Razorback Offense To Look Different Against BYU?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Throughout the first two weeks of the season the Razorback offense has been far short of spectacular compared to expectations.

Call it stagnant? Sure. But, the Dan Enos offense has been far from productive on the ground. Whether it be the “fits’ in run blocking concepts or running backs missing the holes the line is making, the top-10 unit from the past two seasons has been a shell of itself so far.

Running KJ

If the Hogs hope to get the run game going the offense must be willing to run KJ Jefferson and more often than they have through the first two games. Throw everything out we know going into this game because the offense could evolve into something different against BYU if-and-only-if Pittman and Enos are willing to run the offense completely through Jefferson. So far, the fifth year senior QB has only run the ball 18 times for 59 yards and 1 TD.

During the second half of the victory against Kent State it looked like the Hogs were trying to run the ball at will, daring the Golden Flashes to stop them. With 11 straight run plays Arkansas chewed the final 6 minutes off the clock to seal a 28-6 decision. According to Pittman, more running from Jefferson will be seen beginning this week against BYU.

“It was opponent driven,” said Pittman. “We didn’t really want to run him much in the first two games. From now on, it’s a different story. We’re going to run whatever we think will get us the most yardage and score the most points.”

How that impacts Arkansas offense

What will opening up the offense with Jefferson look like? It should open up running lanes for Arkansas given the respect that opposing defense have for the running ability of the Hogs’ starting QB. His experience and dominant running style cannot be understated and is hard to stop. Throughout the past two seasons, the 6-foot-4, 247 pounder has rushed for 1304 yards and 15 total touchdowns as the starter. A pure threat of the RPO will also bring linebackers and defensive ends crashing which gives RB’s or Jefferson one-on-one opportunities to make defenders miss to gain extra yards.

BYU Motivated

Last season, the Razorbacks rolled into Provo, (Ut.) bruised and battered from a tough three game losing streak. The Hogs rolled up 52 points and 644 yards of offense against the Cougar defense. BYU defensive lineman, Caden Haws doesn’t expect his team to roll over like last season and are motivated to shut down the Arkansas defense.

“For sure. I think everyone has a bitter taste from what happened last year so everyone’s locked in,” Haws told ESPN 960 AM. “We travel well and play well on the road. We beat Tennessee the last time we went out to SEC country so we’re excited to go out there and show what we’re all about.”

The threat of a QB driven run game versus a motivated defense will be seen this Saturday as Arkansas hosts BYU of the new look Big 12 Conference inside Razorback Stadium. Kickoff will be at 6:30 PM, CST and air on ESPN.