Tag: Zach Williams

Arkansas Preseason Depth Chart – Defensive End

Arkansas’ primary five-man rotation may not have star-power, but it has consistency, experience, and logged results.

Other than quarterback and running – positions at which Arkansas has All-SEC talent starting and a clear pecking order behind that player – only one other unit on the roster needed little shaping and molding heading into the regular season.

In fact, between the beginning of the Razorbacks’ spring camp to the end of it over the weekend, not one single player among the top six defensive ends on the roster moved a bit.

Consistency should be key for a group looking to replicate last year’s sack totals and improve, even, the front-line guard against the running game.

And while the latter, there, often falls more to the defensive tackles, Arkansas has a group of ends who can stuff the run with the best in the SEC.

Let’s take a look at how they stack up heading into Saturday’s opener.

No, really: Arkansas’ defensive line is deep and talented

The Razorbacks may roll 10 deep, all with skill and experience, up front. That’s scary for SEC opponents.

Combing through the names on the Arkansas depth chart on the defensive line may feel a little bit like one of the opening scenes in the movie Major League.

Not an established star on the roster.

But like those Cleveland Indians, now Guardians, expect the the Hogs’ front four – on this case, maybe 10, by the time things are said and done – to be one of the better units in the SEC. They still may not have a superstar when that happens, but the depth is showing itself, for sure, in fall camp.

“We have finessers, we have powerful rushers, and we have speed rushers, so it’s just kind of a mixture of everything that we can play into,” defensive tackle Taurean Carter said. “So, you can’t just study for one thing, you’ve got to study for all of it, and you’ve got to expect who to study it for. With us rotating and flipping sides, it’s a chess game, not checkers.”

Carter didn’t play last year because of injury, though two seasons ago he was establishing himself as a staple and a majority snap-taker at his spot in the middle. Now, he has plenty of bodies to help. And not the kind who are just taking up a spot, either.

Maryland transfer Tank Booker, Louisiana Tech transfer Keivie Rose and returners Cam Ball and Eric Gregory give Arkansas five players with loads of experience and established results.

And that’s just at tackle. On the ends, Pittsburgh transfer John Morgan and LSU transfer Trajan Jeffcoat join returners Landon Jackson and Zach Williams. All four have been starters at the FBS level and will likely make up the two-deep when the Hogs open their season against Western Carolina the first weekend of September.

“The last time I’ve been a part of a three-deep defensive line was the year we went to the Outback Bowl when we went 9-4,” Carter said. “It was Ridgeway, Nichols and me. Of course, we had the end depth. But this depth is way different. It’s just a way different type of vibe.”

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Sam Pittman remains impressed with Arkansas defensive line

Defensive line has traditionally been a weak spot at Arkansas, but Deke Adams and Sam Pittman appear to have changed that in 2023.

Defensive line has traditionally been weak area for Arkansas football during the modern era of college football (circa 2000). A lot of legendary defensive linemen have come through the program in that time, but it’s been tough for the Razorbacks to field a deep, experienced and top-tier group up front.

However, that has changed for 2023.

Arkansas’ defensive line is easily one of the most experienced and, more importantly, the deepest groups up front that in recent memory. One thing that [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] and [autotag]Deke Adams[/autotag] wanted to do this offseason was build quality depth up front.

[autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag], who represented the team at SEC Media Days, and [autotag]Zach Williams[/autotag] are two of the only major contributors from last year’s D-line to return this year.

Outside of those guys, Pittman and Adams had to hit the transfer portal really hard to fill out the rest of the defensive line and were extremely successful in doing that. At the ends they brought in [autotag]John Morgan III[/autotag] (Pittsburgh) and [autotag]Trajan Jeffcoat[/autotag] (Missouri) – both seniors.

On the interior, Anthony Booker aka [autotag]Tank Booker[/autotag] (Maryland) was a major addition. He had 25 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two sacks in 2022. [autotag]Keivie Rose[/autotag] (Lousiana Tech) was a late addition but another important piece. Rose earned first team All-Conference USA in 2022.

There’s also some really talented underclassmen that haven’t played much but will play a role in the defensive line this year. Jashaud Stewart returns but only played sparingly last season. Taurean Carter missed all of 2022 with a torn ACL but is back for this year. Cameron Ball provides depth inside, Nico Davillier provides depth as an edge rusher and Eric Gregory can play at either position.

The Razorbacks are three-deep across the defensive line – on the interior and at the ends. Arkansas will also have nine scholarship seniors on the defensive line this season. The size up front is also something that sticks out, as this group just looks like an elite-level defensive front and Pittman agrees.

