Photo Gallery: Best images from Arkansas vs LSU

Arkansas may want to forget Saturday’s game against LSU happened, but re-living the game can be cathartic.

Arkansas playing the No. 7 team in the nation was little consolation Saturday. In fact, it may make things worse.

Arkansas lost its third game of the year by single digits, falling to LSU, 13-10, on Saturday in Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks had a chance on their final drive, but Harold Perkins Jr. strip-sacked Cade Fortin and the Tigers recovered to all but end the game. Perkins had four sacks and two forced fumbles.

Fortin, Arkansas’ third-string quarterback, replaced Malik Hornsby in the third quarter. He threw a touchdown pass to Matt Landers with 13:12 left to trim LSU’s lead to three points.

Arkansas’ defense limited LSU to 284 yards, but Josh Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run in third quarter proved enough of a difference. Williams had 117 yards along with his touchdown.

Jefferson’s record and Landers’ big day earn them Player of the Game honors vs BYU

KJ Jefferson and Matt Landers had big days to earn Arkansas’ Player of the Game honors against BYU.

What a day to be an offensive player for the Arkansas football team.

The Razorbacks went for 637 yards of total offense in a 52-35 win over BYU on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak. KJ Jefferson set a career high with five passing touchdowns and Rocket Sanders ran for a career-high 168 yards with two touchdowns to earn Player of the Game honors.

The win lifted the Hogs above .500 heading into their bye week. When they return October 29, Auburn and its coach-on-the-hot-seat Bryan Harsin will host down on the Plains.

Jefferson had his best game of the season Saturday, but left on Arkansas’ final drive after landing on the crown of his helmet two yards short of the goal line. He appeared fine after the game, though no status was immediately available.

Sanders only made his yards-per-game total – which led the SEC and was ninth in FBS entering – higher, going about 50 over his average.

See more details on Arkansas’ two best players and the other choices for Player of the Game below.

He can’t be stopped: Jefferson sets career high with fifth touchdown vs BYU

Arkansas needed KJ Jefferson in the worst way Saturday. The junior quarterback showed out.

KJ Jefferson has had some monster games at Arkansas. None quite as dynamite as Saturday’s against BYU.

Jefferson had nine touchdown passes in five games entering the season. Through just under three total quarters against the Cougars, he had five.

Jefferson’s five-yard pass to Matt Landers over the middle moved Arkansas’ lead to 10, 45-35, with 1:13 left in the third quarter. Landers’ catch was his third touchdown of the day and his eighth grab overall.

Through the fifth touchdown, Jefferson had gone 26 for 37 for 340 yards and the five scores. The other two were caught by Trey Knox and Rashod Dubinion, both in the second quarter.

Arkansas’ defense is forcing Jefferson’s hand, however. The Razorbacks allowed 417 yards of total offense through three quarters, including 311 and three touchdowns through the air.

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KJ Jefferson tosses second touchdown to Matt Landers as Hogs take control

The SEC is loaded with great quarterbacks and KJ Jefferson is proving he shouldn’t be forgotten as one.

KJ Jefferson tied a career high and he still had more than 20 game-clock minutes left to play.

The Arkansas quarterback in his first game back from an injury that kept him out of the team’s loss to Mississippi State last week threw four touchdown passes to three different receivers in just more than 35 minutes against BYU.

His fourth was a 39-yarder to a wide-open Matt Landers down the left sideline to give Arkansas a 38-28 lead with 9:20 left in the third quarter. Trey Knox had caught the first one early in the second quarter and Landers caught another later in the frame to put Arkansas ahead, 24-21, while Rashod Dubinion added a final before half, as well.

Jefferson had thrown 20 for 29 with 281 yards and the four scores (tying a career high) through the time of the second Landers touchdown.

Jefferson’s career-high in passing yards is 385, set earlier in the year against Missouri State.

Sam Pittman says Arkansas’ passing game needs work. Let’s examine the numbers

Arkansas’ passing numbers are mostly better in 2022 compared to 2021, but there’s one big difference.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said his team was too one-dimensional. The Razorbacks had just been drubbed by Alabama, 49-26.

KJ Jefferson has been a stalwart for the Razorbacks at quarterback the last season-and-a-half. But passing has never been strongest suit. He works in efficiency, with an air attack that works best set up by a strong running attack.

Arkansas has the running attack, but for whatever reason, the Hogs’ passing game has been underwhelming, thus Pittman’s remarks.

“Right now, we’re one-dimensional. We’ve got to be able to throw and catch and protect,” he said. “We can’t just turn around and hand the ball off and beat really good teams.”

Arkansas still has ninth-ranked rushing attack in FBS, averaging 232 yards per game. Even against the Crimson Tide, the Hogs went for 187 yards on the ground. It wasn’t enough.

Jefferson’s numbers are actually better through five this season than they were through five games last year. So what’s the problem? Let’s take a look at the numbers more closely.

Transfers shine in Arkansas debut

Many of Arkansas’ additions via the transfer portal debuted in a big way in the 31-24 win over Cincinnati.

Arkansas Football had many returning assets to their roster entering the 2022 season. But were able to reel in valuable pieces from the transfer portal to fill needs.

Those transfers got their first chance to shine in an Arkansas uniform on Saturday, and did not disappoint.

Players such as [autotag]Matt Landers[/autotag], [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag], [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag], and [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] all played key roles for the Razorbacks in their 31-24 victory over No. 22 Cincinnati on Saturday. Head coach Sam Pittman says that he is pleased with the way that they all performed, and gave his coaching staff credit for getting them prepared to play.

“Matt Landers I thought showed them he’s a hard guy to cover. The game didn’t necessarily go where we continue with him,” Pittman said following Saturday’s win. “Haselwood as a transfer doing some nice things made a really nice catch on the touchdown. Those guys on offense I thought they did a good job. Brini came in and played at least half the game when Catalon got hurt.”

