Clay Henry's Top 10 Keys: Arkansas vs. Eastern Illinois

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is shown from the newly-renovated north end zone on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, in Fayetteville.

There may be some stunned Arkansas fans who did not get the word this week that their football team will wear all-white uniforms — even the helmets — in the season opener against Eastern Illinois at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

However, don’t get bogged down with the color of the jersey. It’s more about the flavor of the team. It won’t be vanilla.

That’s all that has been seen of the Razorbacks since Chad Morris became coach. That’s not him. His play-calling isn’t vanilla and neither will be what new defensive coordinator John Chavis does. It will be high pressure from the offense with lots of bells and whistles, and high pressure from the defense. The Hogs will get off the bus blitzing.

Joe Craddock is the offensive coordinator, trained by Morris both at Clemson and the last three years at SMU, when the play-calling was gradually handed over to him by Morris. But it’s still the Morris scheme — a wide-open spread that features the run-pass option.

It’s that RPO that makes this offense anything but vanilla. It’s the play that makes the defense wrong and was the subject Wednesday night when Morris hosted his statewide radio show at The Catfish Hole. Safety Santos Ramirez and wide receiver Jared Cornelius had some interesting back-and-forth when Quinn Grovey, the show’s co-host, zeroed in on the hot topic in college football these days.

It’s possible that Grovey is a little jealous that he didn’t get to run the true RPO during his days as the UA quarterback, including the last time the Hogs won a conference championship. Grovey ran and passed them to back-to-back Cotton Bowls in the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

Earlier Wednesday, Jack Crowe, Grovey’s former offensive coordinator and head coach, called Grovey the best quarterback he ever coached during a speech to the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club. “And I coached some NFL quarterbacks,” Crowe added, recalling when Grovey out-dueled Heisman winner Andre Ware in Little Rock his junior year.

Morris had a chance at some follow-up thoughts on the RPO to end the show. He did say that the RPO has been around since the early days of football and pointed out that the triple-option days were close to what RPO is today except “for that last pass.”

Oh, would Grovey have been good with that last pass to go with the read option. But it’s not altogether what I think is the magic play in the Morris offense. It’s something that hasn’t been seen by reporters or fans because everything that was run in open scrimmages or the Red-White Game in April was extremely vanilla.

It’s the quarterback counter that should scare any defense trying to come up with the short-yardage answer against the Razorbacks. With the flow going one way, the quarterback can take a step or two the other way and dive into a gap that seems like nothing until the linebacker steps the wrong direction. It’s good for a couple of yards, or maybe the distance if it’s someone like Grovey executing the counter.

That may or may not be the play that Cole Kelley or Ty Storey runs best. They are the first two in for Morris in the opener. That might be a better play for the two quicker freshman quarterbacks, Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones. A package for one of those two might include some of those nifty quarterback counters.

But it’s that RPO that everything is based on with the Morris offense. It’s a play that is blocked like a run with linemen eligible to move into that neutral zone three yards past the line of scrimmage. So the keys that safeties have used for years to know to fly to the line of scrimmage or backpedal have disappeared.

Linemen come off the ball with pads low in run block mode. They better because it might be a run. They don’t even know it’s a pass unless they see a running back flash between a crease that is surely there as linebackers try to figure out what’s happening, run or pass.

And, it’s almost impossible for the safeties to be right. The good ones like to fly into the box in run support mode. They might be wrong with this play, either way.

Cornelius said he sees “panic” in the eyes of safeties as he releases from his slot position. Ramirez admits it’s tough to be right.

“You can’t be right,” Cornelius said.

“It’s very agonizing,” Ramirez said. “You want to be aggressive. But you have to be patient. You can’t go attack or you look stupid.”

Oh, that’s been there to all to see against RPO teams as the Hogs have given up 51 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons.

The good news is that at least the Hogs are practicing against it on a daily basis. They see that and at a fast pace in the Morris scheme.

“It’s helping our defense,” Morris said of the RPO. “They see it every day. It’s going to be interesting to see how we develop (as a defense) as the season goes along.”

Chavis is the king of the blitz. That’s been his reputation at three SEC stops. It’s that zone blitz that has haunted offensive play-callers during his days as defensive coordinator at Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M.

Chavis is also the linebackers coach. He found two dandies when he arrived in Dre Greenlaw and De’Jon “Scoota” Harris. They will join Ramirez as team captains for the opener. Those three could be among the top playmakers for the Chavis defense.

The man dubbed “Chief” in the eighth grade wants to attack from the opening kickoff. He wants linemen to penetrate, not lay back in “catch” mode like the last two years. He wants the linebackers to play downhill.

