Tag: Cam Little

Can Arkansas upset Texas A&M or will Bobby Petrino get revenge? Three reasons why each can happen

Will the Hogs upset the Aggies in Arlington or will Bobby Petrino finally get his revenge? Here’s three reasons why each could happen.

The Southwest Classic has not been kind to the Arkansas Razorbacks since its’ inception in 2009.

Arkansas still holds an eight-game advantage in the overall series record, but have only won four times since 2009. That stretch includes a nine-game losing streak from 2012 to 2020.

Over the years, Arkansas has found countless ways to lose this game to the Aggies. It just seems like something always happens in this rivalry game that keeps the Hogs from winning the close ones. Last year, it was a [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] fumble and ensuing 99-yard scoop-and-score combined with [autotag]Cam Little[/autotag]’s missed field goal at the end of the game that to Arkansas’ getting beat.

This year’s matchup should be pretty even and there’s more added flavor than there has been in years past. [autotag]Bobby Petrino[/autotag] will be on the sidelines – or in the press box – calling shots for the Texas A&M on Saturday.

So, will Arkansas be able to upset the Aggies and turn the season around or will Petrino finally get his revenge on the Razorbacks? Let’s look at three reasons why both outcomes can happen.

Pittman, Hogs name the six Arkansas team captains for 2023

One newcomer to the team joined some Arkansas vets as the Razorbacks captains this upcoming season.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has named his six team captains for the 2023 season.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Rocket Sanders were unsurprising selections. Offensive lineman Brady Latham and kicker Cam Little were the next most experienced choices. And defensive linemen Landon Jackson and Trajan Jeffcoat were the other two.

Jeffcoat is in his first year with Arkansas after an All-SEC career at Missouri. He had 20 tackles for the Tigers last year, but was a first-team All-SEC choice in 2020 when he registered six sacks.

Latham, Jefferson and Sanders were all preseason All-SEC choices from both the media and coaches earlier this summer. Little is on-pace to become Arkansas’ leading scorer, having been the team’s primary placekicker both of his previous seasons after arriving from high-school football in Oklahoma.

Arkansas opens its season Sept. 2 against Western Carolina in Little Rock.

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Coaches select six Hogs as preseason All-SEC

Senior running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and senior cornerback Dwight “Nudie” McGlothern were both selected first-teamers by the SEC coaches

Six Arkansas Razorbacks were voted to the 2023 Preseason Coaches All-SEC teams, the league announced Tuesday.

Arkansas landed two first-team selections, in junior running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and senior cornerback Dwight “Nudie” McGlothern. Sanders was previously named Preseason First Team All-SEC by the media last month, while McGlothern earned second-team honors.

The coaches’ second team included senior quarterback KJ Jefferson and two of his senior offensive linemen, Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer.

Jefferson and Latham were also second-team selections by the media.

Junior kicker Cam Little, a Freshman All-SEC performer in 2021, rounded out the coaches’ selections with third-team honors.

This was highest number of Razorbacks on the list since the 2011 team that finished the season 11-2, who placed seven players on the first two units.

Here’s a look at the complete Preseason All-SEC football teams. Georgia led the way with 14 selections and LSU had 11.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB – Jayden Daniels, LSU

RB – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss

RB – Raheim Sanders, Arkansas

WR – Malik Nabers, LSU

WR – Antwane Wells*, South Carolina

WR – Ladd McConkey*, Georgia

TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia

OL – JC Latham, Alabama

OL – Tate Ratledge, Georgia

OL – Will Campbell, LSU

OL – Amarius Mims, Georgia

C – Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

AP – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

Defense

DL – Mekhi Wingo, LSU

DL – Mykel Williams, Georgia

DL – Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia

DL – Maason Smith, LSU

LB – Dallas Turner, Alabama

LB – Harold Perkins, LSU

LB – Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia

DB – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia

DB – Javon Bullard, Georgia

DB – Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas

Special Teams

PK – Will Reichard, Alabama

P – Kai Kroeger, South Carolina

RS – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

KOS – Mitch Jeter, South Carolina

LS – Wesley Schelling, Vanderbilt

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB – KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

