FAYETTEVILLE — Kurt Anderson isn't planning to go anywhere, but when he does leave Arkansas there will be some left tackle tape that will go with him to teach technique.
This may surprise some who wonder if Colton Jackson is the question mark for the Arkansas offensive line. The teaching tape will be of the new left tackle for the Razorbacks.
“I have set aside six or seven clips of Colton from the past week,” said Anderson, the second-year line coach at Arkansas. “It's the type quality that I can take with me. It's how you set for the blitz, how you handle a twist, how you pass protect. It's top quality stuff. That's what Colton is doing for us right now.”
Anderson said it's the type of play that should boost Jackson's confidence after a bad first day in pads one week ago Saturday. It was the kind of day that earned Jackson a day to the couch in the office of head coach Bret Bielema.
“I brought Colton in,” Bielema said. “I've had a couple of guys in the past where they let a bad day affect them. Things got big in a hurry. I just told him not to let the last play ruin things.”
It's been lights out in the last week. I watched Jackson every snap of Saturday's scrimmage. He was perfect in pass protection and pretty good in run blocking, too.
The only botched protection for the first unit came when running back Devwah Whaley missed a blitz protection, a rare mistake for the ones in the first 10 days of camp. The first team provided amazing protection for quarterback Austin Allen in Saturday's scrimmage, something it didn't do last year.
It was night-and-day different from last season when Allen was a punching bag for much of the SEC. He was hit 10 to 15 times a game. The Hogs gave up 35 sacks last season. Allen took hits even when he was able to pass the ball.
“Pass protection is on all of us,” said Barry Lunney, tight ends coach. “It's on the line, it's on the tight ends, it's on the backs. Even the wide receivers have something to do with it because they have to run the right routes and be open on timing patterns.
“But what I can say is that throughout our program – and I'm talking about offense – we were not real proud of the hits our quarterback took last season. 'Embarrassed' is the word I'd use. The tight ends missed their share of protections.
“What has taken place in the offseason, we've had a real push in what we do with protections. It's across the board.”
Lunney said it started with the leadership from offensive coordinator Dan Enos, but it's in all areas of the offense.
“We know what we've got at quarterback, in Austin,” Lunney said. “The value in that guy is huge. We know we've got a special player. We are working hard to protect him.”
Allen has noticed.
“Our guys have worked their tails off in protections,” Allen said. “I'm excited with what they are doing. To get Frank Ragnow to come back for his senior year was huge. I think as far as the rest of the guys, it just comes with experience.”
Jackson is the least experienced. He opened camp at left tackle last summer, but quickly switched to right tackle as Dan Skipper took the left side. He started the first three games at right tackle, but was replaced by Brian Wallace before the Texas A&M game.
Wallace is back at left tackle. Not only does he look like a natural, so does his running mate at left guard, Hjalte Froholdt. They were smooth as silk Saturday as they worked twists and stunts without a bobble.
“I think what you saw today is pretty much what it's been the last four or five days,” Jackson said. “Our pass protection has been spotless. That's what we emphasized this summer. It's coming across in camp.
“I had a bad day last Saturday and I let it snow ball. But that was it - one day. I just had to calm myself down. I had to look at the big picture and not one or two plays.
“It just goes back to what we did this summer in O-line school. We worked pass pro all summer and I think we have it down.
“It helped me to get back to the left side in the spring. I'd played there since the sixth grade. I didn't feel that great on the right side. I'm home on the left.
“I think what you see is that we are comfortable with the twists and the stunts. The problems there are a thing of the past.”
The only glitch with the offensive line Saturday came on a third-and-8 period. Froholdt twitched and drew a motion penalty. Per the Bielema rule, he went to the sideline for the rest of the series. He took off his helmet and bashed it into his forehead. He blushed when a reporter asked about it.
“I did that?” he said. “I don't even remember. Well, maybe I did it once. I'm just a happy Danish man.”
Yes, he's definitely a man. And, he's turned into a decent pass blocker, something he wasn't last year.
“I had to learn to quit leaning forward,” Froholdt said. “I worked hard on my pass sets this summer. We worked in O-line school over and over. I'm comfortable now. I've got the communication down.
“We simplified the communication because we've got some experience now. I know what Frank is going to do at center and what Colton is going to do beside me. It's so much smoother and easier.”
Anderson said the pass protection has improved to the point that the emphasis needs to flip to run blocking now.
“I really thought what we lacked earlier in the week was our pad level in the run blocking,” Anderson said. “We've had to work on that. We try to work on the run blocking in the summer, too. It's 45 minutes on one, 45 on the other. But we had to go back.”
Enos was impressed with the pass protection in the scrimmage.
“I thought what you saw today was that Colton has gotten much better,” Enos said. “He's really had a solid camp. We have good pass rushers on our team. Right now, we are pretty good at pass protection.”
Anderson said the O-line school is just what it implies.
“It's a study; work to do it right in the offseason with our offensive line,” Anderson said. “I've done that every where I've been. I can't be out there, so it's important to have someone like Frank Ragnow, a great senior, to help instruct and get them right.
“They work 45 minutes, then study the tape, then work another 45. That's all summer. I think they've had a good summer and it's showing up. I want a little more from our run blocking now. We expect that here.”
Ragnow said it has been a fun summer. He knows the Hogs are better in their communication.
“We simplified the calls,” he said. “It's mainly because we are more experienced. I think when I make the call, it doesn't have to be as long. One or two words and the guys know it. We've tried to make it easier for the backs, because all of us in the line recognize what is happening.
“We have studied ourselves and we have spent some time watching some NFL guys. We've done some of both. We have done a lot of tape study now.”
It's to the point that Anderson has tape study to take forward of his Arkansas players. No one might have guessed that at this point last season. And, it's going well enough for left tackle Colton Jackson that he's now one of the tape stars for his coach.
There are still some question marks for the Razorbacks, but it's looking less likely that it will be the left tackle.