LITTLE ROCK — Five observations from No. 20 Arkansas’ 52-10 win over Alcorn State at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday.
Whaley’s first trip to the Rock is memorable one
Devwah Whaley’s first carry Saturday produced his first collegiate touchdown. And it was impressive.
Whaley took the handoff from Austin Allen, made a quick, decisive cut into a gaping hole and sprinted untouched 75 yards for a score midway through the first quarter.
Whaley finished with a game-high 135 yards on nine carries. Decent little 15-yard average. Even though the output came against a grossly overmatched FCS defense, the performance showcased the big-play ability Whaley displayed as a highly touted high school back and flashed in fall camp.
That burst wasn’t seen much in the first month of the season, with Whaley running for only 85 yards on a meager 3.5 yards per carry. Blocking breakdowns were fairly commonplace on his September carries, often leaving Whaley having to dodge or run through defenders in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage just to earn positive yardage.
But Whaley is earning more carries. He had 11 carries for 50 yards against Texas State, then followed it up with nine for 29, including a 16-yarder, against Texas A&M. The big-play ability was evident Saturday. His skill set should be on display more often moving forward.
Cornelius hot streak continues
A week after catching seven passes for 126 yards and a score against Texas A&M, Jared Cornelius caught all four of his chances Saturday, producing 106 yards and two touchdowns.
The junior has re-emerged as a big-play threat for the Hogs after a slow start to the season and now has 14 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns this season, sporting a stellar 18.7 yards per catch.
Cornelius repeatedly burned Alcorn State’s corners.
His first score was a 29-yarder on a double move from Allen to put Arkansas ahead 10-0 less than six minutes into the game.
His second was a 35-yarder to stretch it to 24-0 with just 17 seconds left in the opening quarter. He manages to get himself wide open. The two scores played a big role in Arkansas racking up 237 first-quarter yards while averaging a gaudy 15.8 yards per play.
Cornelius’ day could’ve been even bigger, but a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown was negated by an illegal block. Big picture, Cornelius has displayed a nice rapport with Allen the last two weeks and shown signs of being the same playmaker he was late last season after returning from a broken arm.
Scoota produces in first extended role
It didn’t take long for De’Jon Harris to get on the field Saturday after playing a reserve role in September.
The true freshman linebacker, highly praised by the coaching staff and veteran defenders during fall camp, made his first appearance in the third series Saturday and quickly racked up four tackles in his first eight defensive snaps, including three straight on his second series.
Nice instincts on his first defensive tackle.
Harris finished with seven tackles, tied for the team-high, including three solo and a half of a tackle for loss. He had four tackles, while playing a reserve role in three of Arkansas’ first four games. He didn’t play against TCU.
Linebacker depth has been an ongoing issue for Arkansas this season. Playing in nickel looks with two linebackers the vast majority of snaps, Brooks Ellis and Dre Greenlaw have played the lion’s share of snaps with little rest, which has led to fatigue and occasional cramping (Ellis at TCU).
Linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves has said he thinks Harris can be similar to Greenlaw in that neither played big roles early as a true freshman but then became mainstays. While Harris has taken longer to get significant playing time and won’t make a Greenlaw-like jump simply because he won’t leapfrog Ellis or Greenlaw, he is the Hogs’ third-best linebacker. He's worked primarily at Mike behind Ellis, but played Will on Saturday. He may figure in as the third linebacker in a three-man rotation moving forward, if the staff really feels comfortable with him.
Saturday could be the start of an expanded role for Harris, especially given the upcoming schedule. It wasn’t an accident he played an expanded with Alabama looming next week.
Young offensive skill players get involved
TJ Hammonds got his first collegiate touch and first touchdown in his hometown. Deon Stewart made his first career catch. La’Michael Pettway’s first career catch was a 10-yard touchdown. The freshmen in-state skill players got to showcase their abilities Saturday.