RB – Jase McClellan, Alabama

RB – Kendall Milton, Georgia

WR – Bru McCoy, Tennessee

WR – Evan Stewart*, Texas A&M

WR – Will Sheppard*, Vanderbilt

WR – Jermaine Burton*, Alabama

TE – Mason Taylor, LSU

OL – Javon Foster, Missouri

OL – Brady Latham, Arkansas

OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama

OL – Xavier Truss*, Georgia

OL – Emery Jones*, LSU

C – Beaux Limmer, Arkansas

AP – Tulu Griffin, Mississippi State

Defense

DL – McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M

DL – Jaheim Oatis, Alabama

DL – Deone Walker, Kentucky

DL – Justin Eboigbe, Alabama

LB – Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State

LB – Smael Mondon, Georgia

LB – JJ Weaver, Kentucky

DB – Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

DB – Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

DB – Malachi Moore, Alabama

DB – Demani Richardson, Texas A&M

Special Teams

PK – Harrison Mevis, Missouri

P – Nik Constantinou, Texas A&M

RS – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

KOS – Nathan Dibert, LSU

LS – Kneeland Hibbett, Alabama

THIRD TEAM

Offense

QB – Will Rogers, Mississippi State

RB – Trevor Etienne, Florida

RB – Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

WR – Luther Burden III, Missouri

WR – Ainias Smith*, Texas A&M

WR – Ja’Corey Brooks*, Alabama

TE – Luke Deal*, Auburn

TE – Caden Prieskorn*, Ole Miss

TE – Michael Trigg*, Ole Miss

TE – Trey Knox*, South Carolina

OL – Layden Robinson, Texas A&M

OL – Eli Cox, Kentucky

OL – Jeremy James, Ole Miss

OL – Kam Stutts*, Auburn

OL – Javontez Spraggins*, Tennessee

OL – Micah Pettus*, Ole Miss

C – Cooper Mays, Tennessee

AP – Dakereon Joyner, South Carolina

Defense

DL – Princely Umanmiellen, Florida

DL – Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina

DL – Jared Ivey, Ole Miss

DL – Tim Smith*, Alabama

DL – Darius Robinson*, Missouri

LB – Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri

LB – Jett Johnson, Mississippi State

LB – Chris Braswell, Alabama

DB – Marcellas Dial, South Carolina

DB – Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn

DB – Jason Marshall, Florida

DB – Greg Brooks, LSU

Special Teams

PK – Cam Little, Arkansas

P – Oscar Chapman*, Auburn

P – Matthew Hayball*, Vanderbilt

RS – Tulu Griffin, Mississippi State

LS – Slade Roy, LSU

*denotes tie in votes, ties are not broken.

Little shows off stronger leg in Hogs’ scrimmage

Cam Little has been booming kicks during camp thus far and will likely get more opportunities to show off his leg in 2023.

It appears Arkansas junior kicker Cam Little is already in midseason form, and poised to continue what has already been an outstanding 2-year career, thusfar.

The 6-foot-2, 179-pound product of Moore, OK, split the uprights from 58 yards out at the end of Saturday’s scrimmage, adding to Head Coach Sam Pittman’s confidence in the Razorbacks’ kicking game.

“At the end of the scrimmage, we put 13 seconds, one timeout, we were on the 46-yard line and we got up to the 40, called timeout and Cam came in there and busted a 58-yarder that could’ve went 68,” Pittman said. “He knocked the heck out of that ball.”

Pressure kicks are nothing new for Little, who has been true on all 96 of his extra-point attempts since winning the job as a true freshman. He has also connected on 33 of his 40 field goal attempts – a 82.5 percent clip – and has led the team in scoring with 195 points throughout his first two seasons.

Little worked hard in the offseason to strengthen his leg and improve his distance, while focusing on maintaining a consistent flight path. He is also a student of the game, observing NFL kickers, picking up new techniques to better himself.

“A lot of NFL kickers, that’s what separates a lot of guys,” Little said, following the scrimmage. “You can be a good college kicker and they’ll be some variation in your ball flight as long as it goes in. But those NFL guys keep that ball straight for such a long time, and that’s really what I’m trying to achieve — just keeping that ball flight straight.”

Little has been consistent throughout the early stages of fall practice, easily knocking through a 60-yarder in Tuesday’s practice.

“I can’t believe the guy’s leg,” a smiling Pittman said. “He’s just a little ‘ol bitty fella. But man, he can kick. I’ll tell you what, he’s fast, too. Maybe we can have a fake with him. He’s fast and he’s powerful and, man, he’s kicking good. He’s hitting them, and he’s got a leg. He’s earned the kickoff spot, too.”

Cam Little is one of the better kickers in the country. Will Arkansas use him more in 2023?

Arkansas’ junior kicker had far fewer chances in 2022 than his year before.

Most of the time, the term “on pace for” isn’t as beneficial as it sounds.

But when it comes to placekickers, a job in college football that isn’t prone to quite as much turnover or variance, the phrase becomes a bit stronger. At least, it’s a bit more accurate.

So when it’s written that Arkansas junior kicker Cam Little is on pace to be the Razorbacks all-time leader in nearly every statistical category the position carries, an idea of his talent is plenty easy to come by.

