STARKVILLE — Bob Holt has covered Arkansas and the Southeastern Conference for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette for many years. He took some time to speak with The Dispatch ahead of Mississippi State’s home opener against Arkansas on Saturday.
In a conversation with The Dispatch that also will appear on the newspaper’s podcast, Bully Banter, Holt discussed the Razorbacks’ performance against Georgia last week, what can be done to get running back Rakeem Boyd going and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Obviously it surprised everybody with Arkansas leading Georgia at halftime last week before the Razorbacks eventually fell. What did you see from that performance?
A: They did put a scare into them. Arkansas’ defense played well at a lot of different positions. The offense really struggled to get out of the shadows of the goalposts as they say. Georgia made a quarterback change and that kind of rallied them. Georgia eventually put the hammer down, they got a blocked punt and a pick six. Special teams really struggled and the offense did too, which really isn’t a surprise because Georgia has a really good defense and Arkansas has a young offensive line.
Q: Rakeem Boyd seems to be one of the more reliable backs in the SEC, yet he struggled to get going against Georgia. What do you think they can do to get him going against Mississippi State?
A: Well, not playing Georgia is going to help, no offense to Mississippi State. Arkansas’ two guards were making their first starts, their center started last year at guard, and their right tackle missed last year with an ACL injury. It was tough on Felipe Franks to make sure guys were lined up correctly pre-snap. Those are all things with new players are a work in progress, but honestly Arkansas just has to play better.
Q: You mentioned Feleipe Franks, the Florida transfer, how much value is there in having a guy like him under center who’s played so many SEC games?
A: It’s been huge, because quarterback here has been a revolving door. Before Franks, five started last year and there’s no continuity there at such a key position. Obviously he doesn’t have the supporting cast here he did at Florida, but I’m sure he’d rather play here than ride the bench. If Arkansas didn’t have a quarterback like Franks last week, the game might have been even worse. There may have been a few more turnovers. A guy like Franks gives them a quality, SEC-like quarterback.
To listen to the rest of the interview with Bob Holt, listen to Bully Banter, which can be found wherever podcasts are available.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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