The Daily Journal caught up with Arkansas beat writer Tom Murphy of The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to see what he considers the keys to the Ole Miss-Arkansas matchup.
Taylen Green had a huge game against Mississippi State but has been a bit uneven at times this year. What has he brought to the table since transferring to Arkansas, and how does the offense look different than it did with KJ Jefferson under center the last few years? What has new OC Bobby Petrino done to change things?
Taylen Green’s presence as a leader is the first part and maybe the most important piece in his value to the Razorbacks. So while he had an unimpressive 6 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and a sub-par passer efficiency rating heading into the Mississippi State game, his dual-threat capabilities and attitude helped Arkansas to a winning record. He has missed and overlooked some potentially huge throws — notably an uncovered Isaac TeSlaa for a would-be touchdown versus Texas A&M — but has created many others.
Green’s growth in the Bobby Petrino system has been on display the last few weeks, as he completed 72.4% of his throws in the upset of Tennessee, the loss to LSU and the win at Mississippi State after completing 48.9% in the three prior games against UAB, Auburn and Texas A&M.
Petrino’s offense is adaptable, but it is basically an RPO system with lots of play-action passes and bootlegs with crossing routes, some mis-direction and clever route combinations. It’s not as hurry-up as Kendal Briles’ style but the Hogs have gone fast at times. The biggest difference has been much better offensive line play and an much better integration of schemes to the talent. Petrino has always been considered one of the best play callers because of his near photographic memory and recall.
Arkansas’ defense is statistically a lot better than it was a year ago. What would you say are the biggest reasons for the improvement?
The biggest reason is it’s Year 2 under Travis Williams with the staff returning intact. The best positive development has been the play of the linebackers with an almost wholesale exchange of players through the portal, including the loss of Pooh Paul to Ole Miss. Williams and staff have schemed up good plans in most games, though Mississippi State last week was an exception.
The defensive line was not creating much pressure early in the season but with Landon Jackson leading the way that has picked up in recent games, except LSU.
Ole Miss has had a hard time winning in Fayetteville lately. What is it about the environment that makes it tough for opposing teams?
That’s a hard one, because many other teams have won at Razorback Stadium in recent seasons, including a bad Mississippi State team last year. Perhaps it could be due to Arkansas-Ole Miss being a low-key solid rivalry: Not the biggest for either team but very important for both, particularly the old timers.
Having said that, the Razorbacks getting out to the big start in 2022 and snagging all those interceptions in 2020 made it hard for the Rebels to find their up-tempo groove in games here under Lane Kiffin.
The environments for upset wins over No. 4 Tennessee this year and No. 15 Texas in 2021 were pretty special and led to field stormings. Those were night games. Keeping the fans tamped down in an 11 a.m. kickoff would be a big key for the Rebels on Saturday.
Sam Pittman had a tough year in 2023, but it seems like he and the program are on the upswing again. How is Pittman thought of in Arkansas circles/by fans?
Pittman is big on making the state proud and he made an enormous push in the off season by hiring Bobby Petrino and overhauling the roster with players who fit his profile. Upsetting No. 4 Tennessee was a crucial outcome for bowl eligibility after they simply let one get away at Oklahoma State with turnovers.
Certainly there are fans still not happy about losing the way the Razorbacks did at home to Mississippi State, Auburn and Missouri last season, but most fans are in better moods and it’s clear this is a much more competitive edition in 2024. They’ve drawn 75,000-plus to all three on-campus games and they’ve won twice in SEC road games. Many observers felt a bowl bid this season would continue the Pittman regime into a sixth year and the Hogs are on the brink of that at 5-3. More than six wins would exceed preseason expectations.
If Arkansas is going to pull off the upset, ___ has to happen.
I’d say winning the turnover battle and generally controlling the game flow as the Razorbacks have done in about 70% of the action this season. LSU dictated the game play for basically the whole night. Texas A&M did in the bulk of the fourth quarter, Tennessee did early in the second half, and, strangely, UAB did for much of the first half. Otherwise, Arkansas’ game plans have been very solid, and when the Hogs have executed and not turned the ball over they’ve looked like the better team in large segments of their games.
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