Tag: Malik Hornsby

Lots of choices (or no choices?) for Player of the Game in Arkansas’ loss to Mississippi State

No one on the Arkansas roster had a great day against Mississippi State.

The old phrase Bill Parcells used was “If you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks.”

Apply that to Arkansas’ Player of the Game winners on Saturday.

Between the three Razorbacks Wire staffers – editor E. Wayne and contributors Taylor Jones and Kendall Hilton – they selected five different players for the, uh, honor against Mississippi State.

The Razorbacks were never in the game in Starkville, falling 40-17, as coach Sam Pittman lost to Mike Leach and Mississippi State for the first time in each of their three seasons at the helm.

Several Arkansas players had decent numbers, but none of them were great enough to be game-changers. As such, Malik Hornsby, Rocket Sanders, Jadon Haselwood, Bumper Pool and Drew Sanders all received votes for Player of the Game.

The Sandersers have led Arkansas in PotG honors this year, with five each. Here’s a complete list from our staff on Saturday.

Bad day with the bells: Arkansas falls badly at Mississippi State

Arkansas had very little go right against Mississippi State on the road.

Life is all about perspective. Things could always be worse. Things could always be better.

College football is the same. Unfortunately for the Arkansas faithful, most are looking at the glass as half-empty after Saturday’s 40-17 loss to Mississippi State.

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson was not available as he nurses a suspected head injury and the Razorbacks started Cade Fortin. That lasted one series before Malik Hornsby entered. And after the two swapped often in the first half, Mississippi State had already had control by the time Hornsby took over for good.

The Bulldogs did whatever they wanted on offense, running for 173 yards – a record under Mike Leach – and throwing for another 395 on 31 of 48 passing from Will Rogers.

Hornsby had a number of big plays throwing and rushing leading to 234 yards through the air and 114 on the ground. Penalties and turnovers, though, were too much to overcome, especially on a day the defense had arguably its worst game of the season.

The Hogs (3-3, 0-3 SEC) will look to snap a three-game skid in Week 7 against Top-25 Brigham Young in Provo, Utah.

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WATCH: Jadon Haselwood hurt after big play setting up Rocket Sanders touchdown

Arkansas is banged up already and becoming moreso against Mississippi State.

Rocket Sanders went in for the score, the first of Arkansas’ day, but the Hogs’ first scoring drive was about the play that came before.

Jadon Haselwood found himself wide open on the sideline around midfield and quarterback Malik Hornsby, after rolling out, found him. Haselwood hauled down the right sideline before being taken out 68 yards later at the Mississippi State 3.

Sanders scored on the next play, his 11th carry for 45 total yards in the first half for the SEC’s leading rusher.

Arkansas’ offense has had much more going for it with Hornsby in the game than starter Cade Fortin. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has largely spent the game alternating between the two.

Expect that to stop after halftime.

Twitter reacts: Malik Hornsby sparks life with first touch against Mississippi State, gets hurt

Malik Hornsby excited for a play then exited with injury for Arkansas in the first quarter.

The fans were clamoring for it. And Malik Hornsby wasted zero time showing why.

Arkansas’ third-string quarterback entered on the Hogs’ second drive of the game after back-up Cade Fortin, who started for injured KJ Jefferson, was ineffective in his first drive.

Horsnby went around the right side for 52 yards with a burst speed no one has seen this year on the Razorbacks roster. Arkansas was into the red zone, at the Mississippi State 20 immediately.

Three plays later, Horsnby was gone.

He took a shot to the head on a five-yard run up the middle and exited to the injury tent. Fortin re-entered. Arkansas turned the ball over on downs at the Mississippi State 8.

It might be a long day in Starkville.

Who is Cade Fortin? What to know about Arkansas’ quarterback

Arkansas quarterback Cade Fortin is suddenly in the limelight ahead of the Razorbacks’ game against Mississippi State.

When Cade Fortin transferred to Arkansas in January, it went largely overlooked. The Razorbacks had KJ Jefferson, Malik Hornsby and Kade Renfro already in the fold for the 2022 season.

The whole reason Fortin came to Arkansas, as we wrote when he arrived, was to provide insurance should something happen to Jefferson this year. Come Saturday, it may be the walk-on getting the start and taking snaps when the No. 25 Hogs play at Mississippi State.

Jefferson, Arkansas’ starter the last season-and-a-half, is having “symptoms,” coach Sam Pittman said. He didn’t say of what.

Renfro messed up his ACL in December and the former scholarship quarterback from Ole Miss hasn’t been a factor in 2022.

And Hornsby, who was listed as the back-up, has played before and is a fan-favorite, wasn’t the first one off the bench when Jefferson went out for the last two series against Alabama.

