State of the Hogs: Morris has eyes set on spring game record

Arkansas coach Chad Morris speaks with players Wednesday, March 28, 2018, during practice at the university's practice facility on campus in Fayetteville.

— Records are made to be broken. In the Red-White game Saturday, Chad Morris is going to try to break a record that may not exist.

The new up-tempo coach for the Arkansas football team has a mindset of putting the hammer down and making sure the team is entirely in the left lane.

The left lane is sometimes the route to Texas recruiting prospects. In this case, it's the route the Razorbacks will take to War Memorial Stadium for the spring game set for 1 p.m. Saturday.

Morris said the goal for the game – and that's kind of what it is – will be to set the record for number of plays.

I can't give you what it's going to be, but it's clear that Morris wants quarterbacks to get the snap executed before the play clock hits 25, which would be 15 seconds after it is reset between plays. That's fast paced by anyone's standard.

The other expressed assignment for the players is to be “one-play warriors,” and there was an afterthought that the one-play mentality is all he's asked all spring. I don't really believe that because I've seen several practices when he's coached hard on other aspects in the installation of the new offense and defense.

Morris wants lots of plays to give more chances for “separation” in the battle for play time for the fall. He continues to throw out his mottos, mantra and cliché thoughts that come with any coach. You just have to figure out their lingo and try for a translation. It's all good so far.

I enjoy listening to Morris and then look for the translation in what I know of football, limited because I'm just a sports writer. I'm still learning this up-tempo game. I have less than one year of watching it, the January to December year that Gus Malzahn was offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach on Houston Nutt's staff.

There were some messages Thursday about how spring has progressed. I learned that the quarterbacks have gotten much better in the last five practices. I take that to mean the ball is getting snapped quicker. Hence, the Hogs can go for the record Saturday.

Again, I can't tell you what the record is for Arkansas plays in a spring game, or if Morris is going for the SEC or NCAA spring game record. I'm excited and want to watch, though.

I will look for the stat man to give me the total, kind of like Morris said he's going to be about the scoreboard watch.

The head coach did come up with a scoring system for the game, set to be ones against ones. I do know that the offense will be the visiting team, wearing white. The defense will be on the home side, wearing red. He just said someone else can keep score.

Don't look for any magical play calls or anything fancy. Morris did say the offense will be “vanilla” or “generic,” but did intimate that defensive coordinator John Chavis might be allowed to bring some pressures.

It's been like that all spring as Chavis tries to change the culture from what has been the defensive mindset in the past several seasons, clearly “vanilla” or “generic.” Those are my words, not from Morris or Chavis.

It won't be bend, but don't break under this new staff. They are going to come after you on both sides of the ball.

I do have some words of caution about the spring game. Don't make too many judgments on the quarterbacks, as in picking one to be the starter. That's what everyone wants to do this time of year, even when Joe Ferguson dueled against returnee Bill Montgomery about 50 years ago in one of the more famous Little Rock spring games.

The headliners in this quarterback battle are Cole Kelley and Ty Storey. I think those are the two front runners, but some will tell you that Daulton Hyatt, the best runner of the bunch, has a chance, too. I don't know how you give a runner a chance in a spring battle that doesn't allow for quarterbacks to be tackled.

It's kind of like trying to figure out what Johnny Manziel can bring to the table if you never put him in a scramble situation. Hyatt is more of a straight-line runner than the mad scrambler, but there's no doubt that he has some assets as a runner.

Expect some to make an early exit this spring game. I'm not sure if that's going to be the top running backs like Devwah Whaley, Chase Hayden, T. J. Hammonds and Maleek Williams, but they've been hit quite a lot this spring and enough may be enough.

“We hit the running backs about every day,” Morris said. “I wanted to see how they responded and who could make people miss in the open field.”

One thing to watch on defense is how the nickel package is utilized. It's almost the base defense anymore in college football. The last two defensive coordinators at Arkansas went to it more than 85 percent of the time. Chavis is about the same and has admitted a 3-2-6 package is more and more his regular call.

Morris said Thursday that there has been a big rotation in the Chavis hunt for nickel backs. Derrick Munson, a linebacker by trade, has gotten a lot of work there of late. So has walk-on D'Vone McClure, the former minor league outfielder, and cornerback Chevin Calloway.

Munson is a train wreck looking for a place to happen. He was overlooked in recruiting because of a perceived lack of size. At 5-11, 207 pounds, he's a tackling machine. He was credited with 450 tackles while playing four years at Archbishop Rummel near New Orleans.

Who knows what the record is for high school players? But, that has to be close. Maybe Munson can set a Red-White record?

The nickel is a blitzer in the Chavis package. I like the idea of Munson coming off the edge looking for the action.

McClure was converted from wide receiver by Morris. McClure has produced big plays, both on pass interceptions and tackles in the last two weeks of spring drills. As they say, he's coming on. At 6-2, 222, he's got the size to be disruptive in the middle of the field as an extra safety and blitzer.

Morris praised other defensive backs Thursday. Cornerback Ryan Pulley is among the best players on the team and making plays each day. Kamren Curl, converted from corner after replacing the injured Pulley as a true freshman, has delighted coaches with his aggressive play at strong safety, his position in high school.

There's always a good word for Santos Ramirez, one of the team leaders. Morris said Ramirez continues to improve his tackling. It's been his focus every day.

One last thought about the spring game: If you want to study something in between plays, guess the linemen who have lost the most weight.

I know the winner. It's offensive tackle Dalton Wagner. He was around 338 pounds when he reported to campus last winter. He dieted to 275 over the winter as baby fat – my words, not a coach – was shed.

I'm guessing Wagner will be heavier as weight is put back on his 6-9 frame over the next four months. It reminds me of what Brandon Burlsworth did under strength coach Virgil Knight. Burlsworth went from about 330 the summer before his freshman season, down to 250, then back up to 305 as a senior.

But be quick in what you do between plays. The hammer is down.