In two seasons holding the job full-time, Little is 33 of 40 on field goals – a .825 percentage – and has scored 195 points. For reference, he’s more than halfway to Zach Hocker, Arkansas’ all-time leader in field goals (61 of 79) and points (354). Little’s percentage is more than five points better, too (.772).

It isn’t just that Little has been good, he’s been efficient. It was a bit strange, then, last year, when his opportunities were cut by a third. He went from 24 field-goal attempts his freshman season to 16 last year. It wasn’t as though Arkansas was simply going for it on fourth down more often, either, as the Hogs went from 19 such attempts in 2021 to 20 in 2022.

The good news for Little, and perhaps Arkansas’ point total in 2023, is special teams coach Scott Fountain thinks head coach Sam Pittman will give his kicker more chances heading into year three.

“I’m all for it, and I know Cam is too,” Fountain said. “But I will say, so much of how your season is going on offense or defense and the flow of the game dictates that. Obviously, that’s never my call, but I’d like to see us (kick more), and Coach Pittman has talked a little bit more about trying to do that this year.”

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Arkansas football: What can we expect from the special teams in 2023?

Can Arkansas’ special teams be better in 2023? Here’s an in-depth look at what to expect from that group next season.

The Arkansas special teams unit has been a bit of a mystery over the last decade. During the early 2010s, fans grew accustomed to having game-changing players like Joe Adams or Dennis Johnson returning punts or kicks while having a reliable kicker like Zach Hocker.

Unfortunately, in recent years it’s been far from what it once was. The Arkansas special teams unit has lacked dynamic playmakers at those positions and consistently fails to execute in that phase of the game.

That has to change in 2023 and if you ask Razorback special teams coach Scott Fountain, the pieces are there to make it happen.

“We certainly have more talent than we’ve ever had on the team since I’ve been here,” said Fountain, speaking to the media on Sunday morning. “In the past we’ve pieced things together at times, and this year I feel like we really got some good players.”

[autotag]Bryce Stephens[/autotag] is back and will most likely handle the punt return responsibilities after a solid 2022 season. Stephens finished with 149 return yards and one touchdown – the one touchdown being the incredible 82-yard punt return against Missouri State.

“I feel like punt return, leaving spring, obviously we’ve got Bryce Stephens,” Fountain said. “Jaylon Braxton is a freshman. I really like him. He’s a very fast kid. A bigger kid. Also, [autotag]Isaiah Sategna[/autotag] as well. I think all three of those guys have a chance for us back there. We’ll just see how it plays out.”

On kick returns, Fountain expects AJ Green to handle those duties, as he did in 2022, but we could see Sategna take on some of that responsibility.

“If you move over to the kick return spot, obviously, we have AJ (Green) back, but I really like Isaiah Sategna, as well,” Fountain said. “He was a very good returner in high school.”

“We’ve done a lot of studying on KOR this offseason, and we’d like to be more productive there with the opportunities we get. We’d like to take a few more opportunities than what we have done in the past. You can sit back there and fair catch them all day with that rule, but we feel like we have some guys that have a chance to change the game.”

On the flip side of that, Cam Little is back to handle field goal duties. After earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2021, he went 13-16 on field goals and was perfect on extra points in 2022. One of those three missed field goals was a potential game-winner against Texas A&M. However, Little bounced back following that miss and Fountain took notice

“What I like about Cam is last year we missed the field goal down at Texas A&M and he came right back and made six or seven field goals in a row,” said Fountain. “That’s what he brings to the table. He’s a very strong-minded young man.”

We could see Little handle the kickoff responsibilities as he’s in a battle with Devin Bale and Blake Ford for that job.

The only other question on special teams is at punter. Sophomore Max Fletcher will be the punter after having a very tough freshman season. Fountain says that he’s very happy with the progress Fletcher has made over the summer.

“He had a really good spring and really good summer. We do a lot of charting in the summer as well, and I was really proud of him there,” Fountain said. “Today was our first day to punt live. I think out of his three punts, he hit what I’d call an A-ball. The second was a B-ball. So, two of the three were pretty decent balls. I think he’s headed in the right direction.”

For the Razorbacks to take another step forward as a team this season, the special teams will need to execute at a much higher level. Things look to be headed in that direction, but we will find out firsthand on Sept. 2 when the open the season against Western Carolina.

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Arkansas Football Offseason Depth Chart – Special Teams

Cam Little is one of the SEC’s best kickers. Bryce Stephens the same as punt returner. But the rest of special teams? To be determined.

The game of football has changed so much in the last 10 years, nevermind the last 25, that special teams simply don’t have as large an impact as it used to in the sport.

