Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

ARKANSAS 44, TENNESSEE TECH 3
[For a video recap of the Razorback Report Card visit 40/29 TV. Chris Bahn and sports director Mark Lericos review the grades on Sports Final.]

OFFENSE – A-minus
HIGHLIGHTS: (Keeping in mind this was a lower-division team, of course...) Ryan Mallett started his season off right, completing 87.5 percent of his passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns.  Joe Adams continued to make jaw-dropping plays like his 85-yard touchdown catch and run, part of a six-catch, 138-yard, two-touchdown night. Dennis Johnson’s 49-yard run in the second half was fun to watch.
LOWLIGHTS: Tipped balls for interceptions had been troublesome in practice and surfaced in the game. Adams tipped a ball into the hands of a defender on a throw Mallett shouldn’t have made. It’s hard to argue with 7.0 yards per rushing attempt, but the backs were too tentative and the line didn’t block well enough in the first half. No way the Razorbacks should have had only 51 yards on 13 carries at halftime. Back-up Tyler Wilson continues to look lost when asked to perform in games. He threw an interception and completed 1 of 3 passes for six yards. Mallett was sacked twice.

DEFENSE – A-minus
HIGHLIGHTS:(Keeping in mind this was a lower-division team, of course...) There were plenty of good moments for the defense. They began the night with a goal-line stand, recorded a safety, held the opponent to under 2.0 yards per rushing attempt. Anthony Leon was remarkable at linebacker and led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. Plenty of freshmen got valuable minutes on the field. Better yeat, the defensive players we talked to — Leon, Jake Bequette and Ramon Broadway — all seemed dissatisfied with how the night went.
LOWLIGHTS: For some teams giving up 39- and 31-yard receptions could be chalked as minor, early-season breakdowns. Arkansas can’t afford to look at it that way, not with its history of giving up long scoring plays. Missed tackling reared its head on one should-have-been sack that set up the Golden Eagles’ field goal. And where were the turnovers? A year after forcing 30, the Razorbacks started the season with none, something defensive coordinator Willy Robinson noticed. Defensive tackle Zach Stadther has gone form 16-game starter to not even dressing out with the team. Why? Petrino evoked the “we only talk about the guys who played” defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS - A
HIGHLIGHTS: Kicker Alex Tejada put the ball into the end zone consistently. There were even four touchbacks, something the Razorbacks needed 13 games to do in 2009. Dennis Johnson had a 32-yard kickoff return and showed good speed. Freshman Zach Hocker did not miss any of his six extra point attempts. Normally, we don’t celebrate PATs, but Hocker wasn’t even in the mix at place kicker until about the midway point of preseason camp.
LOWLIGHTS: Arkansas forced a lot of punts. There just weren’t a lot of punt return opportunities for Adams. He had one attempt for seven yards, something that wasn’t quite the improvement anybody was hoping to see. It would have been nice to see Tejada and Zach Hocker attempt a field goal or two, but the opportunities weren’t really there.

OVERALL – A-minus
WHAT WE LEARNED: This team can be dominant on offense and defense. All 44 of the Razorbacks points were scored in the span of two quarters. Players seemed happy to get the victory, but dissatisfied with mistakes that kept it from being a completely enjoyable experience. That has to be a good sign the team is focused on improving. Petrino still has use for first-year guys. After estimating he’d cut down the newcomers to 6 or 8 this season, he played 10.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME
OFFENSE: Do you realize how hard it is to complete 87.5 percent of your passes against a live defense? Ryan Mallett could have been throwing against air and not finished better than 21 of 24 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Mallett had one true incompletion, a pass that was dropped in the end zone and a tipped ball for an interception. Nice start.
DEFENSE: At the very least we know Anthony Leon would make a hellacious linebacker in the Ohio Valley Conference. Leon dominated with eight tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. The converted free safety looked right at home in his new position.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Seeing Tejada consistently put the ball in the end zone was good. It’s something he routinely did in high school, but hadn’t done with any consistency at Arkansas. Perhaps not having field goals, extra points and kickoffs on his plate will help him continue to boom kicks into the end zone.

[Remember, for a video recap of the Razorback Report Card visit 40/29 TV. Chris Bahn and sports director Mark Lericos review the grades on Sports Final.]