The defensive ends will crash on every play. Speed is the key, with the speedy Michael Taylor and Gabe Richardson among the ends who have emerged in the new scheme. It’s perfect for Randy Ramsey, too, but the fifth-year senior is still rehabbing a sore hamstring. He did not practice Wednesday and is questionable for the opener.

To be able to blitz, you must cover on the outside. The blitz killer is the pass where the blitz came from and that means cornerbacks might be in press. Chavis might have several who can handle the chore, starting with Ryan Pulley. Chevin Calloway and Montaric “Buster” Brown have improved in camp and that could be a position of strength.

The other Chavis constant is a revolving door in the defensive front. He said Monday that there might be 13 players who see action in the opener at the four line spots. He thinks there are six ready to play end, seven at tackle.

That’s the only way he knows to be fresh in the fourth quarter against tempo teams: roll the linemen. You want your best to have that top gear for the last 15 minutes when most defenses are gassed.

That leads us into the top 10 keys for the opener against the Panthers from the Ohio Valley Conference.


Conditioning

This is something that should be noticeable when the Hogs get off the bus for the Hog Walk through Lot 44 north of the newly-renovated Broyles Center. They look good, lighter at almost every position.

There will be no bellies. They are slim. Right tackle Brian Wallace is the poster child for this conditioning trend that started last winter with new strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll.

Wallace never seemed to be able to sustain anything in his first four years. As a fifth-year senior, that’s not been a problem. He’s about 20 pounds lighter. He looks like the four-star prospect that was advertised coming out of high school. He’s quicker and loves the RPO series that takes away some of the basic blocking issues that also plagued him in the past.

Running back Devwah Whaley is another who changed his body. He’s under 210 pounds now after playing at around 225 last season. Morris calls him a new player, with ability now to make sharp cuts and follow his vision when a gap opens.

Vanilla Uniforms

Back to the all-white look, it’s not just about what Morris thought would look good. It’s about taking advantage of the rules that allow the home team to pick the color. It’s Labor Day weekend, usually the hottest football date of the season.

Dark colors might make you look slimmer, but they hold heat. Morris decided back in the spring that the Hogs would open in all white and notified Eastern Illinois prior to June 1 of his plans.

It should have been something everyone saw coming. Teams generally put their offense in the color to be worn in the game. The Hogs have had their offense in white throughout August. The idea is that the quarterback is going to look for the color he sees in practice when he throws a pass. The Hogs are going to wear white for at least the first two games. Week Two is at Colorado State.

Kicking Game

It’s been a sore subject for several years. There has been no consistency in the field goal team. There were times that fake field goals were called because there wasn’t any confidence that a field goal could be made.

Connor Limpert won the job in a high-pressure battle in camp. He’s been ultra consistent. His holder will be Jack Lindsey, a quarterback with the capabilities to run fakes. But here’s guessing there will be more kicks than fakes this season.

No one can predict kicking success based on practice success. You don’t know a good kicker until you see them do it in front of a crowd. But there is reason to think Morris has a good one ready in Limpert.

Morris calls his kicking teams battalions. He said the goal is for at least three of those units to rank among the nation’s elite. The returners have the look of elite. De’Vion Warren was electric last year as a true freshman on kickoff returns. Jared Cornelius is the punt returner and has some wiggle and a fearless nature. The snapper is Jordan Silver.

I’m interested to watch the cover teams. There may be some sparkle in this unit with some new speed. Freshmen Bumper Pool, Joe Foucha, Myles Mason, Buster Brown and Jarques McClellion are among the youngsters to watch.

Key Matchup

Eastern Illinois has two proven wide receivers in Alexander Hollins and Aaron Gooch. Can Pulley and Calloway handle them in press coverage? Hollins is an All-Ohio Valley preseason pick after catches 47 passes last year, including seven for touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see who Chavis rolls into the backup cornerback spots. Brown was not listed on the Monday two deep, but he was running with the twos in practice Wednesday and Morris mentioned him on his radio show that night. Brown redshirted last season when he lined up at safety. He worked at safety in the spring, too. But he moved to corner for the start of August camp.

Others expected to play as backups at corner are McClellion, dubbed “Pac-Man” in camp by secondary coach Ron Cooper.

But the two-deep might have been misleading because it listed a true 4-3 scheme that included a strong linebacker and no nickel. It’s expected the Hogs will play almost all nickel against EIU’s spread that features three and four wideouts.

The top nickel back in camp was D’Vone McClure, a former pro baseball player who converted from wide receiver in the spring. Derrick Munson, Nate Dalton and Hayden Henry could also play nickel, although Henry is also listed as the starter at strong linebacker.