That isn’t to say punters and kickers aren’t relevant. But with the kickoff on the perpetual chopping block seemingly every offseason and coaches taking fewer and fewer chances with returning kicks and punts, the days of a game-breaking playmaker in the back are few.

The best ones, though, can still alter things. That’s especially true with the positions where the foot touches the ball. The foot ball. Football.

Anyway, at Arkansas, the Razorbacks are in good shape at kicker and appear to be solid at punt returner, too. But elsewhere? Let’s see how the Hogs are looking on special teams this summer.

Instant analysis: Arkansas, LSU both sluggish after a half

Arkansas and LSU decided offense wasn’t necessary in the first half Saturday.

Neither Arkansas or LSU brought much offense to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the first half-hour on Saturday.

No. 7 LSU took a 6-3 lead into halftime, but had just 145 yards of total offense. The Razorbacks were on pace for their worst offensive output in the last decade-plus before the final drive of the half helped with 23 yards. Arkansas still had just 91 yards of total offense at the break.

Arkansas had entered the game with the No. 13 offense in FBS, averaging 485 yards a game. But that was with KJ Jefferson more often than not.

The Razorbacks announced their starting quarterback would not play against the Tigers as he continued to nurse a shoulder injury. Jefferson was on the field for warm-ups, but barely participated.

That put it on Malik Hornsby’s arm and legs. He went 2 for 6 passing for 15 yards and ran 13 times for 40 yards. Rocket Sanders, who led the SEC in yards rushing entering the game, had just 24 yards on seven carries.

Both teams lost a fumble and LSU one-upped Arkansas having thrown an interception, too.

Arkansas’ best chance for a touchdown came late in the first quarter when the Hogs spent all four plays inside the LSU 10. Coach Sam Pittman chose to go for it on fourth down and the drive ended with Hornsby stumbling well short of the end zone.

Cam Little’s 28-yard field goal in the first quarter gave Arkansas an initial lead before Damian Ramos booted two through in the second.

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Opinion: Don’t blame Cam Little or KJ Jefferson for Arkansas’ loss

KJ Jefferson and Cam Little are two of the best players on the Arkansas roster. They deserve praise, not derision.

Where would Arkansas be without quarterback KJ Jefferson?

Not sitting at 3-1. Not three inches from being 4-0 with Alabama visiting in a week. Jefferson remains one of the best quarterbacks in the country and against the Aggies, he had all three of Arkansas’ touchdowns: two through the air and one on the ground.

Yes, it should have been two on the ground. But, seriously, what are the odds the big man who is nearly impossible to bring down with one player would fumble? Then, for Texas A&M to take it back 97 yards? C’mon. It was a freak play.

And the same is true for Cam Little, whose year-plus with the Razorbacks have already launched him into the top 10 in Arkansas kicker history. He very well may be the best kicker the school has had before he’s done.

He pushed a field goal, a 42-yarder, mind you, just slightly right and it clanged off the top of the upright. It was inches, literally inches, from giving Arkansas a victory.

No one on the Arkansas roster is coming for either Jefferson’s or Little’s heads. Nor should any fan. In fact, like Jadon Haselwood said after the game, you should lift their heads.

Everyone gets to make mistakes. Arkansas’ loss wasn’t on either play. It’s just easier to find a scapegoat when emotions are running hot.

Live. Learn.

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Drama in DFW: Arkansas falls to Texas A&M after wild finish

Cam Little’s 42-yard field goal attempt hit the upright and fell short as Texas A&M ran out the clock in a two-point win.

Cam Little’s 42-yard field goal attempt with 1:35 could have put Arkansas ahead by a point.

Instead, the best kicker the Razorbacks have had since Zach Hocker saw his kick hit the top of the right upright, bounce skyward and fall a couple yards into the end zone.

Short.

Texas A&M’s bench exploded. The Aggies would run out the clock to win, 23-21, after scoring 23 straight points after Arkansas opened with a 14-0 lead.

The turning point came in the second quarter when Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson, diving toward the end zone, had the ball knocked loose. Texas A&M took it 97 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Arkansas’ offense sputtered on its next three series, notching just 19 yards, while the Aggies tacked on point after point. By the time the offense found its groove, the hole was deep. Jefferson led a 74-yard drive for a score midway through the fourth quarter and the defense responded by forcing an A&M punt.

But as Arkansas marched toward the end zone on its final drive, Little’s leg let him down.

Jefferson finished 12 of 19 for 171 yards with two passing touchdowns and he ran for 105 yards and a touchdown. The defense had no answer for Devon Achane, who had 170 yards of total offense, including a touchdown.

Arkansas hosts Alabama in Fayetteville in Week 5.

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