Tag: K.J. Jefferson

2024 NFL Draft: Quarterbacks to watch for week 6 of college football

During week 6 of college football, @MixsonS_NFL breaks down the quarterbacks to watch on Saturday afternoon

Week six of college football is here and it seems to get more exciting as each Saturday comes and goes.

Conference play is in full swing, which means that the push for the College Football Playoff has commenced.

To get there, nine times out of ten, teams will need stellar play from their signal-callers. Which means that quarterback production will be under a microscope as these teams look to make their case for a playoff berth.

In this exercise, we will discuss quarterbacks who could be up for a statement game while simultaneously raising their draft stock in the 2024 NFL draft.

Rocket Sanders among top running backs in college football according to College Sports Wire

College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked the best running backs in college football for next season. Check out where he has Arkansas’ Rocket Sanders.

Arkansas football experienced a lot of change over the off-season, but the running back position is largely the same.

Raheim “Rocket” Sanders will once again lead the Razorback backfield, with [autotag]A.J. Green[/autotag], [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag] and [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] returning to help the SEC’s second-leading rusher from 2022. The only newcomer to the group is incoming freshman [autotag]Isaiah Augustave[/autotag] – a four-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class.

With so much depth and experience returning to the Arkansas backfield in 2023, the Razorbacks are expected to pick up right where they left off last season. New offensive coordinator [autotag]Dan Enos[/autotag] has made some noticeable tweaks to the offense from what it looked like under [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag], but the philosophy of being a dominant rushing team has not changed.

Adding in the fact that [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] is also back for another season, and it’s hard not to expect another big year for Sanders and the Arkansas backfield. Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire is also a big believer in Sanders entering next season. Conn shared his top running backs in college football for 2023 and had [autotag]Rocket Sanders[/autotag] ranked at No. 3 behind Blake Corum (Michigan) and Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss). Conn says that 2023 could be Sanders’ best yet since arriving in Fayetteville.

The man they call “Rocket” was a force for the Hogs offense over the last two seasons, and despite the opportunity to go pro he returns for another season. Over the past two campaigns, Sanders has tallied 2,401 yards of offense and 18 touchdowns. This could be his best season yet with K.J. Jefferson also returning to Fayetteville.

As previously mentioned, Sanders finished last season as the SEC’s second leading rusher, behind Quinshon Judkins. He ran 222 times for 1,443 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also hauling in 28 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Sanders was the only consistent presence on an Arkansas offense which struggled for most of the season.

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Dillon Gabriel among Pro Football Focus’ highest graded returning quarterbacks for 2023

Dillon Gabriel is among Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterbacks returning for the 2023 season.

The 2023 college football season will be written by returning quarterbacks. It’s a deep group of passers that features 2022’s Heisman trophy winner and a number of players that had breakout seasons a year ago.

Pro Football Focus released a list of their highest-graded returning quarterbacks for the 2023 season, and Dillon Gabriel was among a who’s who of players.

Despite missing a half against TCU and the Red River showdown, Gabriel was very good for his first year at the Power Five level. It helps that Gabriel worked with Lebby at UCF when he was a true freshman. It made for a seamless transition.

In Dillon Gabriel’s true freshman season in 2019, he and Lebby helped the UCF offense rank No. 5 in total offense. Gabriel had 3,653 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns that year. Against a higher level of competition, Gabriel put up similar numbers in his first season with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Here’s a look a the top 10 returning quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

First half recap: Arkansas holds lead despite Auburn holding several advantages

Arkansas leads 17-13 at halftime, but trails in overall yards and time of possession.

The Arkansas Razorbacks return from the bye week to face an Auburn Tiger team that, on paper, they match up well with.

Auburn tried to throw off the scent of their gameplan by initially announcing that third-string quarterback Holden Geriner would get the start today. However, it turned out to be a mistake, as Robby Ashford would get the start.

Through one half, Arkansas holds a slight advantage in the passing game while Auburn has outrushed the Razorbacks, 144-70. [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] leads the way for the Arkansas offense by rushing for two scores while accumulating 192 yards of total offense.

Auburn holds a two-yard advantage over Arkansas through one half, 246-244. Auburn has also held the ball longer three minutes longer than Arkansas.