Hammonds, who played in two of the first four games but didn’t record a touch, was in the game early in the second quarter and finished with five carries for 29 yards. He scored on a 5-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to extend the Hogs’ lead to 52-10. Hammonds’ quick feet and burst are evident on those back-to-back-to-back carries, which netted 25 yards and his first college touchdown.
Stewart caught a 15-yard pass on a deep out late in the first quarter, the first grab of the Highland native’s Razorback career. A redshirt freshman, Stewart is the only young receiver working with the veterans full-time during practice, with the rest working predominantly with the scout team. Michael Smith stressed that Stewart would be playing a significant role if the Hogs weren’t so vet-heavy at receiver. Bret Bielema said he may be the Hogs’ quickest receiver from 10 to 30 yards. Saturday’s catch was the first of what should be many in a Razorback uniform for Stewart.
Pettway hauled in Allen’s third touchdown pass of the afternoon less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Nashville native is an intriguing prospect with an impressive, 6-foot-4 frame. He figures to be firmly in the rotation next year once the group of current seniors move on.
No hits on Allen/obligatory OL update
Maybe the most significant development (or non-development) from Saturday. A week after being knocked down 15 times against Texas A&M, Austin Allen wasn’t touched Saturday.
The Razorbacks were able to handle Alcorn State’s pass rush, which is to be expected but is nevertheless noteworthy and important given the beating the junior quarterback took last week. Last week’s pass pro issues led to a daily regimen of an hour in a cold tub and E-Stim massages for Allen. With Alabama on the schedule next week, keeping him from getting banged up further was crucial. He finished with a cool 206 yards and three touchdowns, picking apart Alcorn State and completing 13 of 18 passes in an efficient, effective performance.
The Hogs’ other big offensive issue against A&M was its repeated inability to convert in short-yardage situations near the goal line, partly because of line issues and partly because of backs not following blocks hitting the correct holes.
Saturday, the line consistently opened up big holes against a small, outmatched Alcorn State defensive line as the Razorbacks ran for 353 yards on 9.3 yards per carry.
Still, there was a troubling two-play stretch midway through the second quarter. Facing third-and-2 near midfield, Hammonds was stuffed after a 1-yard run on his first collegiate carry, setting up a fourth-and-short which served as a nice little test in light of last week's issues.
Pick what went wrong. Based on the fullback’s lead block and Colton Jackson pulling from right guard, it looks like Kody Walker may have opted not to run in the designed hole. Hjalte Froholdt lunges and whiffs on a block, allowing that defender to get his hands on Walker and stop him short of the marker. Multiple teaching moments more than likely.
Colton Jackson had replaced Jake Raulerson at right guard at that point. The starter at right tackle for the first three games, Jackson worked at both spots on the right side in practice during the week. The audition at right guard made sense given Raulerson’s nagging ankle injury, but it was interesting Jackson moved in and jumped Zach Rogers for playing time. The right side of the line finally appears to be set, but it’s evident the staff feels Jackson is the sixth-best lineman on the team.
Bonus: The War Memorial Stadium experience
Arkansas had lost five of six and two in a row at War Memorial before Saturday’s convincing win.
The victory snapped the losing skid but the issues that have grown to plague War Memorial — lackluster foe included — were present.
The crowd was late-arriving and relatively small, announced at 46,988 in the 54,120-seat venue, the fourth time in five games with a crowd of less than 50,000.
Saturday’s number reflected tickets sold, but the actual crowd on hand appeared smaller. Not a surprise given the 11 a.m. kickoff and FCS opponent. The golf course was the more attractive option Saturday, to be sure, but the game carried on the recent trend of subpar crowds at a stadium that has in the past provided a rowdy backdrop. Alcorn State is no LSU, but the crowds haven’t been the same for several years now.
There were also the usual game operations gaffes. There was a timeout taken to fix the scoreboard clock. The referee’s mic cut in and out. Both have been issues at War Memorial in the past.
War Memorial has been the backdrop to some memorable moments in big games in Razorback history. Those days appear to be in the past.