Tag: K.J. Jefferson

Malik Hornsby responds to transfer rumors

Rumors began spreading Saturday night of Hornsby possibly leaving the program. Sunday, Hornsby himself addressed the matter.

During the 4th quarter of Arkansas’ 49-26 loss to No. 2 Alabama on Saturday, quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] exited the game after taking a sack.

A surprise to many, head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] elected to send USF transfer [autotag]Cade Fortin[/autotag] to take Jefferson’s place instead of the listed backup on the depth chart, [autotag]Malik Hornsby[/autotag].

Following the game, Pittman was asked why he chose Fortin instead of Hornsby to fill in for the injured Jefferson. He provided an interesting response.

“That decision has been made for a while (instead of Malik),” Pittman said. “He’s our No. 2 quarterback so we put him in there.”

Fortin filled the void by completing 4-of-10 passes for 35 yards and attempted one rush for nine yards.

Following the game, fans noticed that all references of Arkansas had been wiped clean off of Hornsby’s Instagram account. The cleanse led to speculations of Hornsby’s possible departure from the team due to frustrations of being passed over for Fortin.

Sunday, Hornsby took to Twitter to clear up the rumors.

While Arkansas fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that Hornsby has shut down rumors, this still raises questions as to why he has been used sparingly this season.

Before the season began, Pittman called Hornsby one of the most athletic players on the roster.

“(Hornsby) has to earn the right to get on the field, but we need him on the field,” Pittman said. “We’ve got a plan for it. I hope it works and I feel like it will. We think he’s an excellent football player, so we are obviously going to give him the opportunity to win the (quarterback) job, but at the same time give him the opportunity to win the wide receiver’s spot, too.”

Through five games, Hornsby has rushed for 21 yards on three carries and has two catches for eight yards. As the Razorbacks prepare for the second half of the season, it would be worth keeping an eye on Hornsby’s progression. He will be instrumental in Arkansas finishing the regular season strong, but he will need to keep working to earn the coaches’ trust going forward in order to put himself in that position.

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The return of Johnson and Slusher adds value to Razorbacks

Running back Dominque Johnson and cornerback Myles Slusher returned to the field last Saturday and became immediate assets to their respective units.

The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks drew the short end of the stick last Saturday, falling to No. 17 Texas A&M, 23-21 in Arlington, Texas.

There were a few positives to take away from the game, including the performances of running back [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Myles Slusher[/autotag], who returned to the field after battling injuries.

Johnson’s return helps the Razorbacks in the running game. [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] continues to lead the SEC in rushing with 508 yards, while [autotag]A.J. Green[/autotag], [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag], and quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] carry their weight in the department, too.

Head coach Sam Pittman says that he was pleased with Johnson’s return.

“I thought he played well. I haven’t seen really what all he did. Five carries for 32 yards,” Pittman said during his postgame press conference on Saturday night. “I thought he played well. Looked like he was going north-south pretty good.”

Slusher’s return to the defensive backfield will only improve the unit as a whole, there were signs of that in the Texas A&M game. For the first time all season, Arkansas allowed just 151 passing yards, which is 200 yards below average. Slusher ended the game with six tackles, which was second-most behind Bumper Pool’s seven stops.

“(Slusher is) a good player. I think he was all over the place. Made a lot of tackles. He’s a good player now. A really good player,” Pittman said. “We need him to stay healthy. I thought our defense played a lot better game.”

Arkansas will now shift their focus to No. 2 Alabama, who comes to town this Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

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Second Half recap: Missed field goal erases comeback attempt

Arkansas could not stage a fourth-quarter comeback for the second week in a row, as they drop a heartbreaker to Texas A&M in Arlington.

For the second week in a row, it appeared that Arkansas was being set up for a furious fourth-quarter comeback. However, a few plays failed to bounce Arkansas’ way, which allowed Texas A&M to escape with a 23-21 win over the Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

After holding on to a 14-13 lead heading into halftime, No. 10 Arkansas (3-1, 0-1 SEC) gave up ten points to No. 20 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) in the 3rd quarter to give the Aggies the 23-14 advantage.

Arkansas closed the game to 23-21 with 10:05 to go in the game on a K.J. Jefferson touchdown rush and had a chance to re-take the lead with under two minutes to go, but a missed 42-yard field goal attempt by Cam Little erased Arkansas’ hope, as they ultimately fell to Texas A&M.