Penalties

If there was one thing that Craddock bemoaned early in camp it was pre-snap penalties. When you go at break-neck speed, it’s not always easy to get everything perfect. You don’t have much time to get your keys and get set. That led to problems, especially as Morris tried to get a look at all the quarterbacks in what was a wide-open race.

Can the Hogs be clean in the opener? It’s not easy. And, if there is one thing that will slow down tempo, it’s an official marching off yards in the wrong direction.

O-Line Play

This probably fell too low in the list. It’s the biggest concern for this team. The Hogs suffer from lack of depth to start the Morris era. There were times in camp that only eight offensive linemen were healthy enough to practice.

Colton Jackson was projected to start for the second straight season at left tackle, but underwent back surgery in the middle of July. Doctors first said he’d miss up to six games, but that’s been reduced as the rehab has progressed ahead of schedule. He’s still likely to miss two or three games.

Redshirt freshman Shane Clenin won the starting job in a battle that was reduced when Dalton Wagner underwent surgery to remove his appendix. Wagner is back at practice and the backup to Wallace at right tackle.

Hjalte Froholdt will start his first game at center after manning left guard the last two seasons. Dylan Hays was projected as the starter at center, but was bothered by a back strain to open camp and Morris quickly slid Froholdt to that spot.

The left guard will be Kirby Adcock, another redshirt freshman. He’s backed up by Austin Capps, a former contributor at nose tackle. Capps made the move to offense one week into camp because of the lack of depth.

Whether or not this group can hold up might be the key to the season. The right side seems solid with Johnny Gibson and Wallace.

Craddock promises the Hogs won’t be right-handed with the green look of the left side. He said that won’t work.

There were lots of combinations tried in camp. In fact, for the first two weeks it didn’t seem like anything was the same. That might help ease transition when Jackson returns. It could be that Clenin slides to left guard.

What’s obvious is that the offensive line is a work in progress. It’s something to watch against the Panthers.

The QB Rotation

Both teams will play at least two. Arkansas could play three, with freshman Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones possibilities along with the top two of Cole Kelley and Ty Storey. Morris promises that Kelley will start and Storey will play early, too.

It was a wide-open race in camp with Kelley emerging as the starter late in the third week. Morris said he told the top two signal-callers the depth chart on Sunday night. He said both were upbeat and no, that the race isn’t over because both will play.

Eastern Illinois will likely play both Harry Woodbery and Johnathan Brantley. Woodbery is a junior college transfer who followed Scott Parr, his coordinator, to EIU. He knows the offense that was copied from Mike Leach at Texas Tech. Brantley, a transfer from Tulane, is more of a runner.

Strength, Part 1

Everyone worries about the continuity at quarterback with Kelley and Storey rotating, but they’ll have solid backs to turn to in the shotgun. Morris calls the running back group one of the best he’s been around.

Whaley will start, but there are four more likely to play. Chase Hayden, Maleek Williams, T. J. Hammonds and Rakeem Boyd are equally talented. Each is a little different. Hammonds might play along with the others, used in the slot or for reverses.

Strength, Part 2

It’s tight end where Jeremy Patton and Austin Cantrell head up a solid group of four. C. J. O’ Grady and Grayson Gunter are also superb players.

Patton has been bothered by a bruised ankle, but should play. Gunter has also been slowed by an ankle injury.

Patton explained in preseason that the versatility of the position makes it fun in the Morris offense. He said there were times when he operated from four different spots in the same play as coaches probed for matchup victories.

The Wow Factor

Yes, the Hogs will be wearing white uniforms, but fans will notice that there is plenty of red in the renovation of Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The two elevator towers in the south end zone have been splashed with red as part of a Walmart sponsorship. The new seats in the north end zone are red. It makes for a beautiful look.

It’s beautiful throughout the north end of the stadium where $160 million was spent to add premium seats of different styles. There are boxes and loge seats, and a beautiful game day locker room that players say is “wow” in every way.

Now, will there be some wow in the Morris era? I’ve waited until the last paragraph of the last story of preseason to form an opinion. Yes, there will be some wow, actually lots of it.

The white uniforms may be the highlight, but there is no vanilla in Morris. He’s enthusiastic, upbeat and fast-paced as Full Tilt Boogie, Hammer Down is launched.

It’s been fun to watch the last eight months as Chad Morris has changed the culture. It’s the reason I think the Hogs will be in a bowl at season’s end. I’ve seen seven victories predicted by some. I’m going with eight. It may take that 13th game to get to eight and by then, no one will argue that the Hogs are no longer vanilla.