Tag: Arkansas BYU

No one in Arkansas cares right now, but these are the Hogs’ Players of the Game vs BYU

Arkansas’ defense is legitimately good. The offense has spots. The reality is just one thing is truly scarily wrong for the Hogs.

Nary an Arkansas fan wants to read this particular article the morning after a devastating loss to Brigham Young.

Some cuckoos are calling for Sam Pittman’s job, apparently forgetting Arkansas is just 2-1, not 0-3 and apparently forgetting the Razorbacks are coming off three straight bowl invitations.

The reality is that Arkansas was outcoached against the Cougars, definitely. They were not outplayed. Not on the field, anyway. OK, except maybe BYU’s defensive line against Arkansas’ offensive line.

But the Razorbacks defense seems to be legitimately good. Not good enough, probably, to get the Hogs to the eight wins most sought going into this season. A return of Rocket Sanders at running back would be needed. An improved KJ Jefferson would be needed. A playmaker at wideout needed. And, yes, that aforementioned offensive line must, must, must improve.

That’s all the stuff for the future. Let’s take a look at the bright spots Saturday that could assist in getting things fixed going forward.

Everything Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said after embarrassing loss to BYU

The questions toward Sam Pittman are only going to get stronger in nature if the Razorbacks keep losing.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman had to know the questions were coming with fervor. He’s been around long enough to know.

The Razorbacks’ head man was asked three times about his fourth-down attempt from midfield in the third quarter. Specifically, he was asked why he and offensive coordinator Dan Enos chose to put KJ Jefferson in the shotgun when, given his size and strength, Jefferson would likely have been better suited under center and sneaking forward.

The hand-off to Rashod Dubinion failed, Arkansas lost the ball and gave up 17 straight points, ultimately losing the game, 38-31.

They also may have lost the fan base in the process.

Pittman’s attitude after the game suggests he knows as much. Check out what he had to say late Saturday night.

Mistakes aplenty as Arkansas falls at home to BYU

The questions about Arkansas after two games were modest. Now they’re serious.

Arkansas’ offense had its moments. Its defense was good for the most part.

But too little from the former and too many big plays off the latter resulted in Arkansas’ first loss of the season, 38-31, to Brigham Young on Saturday night in front of the eighth largest crowd in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium history.

Chase Roberts made a one-handed touchdown grab halfway through the fourth quarter that provided the Cougars the game-winning score.

Arkansas had two subsequent chances to respond, but punted on its first and KJ Jefferson fumbled on its second as BYU held on.

The Razorbacks hadn’t looked especially strong in either of its first two games against Western Carolina and Kent State, but those teams weren’t good enough to win. BYU was.

As will be the rest of the SEC, which Arkansas begins playing Saturday, starting with LSU on the road Saturday.

WATCH: AJ Green’s second touchdown builds Arkansas’ lead vs BYU

With his third-quarter TD run, AJ Green achieved the first multi-touchdown of his career.

AJ Green has the speed. He always had.

Early in the third quarter against Brigham Young, he showed has some strength, too.

Green ran for a seven-yard touchdown up the middle to cap a four-play, 54-yard drive for Arkansas that provided the Razorbacks a two-score lead, 31-21, with 11:41 left in the quarter.

The touchdown was Green’s second of the day after he opened the scoring on the first drive of the game with a 55-yard touchdown run. By adding the second touchdown, the junior picked up his first career multi-touchdown game.

Even besides the score, the third-quarter drive was evidence Arkansas’ offensive troubles had largely disappeared. The Razorbacks punted on five straight drives over the course of the first and second quarters and picked up just 25 yards total.

KJ Jefferson and Luke Hasz tied the game at 21 with a 19-yard throw and catch late in the second to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive and Cam Little provided the Razorbacks with a lead going into halftime with a 26-yard field goal that capped a five-play, 36-yard drive immediately after.

Green’s third-quarter touchdown came on Arkansas’ first possession of the half.

Arkansas – BYU: LIVE second half updates, scores and highlights

Arkansas holds a 24-21 lead over BYU at halftime. Follow along here for live updates of all the second half action.

It’s been an action-packed first half from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium as Arkansas leads BYU 24-21 at halftime.

The Hogs got off to a blistering start as they used a 55-yard touchdown run from AJ Green and an 88-yard punt return touchdown from Isaiah Sategna to jump out to a 14-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for BYU to respond as they answered with 21-straight points of their own to take a touchdown lead midway through the second quarter. The Hogs were able to respond with a solid touchdown drive to tie things up when Jefferson found Luke Hasz for a touchdown. A fumble recovery by Arkansas set them up for a Cam Little field goal heading into halftime.

Follow along below as we give you drive-by-drive and score-by-score updates from all of tonight’s second half action between the Razorbacks and Cougars.

