Razorbacks report

Outlook for Allen uncertain

Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen scrambles out of the pocket as he runs for a gain in the first quarter of Arkansas' 30-0 win over No. 8 Ole Miss on Nov. 22, 2014, at Razorback Stadium.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said quarterback Brandon Allen has a chance to play at Missouri on Friday, the same status he gave to tight end AJ Derby, who has been playing with a knee injury all season.

Allen took a hit on his right hip in the second quarter of Arkansas' 30-0 victory over No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday and did not return. Bielema said the injury involves Allen's soft tissue and is not a broken bone or a structural problem.

"It's very sore, and as we all know, he's a very tough player, so we'll see where he goes," Bielema said.

Allen has completed 165 of 286 passes for 1,992 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and a 57.7 percent completion rate. He ranks No. 56 nationally in pass efficiency.

Allen led Arkansas to 17 points and 125 total yards on its first three possessions and was hurt on the Hogs' fifth series after dropping the ball on a scramble and receiving an inadvertent knee to the back of his hip from an Ole Miss defender.

Bielema said it was unlikely Allen could practice in full before Thursday.

"I think the plan is to hopefully get him out [today], moving him around a little bit and maybe Wednesday throw him around a little and see if Thursday's practice he would be involved," Bielema said.

Austin Allen came on midway through the second quarter and completed 3 of 5 passes for 65 yards, leading Arkansas into field-goal range in the two-minute offense just before halftime and on a third quarter drive of 41 yards that resulted in a field goal and a 20-0 lead.

Bielema said the plan if Austin Allen plays against Missouri is "you ask Austin to be the best him, no matter what that means, however we go about it."

Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel said Monday, "You're always prepared for the backup quarterback. I'm assuming [Brandon Allen] will play.

Derby, a senior, played in the first half against Ole Miss after re-aggravating his knee injury.

Derby would factor into potential backup quarterback plans if he were healthy, as would versatile Damon Mitchell, who Bielema said has been in the doghouse lately for being late to a couple of functions. Bielema also said he would prefer not to play redshirting freshman quarterback Rafe Peavey.

The forecast

Arkansas should be playing in its best weather conditions in a month for the 1:30 p.m. kickoff time Friday at Faurot Field on the Missouri campus. The weather forecast is calling for a sunny day with a high of 56 degrees.

Late work

Arkansas is normally off on Mondays, but due to the short week and Thanksgiving break, which starts after today's classes, the NCAA allowed the Razorbacks to get in a workout on Monday night.

The start time was around 10:15 p.m.

"It's late for you and I, but when you're 18 to 22, they're just turning on their first round of SportsCenter, Bielema told reporters Monday. "It's just amazing. When you're 18 to 20 years of age, that doesn't bother them at all. ... Now we'll feed them out the door. We'll give them a snack around 11:30 tonight walking out."

Williams named

Arkansas tailback Jonathan Williams, who passed the 1,000-yard mark last Saturday, was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award on Monday by the Tyler Chamber.

The award recognizes the nation's offensive college player of the year who has a connection to Texas, in honor of the former Texas All-American Campbell.

Williams, of Allen, Texas, has rushed for 1,013 yards to become the 12th Arkansas player to accomplish the feat. He is fourth in the SEC and 34th in the nation in rushing, and is third in the SEC and 27th in the country with 11 rushing touchdowns.

Poll talk

Arkansas is the first team listed in the also-receiving votes category in the Associated Press top 25. The Razorbacks received 40 points and appeared on the ballots of 13 of the 60 voters.

"It was just amazing from Saturday on ... we're just getting talked about," Coach Bret Bielema said when asked about Arkansas' polling. "I didn't know how it would go with a 6-5 team, but we ... did something that's never been done in college football. To shut out two ranked teams as an unranked team on back-to-back weeks, I mean, that just don't happen. And I think people recognize that."

The Hogs' highest ranking was No. 18 by Josh Kendall of The State in Columbia, S.C. Kendall ranked Arkansas earlier in the season and had the Razorbacks at No. 24 last week, the only voter with the Hogs on his ballot.

"They have passed the eye test all year long, and I think the fact that more people haven't had them ranked is a problem of group think that aggravates me about the poll," Kendall said. "I mean, how many people who have had Marshall ranked for a month really believe Marshall would beat Arkansas?

"I can promise you, if you made every FBS coach list the teams they would least like to play, Arkansas would have been on that list all season. If they hadn't gotten trounced by Georgia I probably never would have dropped them off my ballot."

1-yard barrier

Arkansas ran seven snaps from the Ole Miss 1 and scored a touchdown once. One of the seven plays didn't officially count, when Rebels defensive end C.J. Johnson lined up offsids, and the Arkansas touchdown came on an Alex Collins dive over the top -- that had to be reviewed by the replay official -- on the next snap on fourth down.

The Razorbacks were stoned on three runs by Jonathan Williams and Collins after Darius Philon returned an Ole Miss fumble to the 1 in the fourth quarter. Arkansas settled for an 18-yard Adam McFain field goal to cap that disappointing series.

"I told the guys ... that if anything disappointed me in the game it was when the defense gave us the ball on the 1, which I do believe Darius should have scored and I'll talk to him about that later," offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said, grinning. "But when you get the ball at the 1, and we have three shots to get it in, that was the most disappointing part of it.

"They were coming after us, and like I say, they're good, but whoever we play, we've got to feel confident we can get it in from the 1 with three attempts."

DT, punter shine

Arkansas redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Darius Philon and senior punter Sam Irwin-Hill received SEC honors for their play in the Razorbacks' 30-0 victory over Ole Miss.

Philon, named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, had a sack among his three tackles as well as forcing and recovering a fumble at the Ole Miss 1 that resulted in an Arkansas field goal.

Irwin-Hill, named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, averaged 40.5 yards on 6 punts, including 3 that were downed inside the Rebels' 20-yard field.

In-house honors

The Arkansas coaching staff selected tailbacks Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, senior defenders Trey Flowers, Tevin Mitchel, Martrell Spaight and Alan Turner and punter Sam Irwin-Hill as their players of the game against Ole Miss.

Honorable mention selections were offensive tackle Dan Skipper, safety Rohan Gaines and special team players Alex Voelzke and holder Matt Emrich.

Sports on 11/25/2014