Momentum stayed with Texas A&M coming out of the locker room. The first drive of the second half ended with a Devon Achane nine-yard touchdown run to give the Aggies over Arkansas for the first time all game, 20-14 with 11:41 to go in the third quarter. Texas A&M completed the drive over six plays and covered 70 yards.

Texas A&M extended their lead with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter on a 31-yard field goal by Randy Bond to extend their lead to 23-14. The scoring drive ultimately ended as a win for the Razorbacks, as the Aggies scored just three points on an 11-play drive that took over six minutes off of the clock, especially considering that the Aggies converted a 2nd and 30 play for a first down on the drive.

Arkansas did not make much noise in the third quarter, as they were held off of the scoreboard, and only gained 21 yards of offense. Texas A&M gained 154 yards of total offense while scoring 10 points.

Arkansas found the scoreboard for the first time since the 5:25 mark in the first quarter when [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] scored from six yards away on an option-keeper to cut the Texas A&M lead to 23-21. The drive consisted of mostly running plays, and chewed 4:49 off of the clock. [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag] and [autotag]A.J. Green[/autotag] highlighted the drive, with Jefferson closing it on a touchdown rush with 10:05 to go in the game.

The momentum continued to swing towards Arkansas on the Aggies’ ensuing possession. After marching 39 yards downfield, the Razorbacks forced Texas A&M to kick a field goal, which Boyd missed from 53-yards away. The miss gave Arkansas the football back with 6:30 remaining in the contest.

Arkansas moved the football well on their next drive, but a bad snap set the Razorbacks to 3rd and 14 from the Texas A&M 25-yard line, which ultimately forced the Razorbacks to kick a field goal.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Cam Little’s 42-yard attempt bounced off of the top of the goalpost and landed in the endzone. The miss returned the ball to Texas A&M with 1:30 remaining in the game.

Jefferson gained over 100 yards in both passing and rushing in the game. He threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 105 yards and an additional touchdown. [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag], who entered the game as the SEC’s leading rusher, was held to just 68 yards on the ground. [autotag]Bumper Pool[/autotag] led the Razorbacks in tackles with seven total.

Arkansas falls to 3-1 on the season and will need to put this loss quickly behind them as they prepare to welcome No. 2 Alabama to Reynolds Razorback Stadium next Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

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First Half Recap: A tale of two quarters leaves Arkansas with slim lead over Texas A&M

Arkansas has outgained Texas A&M in the yards department, 281-152, but only leads 14-13 at the end of the 1st half.

Despite dominating the stat sheet in the first half, No. 10 Arkansas holds on to a one-point advantage over No. 20 Texas A&M, 14-13 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Arkansas holds a 280-152 advantage in the yards department, and even held Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson to 51 yards passing in the half, but the first half was all about momentum.

Arkansas opened the game by scoring two quick touchdowns, but the Aggies went on to take momentum away halfway through the second quarter thanks to a long scoring drive, and a returned fumble for a touchdown.

The Razorbacks got off to a strong start. Arkansas forced Texas A&M to punt after their first three plays and used that opportunity to strike first. [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] broke open a 26-yard run on 3rd down and 1 from Arkansas’ 42-yard line, which set up a 32-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Ketron Jackson[/autotag] to cap a five-play, 69-yard drive with 9:44 remaining in the opening quarter to move ahead, 7-0.

The next possession worked out just as easily for the Razorbacks. After stopping the Aggies again on just three plays, Arkansas’  offense quickly moved down the field to set up another long touchdown pass with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter. This time, Jefferson was able to spot [autotag]Warren Thompson[/autotag] for a 56 yard pass to extend the lead to 14-0. The score was Jefferson’s eighth touchdown pass of the season, and Thompson’s 2nd touchdown catch of the year.

Jefferson ended the quarter as the team’s leading passer and rusher. He completed 4-of-7 passes for 99 yards and two scores while rushing for an additional 41 yards as the Razorbacks took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter. The Razorbacks accumulated 184 total yards in the quarter.