“We’re big. They run well and play well together,” said Pittman following the first practice of fall camp. “It starts out at the ends. We’re huge at defensive end right now and guys can run.

But I was mostly looking at some of the new guys in indy (individual group drills) and we’re big. All of those guys can move. Certainly that will help us in the run.”

Across the board, this might just be the best this position group has been at Arkansas in modern history. It has the potential to be. If the Razorbacks hope to rekindle some of the magic and success of the 2021 season, the defensive line is going to play a massive role in that.

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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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Quarterback pressure the ultimate deciding factor in Arkansas’ win over Missouri State

Arkansas relied heavily on quarterback sacks in their comeback win over Missouri State on Saturday night.

The Arkansas defense left the field following Saturday night’s win over Missouri State with areas of concern.

For the third straight week, the No. 10 Razorbacks allowed over 350 yards of passing. There were also tackling concerns, as well as a few committed penalties that helped the opposition.

However, there was one aspect of the stat sheet that Arkansas’ defense performed well in, and that was making stops behind the line of scrimmage.

In Saturday’s 38-27 win over Missouri State, the defense hurried the quarterback five times, made nine tackles for loss, and sacked quarterback Jason Shelley eight times.

Head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] said after the game that he is proud of his defense for making so sacks because Missouri State’s offensive line, as well as Shelley, provided his unit with a challenge all game long.

“(Shelly) is hard to tackle. He’s a good player,” Pittman said after Arkansas’ win Saturday night. “But we had to pressure him and of course, (Jordan Domineck) got a couple I guess. Drew (Sanders) got two or three I think.”

Most of the sacks were recorded by the trio of [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Domineck[/autotag], and [autotag]Zach Williams[/autotag], who combined to make 6.5 sacks in the game. Sanders led the unit with 2.5 sacks.

Sanders has been an asset to the Arkansas defense since his arrival from Alabama. Pittman expressed how valuable Sanders is to the Arkansas pass rush.

“(Sanders) is so valuable in that because he can, a lot of times, run you down if you get out of the pocket. Going into the game that was exactly the gameplan,” Pittman said. “We were going to put pressure on (Shelley) because we knew how good their receivers were. We just couldn’t contain him. He’d get outside the pocket and make plays with his feet or his arm.”

Pittman went on to say Sanders is in his element when he pressures the opposing quarterback and praised defensive coordinator Barry Odom and linebackers coach Michael Scherer for continuing to draw up plans to get him into the opposing backfield often.

Through three games at Arkansas, Sanders has made 28 stops with 6.5 tackles for loss.

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Three reasons why Arkansas will beat South Carolina this Saturday

Arkansas opens the SEC slate on Saturday morning when they host South Carolina. What are three advantages they have over the Gamecocks?

The SEC slate begins Saturday when [autotag]No. 16 Arkansas[/autotag] hosts the South Carolina Gamecocks at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Both teams enter the game with a 1-0 record. Arkansas joined Georgia and Ohio State by knocking off a fellow ranked opponent last Saturday when they beat Cincinnati, 31-24. As for South Carolina, they handled business by defeating Georgia State, 35-14 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

Both teams have things to watch for in Saturday’s game. In a physical game, Arkansas led Cincinnati, 14-0 at halftime. But the Bearcats stormed back and rode the heels of Arkansas the rest of the way before the Razorbacks ultimately won.

For South Carolina, they earned a three-touchdown advantage over Georgia State, doing so despite being outgained in the yardage department, and quarterback Spencer Rattler was also intercepted twice.

What advantages does Arkansas have over South Carolina? There are a few. Here are the top three reasons why Arkansas moves to 2-0 this weekend:

Seven Razorbacks earn spot on Senior Bowl watchlist

The eyes of Senior Bowl scouts will be upon these seven Razorbacks this upcoming season.

The latest watchlist for the Reese’s Senior Bowl has been released, and Arkansas is well represented.

Seven players were named to the watchlist: Safeties [autotag]Simeon Blair[/autotag] and [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag], EDGE [autotag]Zach Williams[/autotag], LB [autotag]Bumper Pool[/autotag], TE [autotag]Trey Knox[/autotag], and linemen [autotag]Ricky Stromberg[/autotag] and [autotag]Dalton Wagner[/autotag].

