FAYETTEVILLE — Sometime in the next couple of years, what's going on with the specifics of the pocket for this year's Arkansas quarterbacks will be in another study. It hasn't been a great year for protection. But, then, it's hardly ever perfect in a good year.
“I do a specific study on how often the pocket goes according to plans,” Enos said. “Over a five-year period, I can tell you that it's about 48 percent of the time.”
This year might be an anomaly in that the pocket hasn't been great for Arkansas quarterbacks Austin Allen and Cole Kelley. But that's not the point of the study as it relates to Kelley right now after suffering six sacks last week against Auburn.
What Enos was talking about was that he wants Kelley to handle the good with the bad in the pocket. That means adjusting with a slide forward, a slide to the right or even managing a throw when a follow-through motion isn't practical.
“We practice all of those situations,” Enos said Monday when reviewing the 52-20 loss to Auburn.
Enos coaches the Arkansas quarterbacks and is offensive coordinator. He said he's always felt it important to practice the pocket situations that aren't as great because it's hardly ever more than 50 percent that the quarterbacks are in a perfect world.
“So if it's 48 percent that it's not perfect, that means that more than half the time they are having to move,” Enos said. “We work on drills to cover that. I make them slide forward, slide to the right. It's hardly ever going to be perfect. So I want to practice what happens in a game.
“In my studies of my time at Central Michigan and one year here, it's between 45 and 50 percent. So I want to practice throwing in all of those situations. We even practice not being able to follow through. When they get in a game and they face that, they will know how to respond when it's not perfect.
“I think as a coach you figure out all of the scenarios and then practice for them. You want to keep building the instincts of a young quarterback.”
Enos said Kelley has proven to be exactly what they hoped for in recruiting. The 6-7, 268-pound redshirt freshman from Lafayette, La., is “tough, smart and has good fundamentals.”
That doesn't mean all of his fundamentals held up in the game. They hardly ever do for a young quarterback.
“We have to clean up his footwork,” Enos said. “There were great examples of good and bad in the game of that.”
There were also three fumbles when he was stripped. Two were recovered by Auburn for turnovers. A third bounced out of bounds, harmlessly.
“It's two hands on the ball when you are moving forward,” Enos said. “Eyes are down the field. If the eyes are not down the field, you are no longer a passer.”
Along with footwork, ball security and eye position are the things that have to be improved.
“Those three things got him in trouble,” Enos said.
Kelley's feisty nature also has to be “channeled.” He was too excited to start the game.
“Like I said the week before, you would rather have that than the other way,” Enos said. “It was his first game at home and he was really amped up early.”
Hopefully, the Hogs find enough protection in the offensive line – even with losing center Frank Ragnow for the center with an ankle sprain – to get in what may be a throw-and-catch game against Ole Miss this week at Oxford.
To do so, there will have to be more than better protection.Wide receivers have to play better.
Kelley completed 15 of 26 for 163 yards. There were a handful of incomple passes that were catchable passes.
“There was a third-and-11 that he got in there with a lot of velocity,” Enos said. “It was a tight window. The wide receiver may have thought he was covered, but Cole can throw you open sometimes. They have to catch that one.”
There were other incompletions because of contact after the catch.
“We played good,” Enos said of the wide receivers. “Just not great. They need to come down with more of the contested balls. We need to get open more against good press coverage. They have to get off the line more.
“I would say that there were some times they were open and we either had pressure or a missed read.
“Jordan Jones continues to make plays, but he's gotta make the contested catch and block better. Jonathan Nance needs to make a comeback. If you are going to play in this league against good defensive backs, you are going to have to fight through some things.
“I've said this before. This is a handsy league. They grab you and they don't call it. You have to figure out a way to get open through that.
“I will say that our guys need to be ready. There are times that they think they may be covered and Cole is going to throw it in a tight window and try to throw them open. He's got that kind of ability. They have to be ready to get it.”
It would seem like Kelley will get his third start in a row. Allen's shoulder is improved. Bret Bielema noted on Monday that some may have missed it, but Allen actually did throw some in pre-game warmups.
“You guys probably didn't catch that,” Bielema said.
Could he play this week?
“His best chance is this week,” Bielema said of Allen's progress. “Cole will still get the bulk of the snaps (in practice).”
Enos said the possibility of getting Allen back are “very encouraging. He is further along this week. We hope to have him, but there are no expectations. I just hope he has a really good week of healing and if it's not this week, it's next week. He's talented and he brings leadership.”