Watch: KJ Jefferson’s patience pays off as Arkansas ties BYU before half

Arkansas had just 25 yards of total offense on its previous five series before Luke Hasz’s first career touchdown reception.

The hot start Arkansas had against Brigham Young on Saturday was just that. A start. The Razorbacks was a disaster offensively after their first series.

Until just before halftime.

KJ Jefferson led Arkansas on a 10-play, 70-yard drive that chewed up almost six minutes and was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Luke Hasz.

The touchdown was the first of Hasz’s career and was one that allowed Arkansas tie the game with BYU, 21-21, with 1:43 left before halftime.

Arkansas had taken a quick 14-0 lead after AJ Green ran 55 yards for a touchdown on the first drive and Isaiah Sategna returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown after BYU’s first possession.

The Cougars responded with a trick-play touchdown pass and a 45-yard touchdown run before taking the lead on their own 10-play, 70-yard drive early in the second quarter.

Arkansas had picked up only 25 yards on five drives in-between its two offensive touchdown series.

Watch as BYU’s trick play fools every single Arkansas defender

Clever. The Cougars hadn’t had much luck moving the ball against Arkansas to that point.

The only people who couldn’t see Brigham Young’s wide receiver-pass coming were at field level.

Those were the only people that mattered.

BYU cut Arkansas’ first-quarter lead to 14-7 when Parker Kingston took a lateral from quarterback Kedon Slovis, planted his feet and found running back Deion Smith without a red shirt for 20 yards in any direction down near the end zone with 8:28 left in the quarter.

Kingston, a freshman, had loads of time, so he took his time with a clean ball to a waiting Smith. The touchdown was for 37 yards, though Kingston likely threw it longer than that, considering Smith was on the opposite side of the field.

BYU needed just two plays on the drive to pull within a touchdown. The Cougars began with good field position – their own 47 – after their defense pinned Arkansas near its own goal line on the previous possession.

Arkansas had taken a 14-0 lead on a 55-yard AJ Green touchdown run and an 88-yard Isaiah Sategna punt-return touchdown.

 

WATCH: Isaiah Sategna takes BYU punt 88 yards for a touchdown

It was the fourth longest punt return in school history and longest since Joe Adams’ 97-yarder in 2010.

Sam Pittman has raved about Isaiah Sategna’s big-play ability for two weeks. The Arkansas coach could sense a big play was on the horizon.

The reality is that it only took three games for the redshirt freshman to make it happen.

Sategna took a Brigham Young punt back 88 yards for a touchdown with 11:29 left in the first quarter of Arkansas’ Week 3 game against the Cougars. The yardage resulted in the fourth longest punt return in Arkansas history and longest since Joe Adams set the school record with a 97-yard return against Ole Miss in 2010.

Arkansas had forced BYU into a three-and-out on the Cougars’ first drive, which began after AJ Green’s touchdown run to start things. BYU picked up a first down on the first play of the drive via an Arkansas pass interference penalty before having to punt to Sategna.

It’s baaack! Check out AJ Green’s first-quarter touchdown run against BYU

Fifty-five yards in a hurry. Green remains one of the fastest players on the Arkansas roster. The touchdown was proof.

Most of the concern about the Arkansas football team two weeks into the season centered around a running game that had fallen well short of its 2023 standards.

And while that hasn’t been cured, positive signs took little time to peek Saturday against Brigham Young.

Running back AJ Green, on the fourth play of the game, scampered 55 yards around the right side, up the sideline, hopping over a would-be tackler en route to the end zone to give Arkansas a quick 7-0 lead.

The Razorbacks ran for 63 yards on the drive with two carries for Green and one for quarterback KJ Jefferson. That yardage total is already a third of what Arkansas gained in its Week 2 win over Kent State and more than half of what it had in the opener against Western Carolina.

Arkansas – BYU: LIVE first half updates, scores and highlights

Follow along with us here for drive-by-drive and score-by-score updates from the first half of Arkansas and BYU.

For just the second time ever, the [autotag]Arkansas Razorbacks[/autotag] (2-0) and BYU Cougars (2-0) are facing off on the gridiron.

The first matchup happened last season in Provo, where the Hogs came up victorious in a 52-35 shootout. While it likely won’t be that same high-scoring affair this time around, it could be an exciting game.

BYU matches up well with Arkansas and will provide the Hogs with their first true test of the season. In their first two games of the season, BYU struggled in their opener against Sam Houston State – winning 14-0. They fared much better last week with a 41-16 win over Southern Utah. That’s the opposite of how Arkansas has looked through two games.

Arkansas didn’t look great against Kent State last week, winning 28-6, but looked incredible in their 56-13 season-opening win over Western Carolina. It has all the makings for a very fun night in Fayetteville.

Follow along below as we give you drive-by-drive and score-by-score updates from all of tonight’s action between the Razorbacks and Cougars.