KJ Jefferson deserved better than to go out like this.
The fifth-year senior quarterback at Arkansas set two Razorbacks records Saturday in the team’s 34-22 loss to Texas A&M and a season that could have cemented Jefferson’s legacy as perhaps the best quarterback in school history, is trending toward being remembered as a massive disappointment.
Not of Jefferson’s doing, mind you, but it will be years before the thing most remembered about Saturday’s game was Jefferson’s setting of the school’s career touchdown and career yardage marks. Heading into Week 6, Jefferson has 8,408 yards of total offense and 78 touchdowns.
Incidentally, the Mississippi native seems to be on-pace with the guy whom he passed, Matt Jones. Arkansas went 9-4, 9-5 and 5-6 in his three years as starter. Arkansas went 9-4, 7-6 and to-be-determined in Jefferson’s three years a primary starter. Jones’ first two seasons are fondly remembered before the final was considered a disappointment, too, much the way Jefferson’s is trending.
Arkansas still has time to fix things, certainly, with the team just a game below .500. But considering Week 6 is at an Ole Miss team that just beat an LSU bunch that Arkansas lost to and Week 7 is the deadly trip to Alabama, the odds of the Razorbacks snapping their three-game losing streak soon are limited.
Still, if Jefferson can stay upright – Arkansas 18 sacks allowed rank the Razorbacks ahead of just eight teams in FBS – lemonade is still in the recipe book.