The Aggies slowed down the Razorbacks to open the second quarter. They forced Arkansas to punt on their next two possessions, and took their second possession of the quarter for a 93-yard drive, and their first score of the game. Texas A&M’s Max Johnson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Evan Stewart with 8:45 to go in the first half to trim Arkansas’ lead to 14-7.

Texas A&M’s next score came in a bizarre way. Arkansas drove the football to the Texas A&M three-yard-line. On first and goal, Jefferson attempted to dive over the line for a score. However, he made contact with the front and fumbled the football. The Aggies recovered, and returned the turnover for a 97-yard touchdown. The attempted extra point was botched, which allowed Arkansas to keep the lead, 14-13 inside four minutes remaining in the first half.

Jefferson ended the first half with 126 passing yards on eight completions. Thompson was Jefferson’s leading receiver with 52 yards on two catches. In his first game back from injury, [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] recorded four carries for 28 yards. Defensively, [autotag]Bumper Pool[/autotag] and [autotag]Myles Slusher[/autotag] lead the team with four tackles. [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Williams[/autotag] combined to record a sack in the first half.

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Arkansas vs. Cincinnati: Live 2nd half updates

The first half of No. 23 Arkansas’ season-opener with No. 22 Cincinnati was a hard-hitting affair. After multiple injuries and helmets lost, the Razorbacks rise from the dust with a 14-0 lead. K.J. Jefferson put the Hogs on the board in the 1st …

The first half of No. 23 Arkansas’ season-opener with No. 22 Cincinnati was a hard-hitting affair.

After multiple injuries and helmets lost, the Razorbacks rise from the dust with a 14-0 lead. [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] put the Hogs on the board in the 1st quarter with a 15-yard touchdown rush with 6:18 remaining. The touchdown was set up by an interception by LSU transfer [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] that ended an 11-play drive by Cincinnati on their first possession.

The Razorbacks and Bearcats each swapped a few possessions before Arkansas would strike again. In the latter stages of the 2nd quarter, Jefferson again would get to see the endzone. This time, it came on a “Tim Tebow-style” jump pass to tight end [autotag]Trey Knox[/autotag]. The five-yard pass extended Arkansas’ lead to 14-0 with 0:17 remaining in the half.

Jefferson completed 9-of-15 passes for 78 yards in the first half while rushing for 54 yards on seven carries. Raheim Sanders led in rushing with 82 yards on 10 carries, while Matt Landers has caught two passes for 37 yards.

Here are your live updates for the 2nd half of the Cincinnati game.

SEC Network analyst lists K.J. Jefferson among top SEC quarterbacks

SEC Network’s Jordan Rodgers includes Jefferson among the best quarterbacks in the league ahead of week one’s games.

Arkansas quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] is one of the many reasons experts are high on the Razorbacks this season.

He threw for over 2,500 yards, led the team in rushing one year ago, and scored 27 total touchdowns. This season, he plans to carry that momentum thanks to quality receiving options and an experienced offensive line.

Because of that, one SEC Network analyst has listed Jefferson among the top SEC quarterbacks ahead of the week one slate.

Jordan Rodgers, former Vanderbilt quarterback and current analyst for SEC Network, ranks Jefferson in the same tier as Mississippi State’s Will Rodgers, Tennessee‘s Hendon Hooker, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, and Alabama‘s Bryce Young.

The remaining four quarterbacks will face solid competition in week one, but Jefferson will have the best chance to prove just how talented he is. His squad hosts No. 22 Cincinnati on a national stage Saturday afternoon. The kickoff between the Razorbacks and Bearcats is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.

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A look at Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson’s situational stats

A look at how Arkansas starting quarterback KJ Jefferson performed in certain situations in 2021.

As the Arkansas Razorbacks prepare to open the 2022 season with the Cincinnati Bearcats, we begin to preview the upcoming campaign.

When it comes to the offense, as [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] goes so does the team. The Mississippi native is heading into his fourth season with the Hogs. His first start came against the LSU Tigers back in 2019. Arkansas fell to the No. 1 ranked Tigers 56-20, in that game Jefferson completed 50% of his 14 pass attempts and was sacked three times.

This past season he became the full-time starter for head coach Sam Pittman and won the Outback Bowl MVP in the win over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

As the season approaches, Razorbacks Wire breaks down the redshirt junior quarterback’s situational stats. All statistics courtesy of Stats Perform.