According to the Senior Bowl’s website, the Senior Bowl scouting team has been working since last February to identify the “best of the best” draft prospects at every level of college football for the 2023 NFL Draft.  All 484 position players (non-specialists) who made the list were evaluated by our staff and tape-based grades were logged on hundreds of other senior prospects.  Every player on this list is eligible to participate in an all-star game as either a 2018 high school graduate or true four-year player (with five or more games played in three previous seasons).  This list does not include many true or redshirt juniors who could become eligible as December 2022 (or earlier) graduates.

Arkansas had two representatives on last season’s roster, OL John Ridgeway and long snapper Jordan Silver. Ridgeway would go on to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

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Taurean Carter Leadership Presence Expands off the Field

Despite not being on the field due to injury, Tauren Carter’s presence in the locker room is still valuable.

The defensive line has been one of the biggest conversations during spring and fall camp. It became more of a conversation when Taurean Carter suffered his knee injury.

Carter comes into the season as the leader of the Hogs’ defensive line and one of the best players on the defense. Of course, losing him to an injury makes everything less ideal for the coaching staff regarding Carter’s presence, but he is also valuable off the field. 

“He was having a great spring, and it’s tough not having him out there,” Arkansas defensive line coach Deke Adams said about the redshirt sophomore. “But he’s bought into his role at this point of being a leader and talking to the younger guys and being a motivational guy in the room. He is probably the most outspoken guy in our room. He gets after it. If he sees them lagging and dragging around, he’ll get on them pretty good.”

Carter started eight of the 13 games he played last season, part of a group that was second to last in sacks in the SEC.

Pittman decided to have Carter around in full capacity as he goes through rehab. Pittman’s decision to keep the vocal leader around has proved wise and resonated with the rest of the defensive line group.

Carter will miss the season opener on Sept. 3 against Cincinnati, and there is no direct timetable on when he will return. However, everyone agrees that Carter has remained “in-tuned” with the team and unit as if he was still on the field.

“He’s still on the same stuff as he was when he was playing with us,” senior DT Zach Williams said. “The only difference is he’s not on the line right now. Sometimes, I don’t even notice that because, like Eric said, he’s so into it. He’s not one of the people that once you get hurt, they close down or shut off. He’s not that type of person. He’ll really help you just like with Isaiah. He’ll help you no matter what your position is. That’s what I really like about Taurean.”

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Arkansas defensive lineman Eric Gregory could hold the key to Hogs’ front

Arkansas defensive lineman Eric Gregory isn’t just versatile, but talented and perhaps maybe both the best end and tackle both on the team.

Eric Gregory is a ‘tweener.

Twenty years ago that would have meant he was a defensive end and outside linebacker hybrid, an edge rusher who could play with his hand on the ground or standing up on the outside.

But in Arkansas’ defense in 2021 and likely again in 2022, Gregory is a ‘tweener of another sort: he’s a defensive tackle and defensive end and equally adept at either spot.

“We’re moving him around a good bit,” said defensive line coach Deke Adams. “The more versatile you are, the better you are as a group. And as a person, your value (increases) to the team.”

Gregory showed his worth to the squad last year as a sophomore, so it isn’t a question about what he brings to the table. He had 27 tackles, including one for loss, and three quarterback hurries splitting his time behind John Ridgeway on the inside and Tre Williams on the outside.

Right now, it’s been enough to get him reps as a first-teamer on both the three-man and four-man defensive fronts Arkansas has run this fall. Joining him at the other end most often has been Zach Williams, Arkansas’ leading returner sack artist.

The two together could provide the Razorbacks with their best pass rush in years.

“He can be on the edge, he can be inside,” Williams said. “He knows the plays. He can be put anywhere on the line, and that’s really good to see.”

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Hogs Depth Chart: Adding pressure to the Quarterback Focus for DL

First Year defensive line coach, Deke Adams, will look to take a deep defensive line group to sack land.

The Hogs finished second to last in the SEC in sacks, ahead of only Vanderbilt with 25. It’s an interesting contrast to the offensive line that may have been the best in the SEC a year ago.

The last time the Razorbacks finished in the top half of the conference in sacks since 2011 when they finished 5th in the conference with 29 sacks.

This year’s unit loses three starters from a year ago, DT John Ridgeway, hybrid DT/DE Markell Utsey, and defensive end Tre Williams.

Redshirt sophomore Taurean Carter was expected to be a starter at defensive tackle but suffered a knee injury during spring camp. Carter played in all 13 games this year and eight in his first year.

The Razorbacks are expected to run a four-man group on the defensive line, which means two DTs and two DEs. So the amount of players needed for depth is there, but who will step up?