How did the first half pan out? Take a look below.

For Pittman and Jefferson, Saturday’s game at Auburn will be ‘personal’

Arkansas has not beaten Auburn in football since 2015. They hope to change the narrative on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Let us begin this article by stepping back in time.

The year is 2015, the setting is Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson boots a 41-yard field goal with 0:04 remaining in regulation to tie Arkansas at 24-24, sending the game to overtime.

Auburn and Arkansas would trade touchdowns through three overtimes, but the Razorbacks ultimately prevailed thanks to a 25-yard pass from [autotag]Brandon Allen[/autotag] to [autotag]Cole Kelly[/autotag] on the first play of the 4th overtime, beating Auburn, 54-46.

That would mark the last time that Arkansas has beaten Auburn in the sport of football.

Arkansas head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag], as well as Razorback quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] hope to change the course of the annual series on Saturday, by winning their first game over the Tigers in six years and grabbing their first win at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2012.

Pittman has done great things at Arkansas in his three-year tenure. He led them to nine wins and a bowl win over Penn State in his second season. Before that, Arkansas had not won a bowl game since the 2015 season and had not won more than eight games since 2011.

One thing he has not done, however, is beat Auburn. He says that he has gotten a sense at practice this week that playing Auburn is “personal” to his players.

“We’ve got to win,” Pittman said during his Wednesday press conference. “It’s going to be very difficult but, to answer your question, I do feel at practice that we understand that Auburn has embarrassed us six years in a row and we would like not to make it the seventh. But we’ve got to go play well.”

Pittman says that he feels the need to win from players such as offensive lineman [autotag]Dalton Wagner[/autotag], who has been on the Razorbacks roster for six years, and for KJ Jefferson, who is looking to avenge last season’s loss after completing just 21-of-35 passes in last season’s loss to Auburn.

Not only does Jefferson want to lead his program to their first win over Auburn since 2015, but the 2020 game is still fresh on his mind.

“I mean, we know what happened when we went down there,” Jefferson said. “So, I mean, everybody has the memory still in the back of their heads. So, this week, it’s more personal than anything. We’re taking it as a challenge. More personally, try not to leave the game to the ref’s hands. So, we just want to come out and dominate and play our brand of football.”

The Razorbacks and Tigers are set to meet for the 31st time in history on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT.

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How does the ESPN Football Power Index forecast Arkansas’ final five games?

Arkansas enters the bye week with momentum after beating BYU on the road. Does the ESPN FPI see them keeping it?

The Arkansas Razorbacks returned to the win column last Saturday by defeating BYU in impressive fashion, 52-35 at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

Quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] returned from injury to throw for 353 yards and five touchdowns, while [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] rushed for a season-high 175 yards and two scores. Defensively, [autotag]Hudson Clark[/autotag] made 11 stops and picked off Cougar quarterback Jaren Hall.

The win gave Arkansas heavy momentum heading into the bye week. So, how will they use that to their advantage as they prepare to play five final games?

The Razorbacks have a chance to win every remaining game on their schedule by the eye test, but the Football Power Index from ESPN says otherwise.

The formula that measures team strength, and is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season, is sticking true to their preseason projections. The FPI projects Arkansas to win just two more games this season, which would give Arkansas a final record of 6-6.

The Razorbacks will play just two more games on the road, once at Auburn and again at Missouri, with their three toughest remaining games being played at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Here is how the ESPN FPI predicts Arkansas’ season to shake out.

Rocket Sanders bounces back after early fumble, has career day

After a first quarter fumble against BYU on Saturday, Raheim Sanders bounced back by rushing for a season-high 175 yards.

Arkansas Football began their game at BYU on a sour note.

The Razorbacks, who were looking to snap a three-game losing skid, turned the football over on their first possession when [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] fumbled the ball on 2nd down and 10 from the Arkansas 45-yard line. The fumble luckily failed to result in BYU points. It also sparked what would turn into a career day for the sophomore back.

Following the fumble, Sanders would go on to rush for a season-high 175 yards in Arkansas’ 52-35 win over the Cougars in Provo. He did so, ironically, on a season-low 15 carries.

