Observations from Arkansas' first spring scrimmage

Arkansas running back T.J. Hammonds (6) goes through practice Saturday, March 10, 2018, in Fayetteville.

Maleek Williams looked fantastic today. He began the day working as the first running back with the second-team offense alongside Cole Kelley. Williams broke off a pair of really nice runs, including a 42-yarder when he made a defender miss at the line of scrimmage, then stutter-stepped a defensive back to break free for an extra 15-20 yards.

The thing that stands out is how hard he is to bring to the ground. In one instance, Williams broke free of a Scoota Harris arm tackle and got into the end zone. Coaches blew the play dead when Harris stood him up, but his lower body strength is so impressive. Matt said Williams reminded him a bit of Derrick Henry in the way he runs - upright but powerful. As Arkansas worked goalline situations, Williams got in fro 3 yards out as well.

-Tyson Morris, who played his high school ball at nearby Fayetteville High, made several big catches in the scrimmage portion of practice. Following a 20-yard gain on a screen play by TJ Hammonds, Morris caught a 10-15 pass, made a couple of defenders miss and outran the defense for a 60-yard score. Later, Morris made another nice first down grab and picked up a few extra yards by making yet another defender miss. On two of those catches, Morris went high to make the catch and was athletic enough to make the defender miss after he came back to the ground.

-Chad Morris said TJ Hammonds is going to have to come along in his pass protection. Morris added that he can't put guys on the field if he knows the defense can sniff out a weakness. Hammonds made some nice plays in the screen game Saturday.

-Jamario Bell has always looked the part. He's big, tall, physical and looked really good today. Unofficially he had three sacks, including a strip sack of Ty Storey when crashing off the edge that would have been a touchdown had the play not been blown dead. Bell also had a tackle for loss working with the third-team defense. He may have a long way to go to crack the rotation along the defensive line, but his play today didn't hurt his chances. He was one of the players who defensive coordinator John Chavis said stood out following the scrimmage.

Morris talked about Bell briefly, saying he's a guy who always has a smile on his face. Morris wants him to become the player he was hyped up to be coming out of Junction City High School.

-Connor Limpert made all of his field goal attempts, including some easy looking makes from greater than 40 yards.

-Backup center Ty Clary struggled some with his snaps, several of which were high for Cole Kelley in the shotgun formation.

-Dre Greenlaw stood out on defense, including a late sack in which he correctly guessed the cadence and was on the quarterback quickly after he received the snap.

-There is a healthy battle at right guard between Johnny Gibson and Jalen Merrick.

-Isaiah Nichols received a personal foul when he shoved an offensive lineman following the conclusion of a play.

-An estimated 600 visitors - recruits, parents and high school coaches - attended the scrimmage.

-Chase Hayden, who had several strong runs, said he was 100 percent about two weeks after the final game of the 2017 season. Hayden, who broke his ankle in mid-October, said he went through practice in a green no-contact jersey prior to the Missouri game last November.

-Dylan Hays, who is running as Arkansas' first-team center, never played the position in high school.

-Three Arkansas tight ends - Will Gragg, Jeremy Patton and C.J. O'Grady - made touchdown catches during red zone work. Patton's touchdown was especially impressive, as he touched his toe down in the back of the endzone on a pass from Cole Kelley.

-Ty Storey is wearing a glove on his throwing hand. His best pass was on an across the field pass to Jordan Jones, who made a great basket catch near the sideline.

-Micahh Smith had an interception that would have been returned for a touchdown had the play not been blown dead.

-The majority of Arkansas' offensive plays consisted of screens, draws and fade routes. All were run from the shotgun formation.

-McTelvin Agim and Randy Ramsey impressed from their spots at defensive end. On one play, Agim forced a quarterback to step backward and right into Ramsey, who was rushing from the blind side. The play was ruled a sack.