TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Senior Austin Allen is still Arkansas’ starting quarterback, but redshirt freshman Cole Kelley may be the guy for another week, if not longer.
Kelley made his first career start Saturday in the 41-9 loss at No. 1 Alabama with Allen sidelined by a shoulder injury to his throwing arm suffered a week earlier at South Carolina. There is no structural damage for Allen, but his timetable for return is up in the air.
“There’s a chance for this week (against Auburn), but if not it may be a couple weeks yet,” coach Bret Bielema said post-game. “But he should return back for his senior year.”
In Allen’s stead, Kelley completed 23 of 42 passes for 200 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Like Allen, he had to deal with pressure. The Crimson Tide recorded five sacks and 11 quarterback hurries.
But Kelley also displayed poise, moving in the pocket to extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield and playing like the moment wasn’t too big for him.
“Cole is a guy that you can say, ‘Hey, here’s some excitement,’” Bielema said. “This is a guy that you can build around, rally around, not that Austin can’t be that. But I think what you need when a quarterback goes down is you’ve got to have a group of guys that like their quarterback. They obviously like Austin, but they also like Cole.
“There was a definite buzz in practice. There was a definite buzz on this trip, even going into the locker room before the game and going into halftime. Cole’s a competitor, he’s a fiery guy and he’s a guy that will lay it all on the line.”
While senior offensive linemen Frank Ragnow didn’t point to Kelley as the reason, he also noticed a difference in the team’s demeanor compared to the previous week in the disappointing 48-22 loss at South Carolina.
“It was a way better vibe than it was for South Carolina,” Ragnow said. “… Nobody folded, nobody backed down.”
Ragnow did praise Kelley’s performance in a tough environment.
“Obviously he’s young and he’s going to have some growing pains, but he definitely battled in there,” Ragnow said. “I took a lot of pride in blocking for him because he had the right attitude and right mindset.”
Allen has been hit more than any quarterback in college football over the course of his two years as a starter. This season, he ranks 11th in the SEC in quarterback rating (133.17) and has thrown for 850 yards, 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
“It’s really just a matter of how fast his body heals,” Bielema said when asked again about a potential timetable. “Nobody’s trying harder than him. Nobody feels worse than him.”