The turnover was Arkansas’ only blemish on the day, as the Arkansas defense would go on to win the battle by recovering two of their own. Head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] said that he was pleased with his team’s victory in the turnover battle.

“What was the turnover ratio today? 2 to 1? (Hudson Clark) and who? I was really pleased,” Pittman said after the game. “BYU had only turned the ball over three times all year. I thought Rocket really rebounded after that and had a really good game.”

Following the turnover, Pittman made the decision to sit Sanders for a few plays. He says that he usually does that for the player’s mental state. The theory proved to be correct on Saturday.

“I didn’t feel like he was hitting the holes like he should have and he put the ball on the ground. We’ve got to let guys think about it for a minute. We’ve got other guys who can go in there,” Pittman said. “He’s a great kid and he rebounded. … I think it’s pretty motivating for anybody who cares. I know he does. Any time you’re thinking you should be in the game and you’re not, I think it’s motivating.” 

Arkansas posted 644 yards of total offense on Saturday. Quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] passed for 367 yards and five touchdowns to go along with Sanders’ two rushing scores.

Photo Gallery: Arkansas back on track with win over BYU

Here are the best images from Arkansas’ 52-35 win at BYU on Saturday.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are back in the win column after taking care of BYU on Saturday, 52-35 at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

The game saw a first-half shootout, where both Arkansas and BYU scored on six straight possessions. Two BYU turnovers turned into two Arkansas touchdowns, giving them a 31-21 lead at halftime.

The Razorbacks kept it going in the 2nd half, outscoring the Cougars, 21-14 over the final two quarters to secure the win.

[autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] had a phenomenal comeback game by completing 29-of-40 passes for 367 yards and five touchdowns. [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] added 175 yards on the ground, and an additional two touchdowns.

Defensively, [autotag]Hudson Clark[/autotag] had a great day by making 11 stops and recovering two turnovers.

Here is your chance to relive Saturday’s big win. Here are the best images from Saturday’s win.

Ranking SEC quarterbacks based on passing grades

A look at where Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback K.J. Jefferson ranks among his peers through week 6 of the college football season.

The quarterback play in the SEC this season has been good to really good for some, while others have bad to really awful. It has been a mixed bag.

Looking at the top five passers in the conference, they have protected the football really well. They combined for just 8 interceptions through Week 6. The bottom five passers, well they have seen plenty of issues protecting the football. They combined for 29 interceptions, led by Spencer Rattler’s 8.

For the most part, these quarterbacks are pretty mobile and use their legs better than some others in college football. Whether that is to tuck the ball and run, or just to create time for their receivers to get open.

As we hit the “midway” point in the college football season, we check in on where each SEC quarterback is ranked using their passing grades from Pro Football Focus. Does [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] check in among the top passers the conference has to offer?

Sam Pittman provides injury update on K.J. Jefferson

Jefferson exited Saturday’s loss to Alabama in the 4th quarter. What is his status for the Mississippi State game?

The No. 25 Arkansas Razorbacks lost one of their key offensive weapons in last Saturday’s 49-26 loss to No. 1 Alabama.

Quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] exited the game in the 4th quarter after taking a sack that caused him injury. After the game, head coach Sam Pittman did not offer any clarity as to what the injury was, or what his status was going forward.

“I don’t know where he’s at, to be honest with you,” Pittman said Saturday. “Obviously, we didn’t bring him back in. I don’t know any more than that.”

Pittman took the podium Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference. During the media availability, Pittman was asked about Jefferson’s status. His response was rather hazy.

The Razorbacks have three more days to prepare before hitting the road to play No. 23 Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, so hopefully, Jefferson’s condition improves well enough for him to receive playing time.

If not, the Razorbacks will more than likely turn to USF transfer [autotag]Cade Fortin[/autotag] to lead the offense. Fortin completed 4-of-10 passes for 35 yards in relief of Jefferson last Saturday and rushed for nine yards in his Arkansas debut. He got the nod over [autotag]Malik Hornsby[/autotag], which was surprising considering that Hornsby was listed as the second-string quarterback on the depth chart released at the beginning of the week.

Arkansas travels to Mississippi State this Saturday for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

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