Contributions grow as Reed 'gets' plan

Arkansas receiver Dominique Reed runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of a game against LSU on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

FAYETTEVILLE -- A pivot, a stiff arm and elite-level acceleration is all it took for Arkansas wideout Dominique Reed to turn a standard-issue first-down catch into a game-changing 52-yard touchdown last week at LSU.

Reed wheeled to the outside, pushed defensive back Dwayne Thomas to the grass and kicked it into high gear to easily out-run safety Jamal Adams on the second-series touchdown to touch off a big-play day for Arkansas in its 31-14 upset of the No. 9 Tigers.

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Reed for Speed

Arkansas receiver Dominique Reed had no catches through three games after transferring from Coffeyville (Kan.) College, but he has scored a touchdown in each of the last six games. A look at his statistics from Week 4 through Week 10

Opponent;Rec-Yds-TDs;Avg.;Rush-Yds-TDs;Avg.

Texas A&M;2-9-0;4.5;0-0-0;0

at Tennessee;1-33-1;33.0;0-0-0;0

at Alabama;3-77-1;25.7;0-0-0;0

Auburn;4-47-0;11.8;3-25-1;8.3

UT-Martin;1-71-1;71.0;0-0-0;0

at Ole Miss;7-105-2;15.0;0-0-0;0

at LSU;3-83-1;27.7;0-0-0;0

Totals;21-425-6;20.2;3-25-1;8.3

Reed also saw fellow receiver Jared Cornelius in position to screen off safety Jalen Mills on the edge, a block Reed would re-pay later in the game.

"I thought about turning it up, but I saw defenders and I just saw J-Red [Cornelius] on the outside, blocking, so I just stiff-armed one guy and bounced it to the outside," Reed said.

"Dominique can turn a little bit of something into a lot," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said.

"When he gets in the open field, he's probably going to run away from most people," tight end Hunter Henry said.

"I think everyone has seen the past few weeks if he gets the ball, he's dangerous," Arkansas tackle Dan Skipper said. "There's no one on the field that can touch him."

Reed did not have a catch in Arkansas' first three games as the Razorbacks struggled during a 1-2 start.

Since then, he's caught 21 passes for 425 yards and has turned breakaway scoring plays into a specialty. The Camden native, a transfer from Coffeyville (Kan.) College, has scored seven touchdowns in the last six games, including an 11-yard end-around score against Auburn.

"Obviously he's got a lot of God-given ability," Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos said. "He's fast. I think the longer he's been with us, the faster he's playing because the more comfortable he's become with what we're doing."

It's hardly a coincidence that Reed's growing contributions since the Razorbacks' 24-20 victory at Tennessee on Oct. 3 has overlapped with Arkansas' stretch of five victories in six games heading into Saturday's SEC West clash with Mississippi State.

Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith said Reed's confidence is soaring.

"It's high, but he's always been a confident kid," Smith said. "He's shown that he belongs. He's playing well right now."

Reed needed a little time to work his way into the upper tier of Arkansas receivers, assisted by injuries to Keon Hatcher, Cody Hollister and Cornelius.

"When I first came in it was a little like ... I didn't get it at first," Reed said. "But as soon as I just got the plan and was able to go through practice, going through plays, going through plays, and just learning everything, it started to click in my head."

When it did, it quickly became end zone or bust for the 6-3, 180-pounder.

"We just had to figure out where he was, what all he could do for us," Henry said. "He's done a tremendous job. He knows the offense well now and he's making big plays for us."

To call Reed a big play waiting to happen is putting it mildly.

His six touchdown receptions have covered an average of 40.3 yards per play. Reed is averaging 19.6 yards on 27 touches, which include three running plays -- all against Auburn -- and three kickoff returns, all at LSU.

The Arkansas coaching staff decided, after a few looks at Reed as the deep man on kickoff returns in practice, to try him in a game. After LSU pulled within 21-14 early in the second half last week, Reed put his imprint on the game again with a 40-yard kickoff return that set up a Cole Hedlund field goal.

"He covers a lot of ground in a hurry and is an exciting player to be around," said Bielema, who explained that Reed's late emergence as a return specialist was tactical.

"One of the biggest mistakes ... is when people put too much on people early in their careers and it sets them back," Bielema said. "They just have a sensory overload.

"Now some guys can do it, but there are some kids you have to be very careful how much you put on their platter. We wanted to spoon feed Dominique first, just with wide receiver. He showed me he could handle it very, very well."

Reed's presence as a speed merchant has helped make opposing safeties think twice before encroaching on Arkansas' potent ground game. And he's opened up opportunities for other Razorback playmakers, like eliminating a defender on Cornelius' 69-yard end around touchdown at LSU, first by running his guys deep in man-to-man coverage, then by staying between him and Cornelius.

A consistent theme on Reed's touchdowns is how his quick-twitch long-striding allows him to run faster than it looks.

"I think people take bad angles on him sometimes," Enos said. "He can out-run angles with his speed. He just continues to make plays, score touchdowns and hopefully these last two weeks we can find more ways to get him the ball and get him the ball in space."

Sports on 11/19/2015