Tag: Raheim Sanders

Sanders and Dubinion both suffered injuries in FIU win

Rocket Sanders and Rashod Dubinion’s seasons are both over after sustaining injuries in the FIU victory on Saturday night.

Both Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders and Rashod Dubinion suffered injuries in Saturday’s 44-20 win over Florida International.

Which explains why Isaiah Augustave got so much work and how Dominique Johnson and AJ Green were as active as they were.

Sanders had such an unlucky 2023 with injuries after an absolutely splendid 2022 season where he ran for over 1,400 yards and garnered preseason all-SEC consideration.

Dubinion could’ve really thrived in Sanders’ absence this season, although because of the offensive line’s struggles and pass blocking weakness, was never really able to emerge as the top guy.

Neither one will suit up on Friday against Missouri, leaving Augustave, Green and Johnson to shoulder the load against the Tigers’ defense.

Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. on CBS.

Cowboys 2024 7-round mock draft: 5 prospects who could help

A look at the Cowboys’ current five picks and a few ideal prospects to fill current needs. | From @TimLettiero

The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a groove as they move past the halfway portion of the season. With eyes on taking the division back, head coach Mike McCarthy and company look to finish the home stretch as well as they’ve started it.

Now sitting at 6-3 on the season, Dallas once again has their sights set on double-digit wins and hopefully a more fruitful journey into the playoffs. However, whenever and wherever the season ends, the draft will arrive and give the club a chance to enhance their roster for future seasons.

While players and coaches alike focus on each week as it comes, background work from the likes of VP of Player personnel Will McClay keeps tabs on the upcoming offseason. The Cowboys currently own five picks, and they are slated to receive two more compensatory picks once those are assigned. Here, we’ll look at the birds in hand and which prospects could fit based on projected team needs.

Auburn at Arkansas: How to Watch, Listen and Stream on Saturday

Arkansas will host Auburn Saturday at 3 p.m., looking for a second straight victory.

The Arkansas football team will try to make it two wins in a row for the first time since opening the season with a pair of non-conference victories in early September, as Auburn comes to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium today for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

With the Hogs currently favored by 2.5 points over the Tigers, Fox Sports gives the home team a 57.3 percent chance to win the game.

Arkansas (3-6, 1-5 SEC) is coming off of a 39-36 overtime win against Florida in the Swamp, the program’s first victory in Gainesville. The win also snapped the Razorback’s six-game losing streak. Since losing four SEC games in a row, Auburn (5-4, 2-4 SEC) has bounced back with back-to-back wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt the last two weeks.

The Razorbacks hope senior quarterback KJ Jefferson can continue his record-setting season, as he sits just 148 yards from breaking Tyler Wilson’s record of 7,765 career passing yards, and one touchdown away from breaking Brandon Allen’s school-record 64 passing TDs.

Fortunately, running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders returned with a nice bang last week, securing the Hogs’ first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, Sanders, who had missed the majority of the season with a knee injury, rushed 18 times for 103 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per tote.

Auburn defeated Arkansas 21-15 when the team’s first met in the 1984 Liberty Bowl. All the games between the two since then have come as members of the Southeastern Conference, with the Tigers holding an overall 19-12 advantage against the Hogs.

Sam Pittman is in his fourth season as Arkansas’ top Hog, with an overall record of 22-23. He has gone 11-21 in the SEC, after taking over a program that had lost 21 straight conference games. Hugh Freeze is in his first year as head coach at Auburn, but brought his No. 23 Liberty team to Fayetteville last season and defeated Arkansas, 21-19. Including the five seasons he was the head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze is 3-3 all-time against the Hogs.

How to Watch:

  • Date: Saturday, November 11
  • Time: 3 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: SEC Network, and SEC+, ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
  • Radio: Aired across the state on the Razorback Sports Network, or get the radio stream FREE on the Arkansas Razorbacks app.

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Arkansas

The Auburn Tigers go into week 10 as slight underdogs against Arkansas on the road. Does the tale of the tape tell a different story?

The 5-4 Auburn Tigers have a chance to win three games in a row for the second time this season when they travel to 3-6 Arkansas on Saturday.

Auburn is coming off one of its better wins of the season, flashing offensive firepower on the road against Vanderbilt.

