23, 2021. During his freshman season in 2019, Williams did not participate in a 24-14 loss to Missouri in the season finale on Nov. 29.
"I know I do better every year, so I'm just trying to do better than the last year," Williams said Tuesday. "Going to War Memorial, it's the last time I'm ever going to play there. I've been playing there since I was in PeeWee, then middle school, high school and college now.
"It's the last time, so I've got to make some shake. Do some good and leave something memorable on the field."
Personnel report
Offensive linemen Brady Latham and E'Marion Harris were back in green no-contact jerseys for Tuesday's outdoor practice in full pads after missing about a week each.
Josh Braun continued to work at left guard in Latham's absence with Amaury Wiggins behind him, and Ty'Kieast Crawford played right guard with the first unit, backed by Brooks Edmondson.
Also in green were Tight end Nathan Bax and receiver Jaedon Wilson.
Safety Malik Chavis was out of action for the first time Tuesday, joining a group on the sideline that included Jashaud Stewart, Luke Brown, Terry Wells and a couple of players who were not wearing jerseys.
Rallying
In preparation for Saturday's game, the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau will host a parade and pep rally Friday night in the River Market District downtown.
The parade will begin at 7 p.m. at Little Rock Regional Chamber and continue along President Clinton Avenue to Riverfront Park. The pep rally will be conducted at First Security Amphitheater.
Arkansas' marching band and spirit squads will perform as part of the festivities.
Fastballs
KJ Jefferson went 1 for 3 during fastball starts Tuesday with a lone completion to Isaiah Sategna and two passes broken up.
Sategna made a nice cut on the right edge against Jayden Johnson and would have had a long gain on his reception. Nickel back Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson broke up a deep ball for Sategna on the final play and the safety Johnson, who was blitzing, got a hand on his first pass in the backfield, a swing intended for tailback AJ Green. Green had a solid run at right guard on the other snap.
Jacolby Criswell went 3 for 3 with the second unit. His completions went to tight end Var'keyes Gumms, Davion Dozier and Bryce Stephens. Rashod Dubinion had a run at left tackle on the other snap.
Defensive line coach Deke Adams continued to mix up the personnel on his unit, running tackles Cam Ball and Keivie Rose and ends John Morgan III and Zach Williams out with the first unit. The second group consisted of tackles Anthony Booker and Ian Geffrard and ends Nico Davillier and Jon Hill.
Chris Paul and Jaheim Thomas were the top duo at linebacker, backed by Jordan Crook and Brad Spence.
Going out
After working inside the Walker Pavilion from Monday through Thursday in brutal heat last week, with the air conditioning finally coming on line Thursday, the Razorbacks practiced outside last Saturday and intend to stay out most of the week.
"We're going to be out all week probably until Thursday," Coach Sam Pittman said. "We'll probably go in Thursday. But other than that, I think with the weather and how it's been we'll get outside. We need to."
The conditions are expected to be temperatures in the low to mid 90s on the artificial turf at War Memorial Stadium on game day.
Ticket talk
Around 40,000 tickets had been sold for the season opener against Western Carolina as of Tuesday morning, according to a team spokesman.
The Razorbacks are tracking toward an attendance similar to their most recent game at War Memorial Stadium two years ago when an announced crowd of 42,576 was on hand for a 45-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The listed capacity at the stadium is 54,120.
Attendances have dwindled in recent years for games in Little Rock. Less than 80% of tickets have been sold for three of the past four games there.
The average listed attendance, based on tickets sold, for the Razorbacks' past five games at War Memorial Stadium is 42,204. The opponents for those games were Alcorn State (2016), Florida A&M (2017), Ole Miss (2018), Missouri (2019) and UAPB.
Big ol' boys
Western Carolina Coach Kerwin Bell said his offenses always produce and he's making it work sometimes with "misfit toys" with the Catamounts. He sounded a little envious of the Razorbacks' dynamic backfield tandem of quarterback KJ Jefferson and tailback Raheim "Rocket" Sanders.
"Now we're a bunch of misfit toys, instead of the perfect back at 240 pounds, which is what Rocket is over there," Bell said. "We've got guys who are maybe 5-7. But they've got the skill level to compete."
Later, discussing Jefferson, Bell noted, "Well, he's a big man, I tell you what. You watch him in press conferences and his arms are as big as the D-lineman sitting up there by him.
"He's a phenomenal looking athlete just seeing him on film. Then just his skill level is very impressive."
Time change
Western Carolina Coach Kerwin Bell said UA officials kept the Catamounts informed starting last weekend that the kickoff time might be moved up from 3 p.m. The Razorbacks announced on Monday, the opener would kick at noon at War Memorial Stadium.
"We knew on Saturday, I think it was, they were starting to think about it, but they had to get it OK'd through the SEC and things," Bell said, adding his director of football operations kept him informed throughout the discussion.
"They sort of asked -- I don't know if I had anything to do with it -- but they asked if I was OK with it, and I was fine with it," he said. "I didn't have any reason not to change if that was good for the players and what they thought was good for everybody, the fans also with the heat. That was my only involvement."
Catamount out
Western Carolina will be missing a key player Saturday.
Junior defensive lineman Micah Nelson, a preseason All-Southern Conference pick by the coaches, will miss the season after undergoing knee surgery a couple of weeks ago, a Western Carolina spokesman confirmed. Nelson started all 22 games the past two seasons and had 62 tackles.