Each transfer contributed to the win in their own way, but the player that made the most noise in the group was Dwight McGlothern. The transfer from LSU halted an 11-play Cincinnati drive in the 1st quarter by intercepting a pass by Bearcat quarterback Ben Bryant. The interception set up a three-play drive by Arkansas that ended with a K.J. Jefferson touchdown rush to put Arkansas ahead, 7-0.

“Huge play because I think on that drive, I think it was third and it might have been eight-plus on every one of them and they converted them,” Pittman said. (McGlothern) picked it off and got us headed in the right direction. That was big because they were converting third downs on us. Got a lot of work to do but that was a big play.”

Other highlights involving transfer included Landers and Haselwood combining to make six catches for 85 yards, and Sanders recorded a sack.

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Razorbacks Wire’s Taylor Jones predicts the 2022 season

Do the Razorbacks capitalize on last season’s eight-win regular season campaign? Razorbacks Wire’s Taylor Jones says yes.

The buzz surrounding Arkansas Football this season is electric, with good reason.

In just two seasons at the helm, head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] has returned the Razorbacks to the days of relevancy that they enjoyed under Houston Nutt and in the early days of Bobby Petrino. Coordinators [autotag]Barry Odom[/autotag] and [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag] are also staying for their third season, which will help further the development of Pittman’s system.

Several impact players return as well, including K.J. Jefferson at quarterback. In addition to passing for 2.676 yards and 21 touchdowns last season, he also led the team in rushing with 664 yards. He should receive help in the rushing game with running backs Raheim Sanders and A.J. Green.

Who are his expected targets in the receiving corps? Look for transfers [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Landers[/autotag] to fill a huge void left by Treylon Burks, who caught 41% of Jefferson’s passes last season.

Defensively, Jalon Catalon returns following an injury that he suffered during the Ole Miss game last season. The Razorbacks reload at linebacker with Bumper Pool and transfer Drew Sanders, which should make that unit among the nation’s best.

What is the potential of this team? I expect to see the talent translate to nine wins this season. Granted that everyone stays healthy, and contributes the way that they are expected to, Arkansas will take a step forward in 2022.

Arkansas’ motivated wide receivers ready to prove doubters wrong

Warren Thompson thinks Arkansas’ wide receiver group is getting short shrift.

Treylon Burks. Treylon Burks. Treylon Burks.

Arkansas’ current group of wide receivers love their former teammate. But at this point, they may be tired of hearing his name.

Burks, who led the Hogs in catches, yards and touchdowns last year en route to a first-round draft selection, has left a hole in Arkansas’ wideout group. The losses of Tyson Morris and De’Vion Warren hurt, too. The thing is, Arkansas’ wide receivers feel like they bring plenty to table and can keep the Razorbacks’ passing game up to snuff.

“When we heard that wide receivers were the biggest question mark, we took that personally,” Warren Thompson said.

Thompson has been perhaps the most mentioned player during fall camp by coach Sam Pittman. He had 19 catches for 304 yards last year, both the third-highest totals among the receivers. At this point, though, after everything the media has seen, projections are for him to practically double that output.

Jadon Haselwood wasn’t exactly a slouch at Oklahoma last year, either, leading the team in touchdowns. Matt Landers has played at both Georgia and Toledo before landing in Fayetteville during the offseason. Plus, Ketron Jackson Jr. was the top recruit in Arkansas’ whole class a season ago.

Between those top four and perhaps the most depth the unit has had in five or six years, Thompson and Co. have a reason to feel positive.

Arkansas loses wide receiver to transfer portal

Jaquayln Crawford is on the move after one season at Arkansas.

The wide receiver room at Arkansas is now lighter after a member of the unit has announced their intent to enter the transfer portal.

[autotag]Jaquayln Crawford[/autotag], who spent one season at Arkansas after signing with Oklahoma out of high school, is on the move again according to a report from Mason Chaote of HawgBeat.com.

Crawford signed with Oklahoma as a four-star athlete from Rockdale High School in Texas. He was the No. 8 athlete from the 2018 recruiting class, and the No. 17 prospect from the state of Texas.

Crawford transferred to Arkansas prior to the 2021 season from Oklahoma. He played in three games for the Sooners in two seasons, not recording a catch. During his only season at Arkansas, he caught three passes for 27 total yards. His longest reception was for 19 yards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on October 23.

Arkansas will have a talented wide receiver unit in 2023, led by Oklahoma transfer [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and Toledo transfer [autotag]Matt Landers[/autotag], as well as returning Razorbacks in [autotag]Ketron Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Warren Thompson[/autotag].

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Pittman: Wide receivers have gone from “We’ve got a concern” to “Somebody else has a concern”

Arkansas’ wide receiving corps has been the most pleasant surprise of fall camp so far.

When Arkansas football’s fall camp first opened, the biggest question both locally and nationally was how the wide receivers would look without Treylon Burks.

At first, the answer was, well, wait and see. After a couple of weeks, though, Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman is thrilled with how far the group has come.

“Our wideouts right now are playing really well,” Pittman said. “We’ve got big wideouts and we’ve got quarterbacks getting (passes) to them. We’re able to protect and that’s a good thing.”

Warren Thompson caught a touchdown pass and Fayetteville High product Isaiah Sategna has especially been noticeable, Pittman said. A pair of transfers – Jadon Haselwood from Oklahoma and Matt Landers from Toledo – have combined to give the Hogs perhaps as much depth at wideout as the team has had in several years.

“That unit there has went a little bit in the first eight practices from, ‘Man, we’ve got a concern,’ to, ‘Man, somebody else has got a concern about our guys.'”

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