Arkansas is also coming off a solid road win, taking down Florida in overtime 36-33 for the Razorbacks’ first win in the SEC.

The big win in the swamp has oddsmakers confident Arkansas can keep it rolling at home, as BetMGM has the Hogs favored by 2.5 points on Saturday.

ESPN FPI lines up almost exactly with the books, giving the home team a 54% chance to send Auburn back to the Plains with a 5-5 record.

Will the tale of the tape show us the wrong team is favored in this SEC matchup, or will it prove Arkansas has the upper hand?

As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Tigers quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] is playing his best football of the season at the right time.

Thorne has averaged 212 passing yards over the past 2 weeks, throwing for 5 touchdowns in that span. Most importantly, Thorne has only turned the ball over once, although that one turnover did turn into 6-points.

The two wins have significantly helped Thorne’s season stats. The junior has now passed for 1,269 yards this season in 9 games. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns, rushed for 2, and thrown 6 interceptions.

Arkansas quarterback [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] has been solid this year for the Razorbacks, throwing 16 touchdowns on his way to 1,802 passing yards.

The senior has been careless with the ball, turning it over at least once in every SEC game so far.

The long-time Razorback gets the edge in the quarterback battle because of his experience and leadership of the offense. He’s been the guy for Arkansas for three years now, while Thorne has only been “the guy” for Auburn in the last two weeks.

Arkansas may have the quarterback edge, but it’s Auburn that gets the edge on the rest of the offensive side of the ball.

Jefferson is the Razorbacks leading rusher this season. That would be fine if he were lighting it up on the ground like LSU quarterback Jalen Daniels, but Jefferson actually has fewer rushing yards (292) than Payton Thorne (337) does this year.

Arkansas employs a three running back committee featuring [autotag]AJ Green[/autotag], [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag], and [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag]. The trio have combined for 740 yards on 183 carries this season. If those numbers don’t look great, that’s because they are.

Auburn’s top running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] missed the first game of the season but has ran for almost as many yards (636) on 75 less carries.

The Tigers have also been better in pass protection, as [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has been sacked a total of 19 times this year. KJ Jefferson on the other hand has hit the turf 36 times.

[autotag]Hugh Freez[/autotag]e’s team gets the edge in offensive line play and skill position play.

On the defensive side of things, Auburn’s 13th-ranked defensive efficiency gives them a slight edge over a solid Razorbacks unit.

The Tigers are giving up 22.8 points per game to opponents this season, which ranks, 41st in the FBS.

The Arkansas defense isn’t too far behind, giving up an average of 25.8 points per game, which ranks 55th.

Auburn gets the slight edge, but things become even considering the game is being played in Fayetteville.

After looking at the tale of the tape, it’s hard to argue with the experts this week. This game is going to be a toss-up. The home team gets the ever-so-slight edge in this one.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Arkansas at Florida: How to Watch, Listen and Stream

Arkansas and Florida will kick things off at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2 Saturday.

Although nursing a current six-game losing streak and traveling to play Florida in the daunted Swamp on Saturday, the Arkansas football team looks to rejuvenate it’s woeful season with a renewed offensive mindset.

Offensive coordinator Dan Enos was fired shortly after the Razorbacks’ 7-3 Homecoming loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 21, making way for wide receivers coach – and former Ohio State quarterback – Kenny Guiton to take the play-calling reins. Arkansas’s offense was ranked No. 119 out of 130 FBS programs, under Enos.

Surprisingly, the bettors in Vegas seem to have loaded up on the Hogs this week. The current line on the game has Arkansas getting 3.5 points, dropping two full points since Thursday.

Guiton spent four years working under former Razorback OC Kendall Briles, who departed for TCU after last season. So, it can be expected that the Hogs will revert back to what they have done the previous three seasons, under Briles, which is a much faster pace of play with quarterback KJ Jefferson improvising outside of the pocket.

Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) was off last week, giving the Hogs’ extra time to get adjusted to a new offensive coordinator, and allowed them to get some guys healthy for the stretch run.

