Greenlaw's 17 tackles not enough for Rhoads

BOB HOLT Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw makes a tackle during a game against TCU on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Fayetteville.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dre Greenlaw had a big game against TCU, but it could have been bigger.

Greenlaw, the Arkansas Razorbacks' starting weakside linebacker, made a career-high 17 tackles in 69 snaps to provide a bright spot for his team in a game the Horned Frogs won 28-7.

"I don't think he played a great game even being involved with 17 tackles because he could have had 20-plus tackles," Razorbacks defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said. "For a guy that has the ability of Dre Greenlaw, that's one of the things we need.

"We've identified certain guys that are playmakers on this unit and he's one of them. When he has the ability to make those plays, he's got to make them for our football program and he left some of those out there.

"But those 17 tackles, I'm sure glad he was out there on the field to make at the same time."

Greenlaw, a junior from Fayetteville, can be excused for missing a few tackles considering he hadn't played a full game in nearly a year, missed spring practice and was limited in training camp.

"We came up short and that was tough," Greenlaw said. "But to be able to be out there and compete with my brothers again, man, it felt good.

"There were a lot of things I could have done better. I did miss a few tackles and the coaches emphasized making sure we're good on tackling and we're communicating.

"But for the first time playing a full game in a while, I thought I did pretty good."

Greenlaw made 17 consecutive starts before breaking his right foot against Alabama last season and undergoing surgery in October. He returned for the Belk Bowl and started, but re-injured his foot and in January underwent a second surgery, which caused him to miss spring practice and be limited to drills the first two weeks of training camp.

Greenlaw started in the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's season-opening 49-7 victory over Florida A&M, but played 30 snaps and made two tackles.

"He's making progress, he really is," Razorbacks inside linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said. "He's practiced as well this week as I've seen him.

"He's starting to get back into it. He's getting his football legs back underneath him."

Arkansas' coaches are expecting Greenlaw to continue taking his game to a higher level when the Razorbacks play Texas A&M today in AT&T Stadium.

"I feel good about where Dre is, but he's not a finished product yet by any means, because we've got a lot left to do," Hargreaves said. "But he's going in the right direction."

Greenlaw said he's not sure if he played the best game of his career against TCU. His previous high for tackles was 16 against Auburn in 2015 when he was a freshman.

"Honestly, I didn't even know how many tackles I had against TCU until somebody told me," Greenlaw said. "I just go out there and play. See ball, hit ball.

"At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. Just find the ball and make a tackle."

Arkansas senior nose guard Bijhon Jackson said having Greenlaw back and healthy is a big deal.

"Up front we've got to keep him clean so he can go make plays," Jackson said. "We're counting on him a lot.

"He's had to catch up a little bit, but I think he's coming along just fine. He's made a lot of progress these first few weeks of the season. The sky's the limit for him."

Greenlaw, 6-0 and 229 pounds, was a safety in high school and didn't play linebacker until his freshman season with the Razorbacks.

"He's being a little bit more of a linebacker right now," Hargreaves said. " He understands where he's supposed to be and how he's supposed to be there. His body position, his footwork, all those types of things.

"Then he's just got some obvious natural ability in terms of speed and burst.

"We've just got to continue to improve his football IQ, and as that continues to grow, he's going to be an even better player."

Greenlaw, who has 156 tackles in 21 games, said he feels good physically.

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"I didn't have too many problems as far as stamina and getting tired in the TCU game," Greenlaw said. "For the most part I feel like I'm just about there."

Sports on 09/23/2017