Tag: Dominque Johnson

The return of DJ? Hogs ground game could get even better against South Carolina

Dominque Johnson could be back against South Carolina and his return would be major for Arkansas.

Arkansas’ dynamite running game from last season looked the part in 2022, already, too. It could improve even more.

Rocket Sanders, who ran for 578 yards last year as a freshman, is the third leading rusher in yards-per-game a week into the season. His back-up AJ Green had what coach Sam Pittman called the Green’s best-ever carry against Cincinnati.

Now, the man who started in the backfield for the Razorbacks during the second half of the season could be making his return.

Dominque Johnson missed the Bearcats game because he’s still nursing a knee injury suffered in last year’s Outback Bowl win. Pittman and the coaching staff had him prepping last week for possible participation this week against South Carolina. It’s too early to tell if it’ll happen, but it would be a boon.

“We’re going to put him out there this week and see what he can do,” Pittman said. “I felt like we were experimenting with him a little bit last week. We were trying to get him ready for a possibility to play against South Carolina.

Johnson finished fourth on the team yards rushing with 578, but it was less than 100 yards behind team leader KJ Jefferson. He’s different than Sanders and Green in that he’s more of a power back. That difference could make opponents change their game plan. And it could start against the Gamecocks.

“We’re going to amp up his responsibility and reps. If he feels good about it, he’ll play.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=none image=https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Arkansas Football named one of College Football’s “Most Exciting Teams” ahead of 2022 season

It seems that the national media is picking up what Arkansas fans already know… the Hogs are fun again.

We now take a break from the myriad of mock drafts to bring you something that most Arkansas fans already know… Arkansas Razorbacks football is fun again.

Although Razorback fans saw that firsthand after witnessing the first nine-plus win season since 2011, it is always exciting to see that the national media also sees the buzz surrounding Arkansas football.

Brad Crawford of 247sports recently put out a piece titled “College football’s most boring, entertaining teams ahead of 2022 season”, and Arkansas has made the list as the No. 3 most exciting team for the upcoming season.

Arkansas joins fellow SEC squads Alabama and Georgia, as well as Ohio State and Arizona State on the list. What will make Arkansas football so entertaining in 2022? Crawford explains:

The Razorbacks play an exciting brand of football under Sam Pittman and led the SEC in rushing last season. KJ Jefferson came into his own during his first full season as the Razorbacks’ starting quarterback with 2,676 yards and 21 scores through the air. Nine-win Arkansas was extremely entertaining since a quarter of its games were decided by a touchdown or less, including a 52-51 nail-biting loss to Ole Miss in October and a narrow setback at Alabama later.

The Razorbacks have also succeeded in landing talent from the Transfer Portal. Joining Haselwood are [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag] from Alabama, [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag] from Georgia, [autotag]Jordan Dominek[/autotag] from Georgia Tech, and [autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag] from LSU.