Fortunately for Arkansas, it appears that All-SEC running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders will be returning to the lineup for a return to his home state. Due to a lingering knee issue suffered in the first game of the season, the 6-foot-2, 242-pound Sanders has played sparingly, with only 34 carries for 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns – a year after piling up 1,443 yards and 10 TDs.

Florida (5-3, 3-2 SEC) has split their last four games and is coming off a 43-20 loss to No. 1 Georgia a week ago.

The Gators hold a 10-2 all-time advantage in the series, and have never lost to the Hogs in Gainesville. After Arkansas defeated Florida 28-24 in the 1982 Bluebonnet Bowl, Florida reeled off nine straight wins in the series, before Arkansas finally beat them 31-10 in Razorback Stadium in 2016.

How to Watch:

  • Date: Saturday, November 4
  • Time: 11 a.m. CT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2, and SEC+, ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
  • Radio: Aired across the state on the Razorback Sports Network, or get the radio stream FREE on the Arkansas Razorbacks app.

Arkansas at Florida: Players To Watch on Saturday

Arkansas will try to snap its six-game losing streak Saturday in the Swamp.

Reeling from a six-game losing streak, Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) will have a new play-caller to replace the ousted Dan Enos, as wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton was elevated to offensive coordinator following the Hogs’ 7-3 Homecoming loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 21.

It will be the former Ohio State quarterback’s first shot at coordinating at the Division I level, but the team seems to have embraced the change over the recent bye week. After Guiton spent four seasons under former Arkansas OC Kendall Briles, it is likely that the offense will revert, and look similar to what it has the previous three seasons.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson will probably have more freedom to improvise at a faster tempo, and should get a boost by the probable return of All-SEC running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders to the backfield.

Florida (5-3, 3-2 SEC) has split its last four games and is coming off of a 43-20 loss to No. 1 Georgia, but has ridden the arm of junior quarterback Graham Mertz all season long.

Here are 11 players to watch in Saturday’s showdown in Gainesville:

Arkansas at No. 16 Ole Miss: How to watch, listen and stream

Sam Pittman is 2-1 against Ole Miss since he arrived in 2020, and hopes to pull off the upset on the road Saturday.

It’s been eight years since the famous “Henry Heave” helped spark the Arkansas football team to an improbable win over Ole Miss in Oxford. With the odds stacked against them again this season, the Razorbacks will be looking for another spark to pull off a seemingly improbable win.

Currently nursing a three-game losing streak, Arkansas is an 11-point underdog heading into Saturday’s annual showdown against the No. 16 Rebels in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC) will hope to get repeat performances from quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who both had career days against the Rebels last season in Fayetteville. Jefferson threw for three touchdowns in the 42-27 victory, while Sanders ran for three scores, en route to a career-high 232 yards rushing.

It will also be Jefferson’s final game inside his home state of Mississippi. He and the Razorbacks fell to the Rebels, 52-51, in Oxford back in 2021.

Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1) suffered its lone loss of the season at No. 11 Alabama two weeks ago, but are coming off of a 55-49 win over No. 23 LSU last Saturday.

The Hogs hold a 38-28-1 all time advantage in the series, and an 18-13 record since the they joined the SEC in 1992.

Sam Pittman is in his fourth season, with an overall record of 21-20. He has gone 10-18 in the SEC, after taking over a program that had lost 21 straight conference games. Lane Kiffin is in his fourth year at Ole Miss with a 27-14 overall record, and 1-2 against the Razorbacks.

How to Watch:

  • Date: Saturday, October 7
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: SEC Network, and SEC+, ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
  • Radio: Aired across the state on the Razorback Sports Network, or get the radio stream FREE on the Arkansas Razorbacks app.

Arkansas at Ole Miss: Players to Watch on Saturday

Key players on both teams will be vital to whoever wins this long-time SEC rivalry game.

Arkansas is reeling with three straight losses, but is looking to turn things around quickly with a trip to Oxford to face Ole Miss on Saturday. After blowing a two-possession lead in a loss to BYU three weeks ago, the Hogs looked much improved at then-No. 16 LSU a week later, falling by just three on a late field goal in the final seconds.

But the Razorbacks were not able to take advantage of opportunities against Texas A&M last Saturday, and seemed to bog down offensively at times. With their backs against the wall, the Hogs are looking for a spark against the No. 16 Rebels.