So who is Cade Fortin, then? If we know one thing, it’s that coaches and players “have confidence” in him if he gets the start against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

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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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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Sam Pittman provides update on backup quarterback race

With KJ Jefferson earning the starting role, and Malik Hornsby possibly moving to receiver, who will serve as the backup quarterback for the Razorbacks?

As College Football season continues to draw closer, there are still several programs that have yet to name their starting quarterback for the season-opening game.

Arkansas, however, will not have that issue.

[autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] returns as the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks, and it will take a series of unfortunate events to knock him off of the throne. But, in the event that a backup option is needed, who is the next man up?

Head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] shared some key information from fall camp regarding the backup quarterback situation, which appears to be between [autotag]Malik Hornsby[/autotag] and USF transfer, [autotag]Cade Fortin[/autotag].

Hornsby is considered to be one of the most athletic players on Arkansas’ roster, getting reps at both quarterback and wide receiver this fall. Pittman feels that Hornsby can contribute heavily to the offense, but will need to show keep showing that he deserves a place on the field.

“(Hornsby) has to earn the right to get on the field, but we need him on the field,” Pittman said Saturday. “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.”

If Hornsby were to move to receiver, the next in line would be Fortin.  Fortin appeared in five games for USF in 2021, where he completed 25-of-48 passes for 183 yards and two interceptions. His best game under center was against Florida on Sept. 11, where he completed 12-of-18 passes for 91 yards.

Last Saturday, Fortin played with the second team, where he impressed Pittman.

“Fortin played with the twos some, not all. He didn’t start with the twos, but he played with the twos some today and did a nice job. I like Fortin,” Pittman said. “So there’s a battle there at that spot as well. Like I said before, he allows us to do what we’ve been doing with Malik (Hornsby).”

Arkansas continues its’ preparations for the 2022 season and will play its’ first game on Saturday, September 3 at 2:30 p.m. CT at home against Cincinnati.

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Razorbacks need more from passing game in 2022 and Friday was a good start

Arkansas’ running game is a given. The passing game will be of interest at Razorbacks’ fall practices.

KJ Jefferson was not named a preseason All-SEC selection for the 2022 season. Much to the annoyance, obviously, of many Arkansas football fans and followers.

Part of the reason, perhaps, was Jefferson’s modest passing numbers in 2022. He had just better than a 5-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. But his 21 touchdown passes were seventh in the SEC and his 2,676 yards passing were ninth. Those numbers came with Treylon Burks at his disposal, too.

So when Jefferson – and reserve Malik Hornsby – looked sharp for a bulk of Arkansas’ first practice Friday, positive signs for the future were apparent.

“To start off, I thought we threw and caught the ball really well for the first day,” Pittman said. “Not a lot of errors. Not a lot of balls on the ground. Snaps from center to quarterback seemed to be good.”

If the praise sounds faint, remember it was only the first practice of the season.

Hornsby, who will also see time at wide receiver, had an especially nice pass to Jaedon Wilson for a score midway through camp. Wilson is seeking to establish himself as one of the top six in the Razorbacks hierarchy at wide receiver.

“I told him, ‘Nobody knows who you are, bro,'” Pittman said. “If you want them to know who you are, you have to do what he did in practice today.”

Arkansas’ first unit of wideouts were as expected: Jadon Haselwood, Ketron Jackson Jr. and Warren Thompson.

Sam Pittman: Malik Hornsby is too good to not be on the field

Arkansas quarterback Malik Hornsby will be on the field more than most back-up quarterbacks across the nation.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has been a football man his whole life. Few are the number of players who could make him change his ways.

Malik Hornsby is one of them.

The Razorbacks back-up quarterback is simply too good to languish in a role that is likely to see little playing time behind starter KJ Jefferson. So Pittman has restructured Arkansas’ practices to allow Horsnby to get reps both there and at wide receiver in hopes of putting one of his most athletic players on the field more often.

“I’ve told him that we need him on the field,” Pittman said. “He has to earn the right to get on the field, but we need him on the field. We’ve got a plan for it. I hope it works and I feel like it will.”

Hornsby had just 12 passing attempts last year. His 135 yards on the ground on just 24 carries, though, suggests potential Pittman and the Arkansas staff would like to further tap.

Running back isn’t really an option. For one, too many opportunities to get beat up. Secondly, the Razorbacks are loaded there with Dominique Johnson, Rocket Sanders and AJ Green. Wide receiver, however, is a position of need and Pittman and Co. moved Hornsby be to the outside for bits during the spring.

“We think he’s an excellent football player, so we are obviously going to give him the opportunity to win the job, but at the same time give him the opportunity to win the wide receivers spot, too.”