Arkansas opened as a 10.5 point underdog to Ole Miss, by the Vegas lines, but hopes to get senior quarterback KJ Jefferson and junior running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders back to the form they were at a season ago.

In a 42-27 win over Ole Miss last season, Jefferson threw for three touchdowns and Sanders rushed for three, while gaining a career-high 232 yards on the ground.

Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC) suffered its only loss of the season against No. 11 Alabama two weeks ago, but bounced back last Saturday with a 55-49 win over No. 13 LSU.

Lane Kiffin has the Rebel offense rolling with quarterback Jaxson Dart and all-conference running back Quinshon Judkins shouldering most of the load. The Razorbacks must find a way to slow the duo down to have a fighting chance on Saturday.

Here are 12 players to watch in the upcoming showdown:

Final injury report ahead of Texas A&M vs. Arkansas

Here is the final injury report ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 5 matchup in Jerry World against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) took care of business last Saturday after defeating the visiting Auburn Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC) 27-10 behind backup quarterback Max Johnson’s second-half heroics after starting signal-caller Conner Weigman sustained an ankle injury late in the first half.

This Saturday, Texas A&M will travel to AT&T Stadium to face the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2, 0-1 SEC) in one of the more heated rivalries in college football.

After Monday’s press conference, head coach Jimbo Fisher reported that Weigman’s initial injury prognosis was “day-to-day.” Yet, Wednesday’s gutwrenching report by Houston Chronicle Brent Zwerneman detailed that his ankle injury might be worse than we thought, as the final blow was confirmed by TexAgs’ Billy Liucci that the ascending sophomore signal called sustained a broken bone in his foot that will take an estimated 3.5 months to heal, ultimately ending his 2023 season.

Veteran quarterback Max Johnson will now take over for the rest of the 2023 slate. As most Aggies fans already know, the son of former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson is by far the best backup in college football and is more than capable of helping the Aggies accomplish their goals.

The good news on the injury front? Fisher confirmed that Sophomore wide receiver Noah Thomas is set to return on Saturday, while right tackle Reuben Fatheree II is reportedly still rehabbing from his spring knee injury, as his debut in the starting lineup will likely have to wait another week. Starting safety Jardin Gilbert will also likely miss his second consecutive game.

For Arkansas, star running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is still questionable for Saturday but will likely play, while wide receiver Sam Mbake is listed as out.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Initial injury report ahead of Texas A&M vs. Arkansas

Including multiple key injury updates, here is Texas A&M’s initial injury report ahead of Texas A&M vs. Arkansas next Saturday.

Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) took care of business last Saturday after defeating the visiting Auburn Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC) 27-10 behind backup quarterback Max Johnson’s second-half heroics after starting signal-caller Conner Weigman sustained an ankle injury late in the first half.

Defensively, the Aggies completely dismantled the Tiger’s offensive line, registering seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss, limiting Auburn to 54 yards through the air. At the same time, freshman linebacker Taurean York led the way with 11 tackles amid his incredibly productive three-game streak. This Saturday, Texas A&M will travel to AT&T Stadium to face the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2, 0-1 SEC) in one of the more heated rivalries in college football.

With every Aggie fan and media member on their collective toes regarding Weigman’s injury update, head coach Jimbo Fisher stated that the sophomore is “day-to-day” while dealing with minor swelling that will keep him sidelined indefinitely, as Fisher’s update complicating with an earlier report from AggiesToday, who, through a source, stated that Weigman would be out for 2-4 weeks due to a high ankle sprain.

Focusing on the offense, Fisher also revealed that sophomore wide receiver Noah Thomas, who has dealt with both injury and personal tragedy after his brother’s sudden passing, is reportedly “good to go” against the Arkansas Razorbacks this weekend. Please continue to keep Noah and his family in your prayers, and donate what you can to the family here.

On the Aggies side, no other injuries were sustained last weekend, and concerning right tackle Reuben Fatheree II; the assumption is that he is still rehabbing, meaning freshman tackle Chase Bisontis will continue starting in his place at right tackle until further notice.

For Arkansas, star running back Raheim Sanders is reportedly questionable to play on Saturday, while wide receiver Sam Mbake is listed as out.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.