What Chad Morris, coordinators said previewing Portland State

Chad Morris, Arkansas head coach, takes the field Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, during a fan day scrimmage game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Chad Morris

• A lot of excitement in the air, and energy in the building. We're at a better position than we were last year.

• Impressed with competition at quarterback over the last year, too. John Stephen Jones is so competitive, and he's on track to have a great career here. KJ Jefferson, his play-making ability is ahead of where we thought it would be. His growth in camp showed great promise.

• Ben Hicks earned the right to start, and will be our starter in Week 1 vs. Portland State. Nick Starkel has shown great growth since he got here. Ben's ability to know what to do and his experience in the offense was the deciding factor.

• Portland State has nothing to lose, and they are excited about traveling here. We expect to get their absolute best. It doesn't matter who we play, it's how we play. I want to see us play fast, physical and to our standard in Year 2.

• On quarterbacks: We've got to continue to get Nick's experience up. The game will dictate whether we play more than one guy at the position. We started talking in-depth about this Saturday night. We came to the conclusion, and with the amount of young players we're going to put on the field, Ben has experience and will be able to get them where they need to be.

• On Hicks: Being with him three years, he's a fierce competitor. His maturity level and knowledge of the offense has really grown. I shared the decision with them this morning, and said, 'Hey, there's going to be many opportunities this season.'

• Colton Jackson should play and he should start. Trey Knox, we anticipate him being at practice on Wednesday. Koilan Jackson will be back. Cheyenne O'Grady isn't full go just yet. We'll find out more on Wednesday.

• Myron Cunningham: He's extremely athletic. We saw that last spring. He's been a great addition. He moves really well, and he's definitely one of our top five guys. His versatility is really going to benefit him and this team.

• We can win here. I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that. I said when I got here that this is a sleeping giant. This is not an overnight fix. I've said that since I got here. I think we're building something special, and I'm committed to doing that. I think our culture is established. I would walk backward again to Fayetteville because this is going to be a special place.

• Those first games of the year, there's a lot of unknowns. Until you go through some of those situations with a game environment and fans in the stands, you just address things with your team.

• Hicks has the knowledge. With knowledge, the game slows down a little bit for you. It's about anticipation. That's what experience brings. Nick's skillset, he has great arm strength, size and decent speed. His decision making has been impressive in camp. He's a student of the game. Those are some of the strengths both guys have. Hicks knows where to go with the ball at the right time.

• Hicks is accurate. Does the ball jump out of his hand like Starkel? No, but the ball doesn't have to jump out of your hand to be accurate. He understands where to go with the ball and when to get it there.

• Sam Loy and Reid Bauer will both punt.

• On freshman receivers: There's a lot of things going through their minds when the fans are in the stands, the band is playing, etc. We're excited about them. We addressed the things we needed. We still have to continue to grow.

• Any time you put a true freshman on the field in high school or college ... they're amped up. You love having a 10-12 freshman out there. They know the impact they're going to have. They've made everyone better, and the seniors have invested in their lives. I have no reservations about putting a true freshman out there. We'll see how it goes.

• On the offensive line: I'm extremely confident in them. With a healthy Austin Capps, Ty Clary at center, that gives us our best chance going into Week 1. Ricky Stromberg has been impressive to us, and he's going to play.

• TJ Hammonds (suspended) won't be with us the first four weeks.

• On having 11 different starters: It's a complete transformation from a year ago. I think it says a lot about the work these guys have put in and the confidence coaches have in them.

Defensive coordinator John Chavis

• It's an exciting time. Can't wait. Excited that game week is here. It feels like it's been a long time. Eager to see how far we've come on Saturday. I'm ready to see these guys play.

• I didn't know Ben Hicks was named starter. That's good and great, and I'm excited to see him play well.

• On freshmen in depth chart: I enjoy coaching a young football team because sometimes they don't know that they don't know. Some of them are very talented and will get a chance to play and play early. Depth is a big issue when you start looking around the SEC. When you have to play so many plays, we'd ideally like to have guys play around 50 plays.

• Portland State personnel: They play a lot of 12 personnel with two tight ends, and you never know where they'll be. They play some big personnel and run a little bit of option. They play two quarterbacks in almost every game, and it'll be interesting to see what they do. We will play some base personnel.

• Improvements: Understanding our philosophy and what we're doing. The kids understand now and they're playing faster. Our guys are more comfortable now and they can cut it loose. We've improved depth at linebacker, possibly more than any other position.

• Some of the best teams I've been around, they've started just about the same 11 every week.

• Portland State's top tight end is an NFL talent. You play against that kind of talent every week in the SEC. I figure he'll have a good career at the next level.

• The seniors have to lead the way up front. Sosa Agim is playing so much better. He played well last year, but he's so much better now. He's been disruptive and he's going to get some attention. The three ends are doing good, too.

• We're excited about the corner spot. We feel comfortable having them out there. That'll be another position where freshmen will play for us. The starters can't carry the load by themselves. You've got to have really talented corners for the defense to hold up, and you have to have a pass rush.

• I think we tackled enough in camp to be sharp early. You can practice technique, and we did that, as well as footwork. You have to be able to defeat blocks and tackle to play good defensive football. As a coach, you don't ever get enough of it, but you want to get guys into the stadium healthy.

• Chavis will be on the field on Saturday, he said.

Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock

• QB progressions, and Hicks: Ben has earned it. He went out every day and led the guys. Nick started with an uphill climb because he got here later. Ben competed, and did what we asked of him. Has a great grasp of the offense surrounded by a bunch of young guys. We felt like he gave us the best chance to win in Week 1.

• Trey Knox: Being here in January is really going to help him. If he showed up in June, maybe I'd be concerned. He picked up our offense maybe faster than any other freshman I've seen. It's critical we get him live-game experience. Ideal situation would be getting him back Wednesday.

• Colton Jackson got a few reps yesterday. He's slowly coming back from his foot injury, and I expect him to be 100 percent by gameday.

• Freshmen in depth chart: Surprised but not surprised. They've done some good things out there. Losing Deon Stewart and Jordan Jones for a while elevates the younger receivers. We've thrown a lot at them and they've done a good job learning on the fly.

• Cunningham: Myron has to stay the course and not be complacent. His ceiling is extremely high. I think he'll be a guy NFL scouts look at. He's played a little LG in the spring, RG in fall camp. That shows you how smart he is. Very excited about Myron and his future here.

• On Hicks: When he got here, the first couple months he was quiet and didn't say a whole lot. He observed a lot. He earned the guys' respect the right way and in spring practice. Nick kind of did the same thing. Ben is a fiery competitor and he hates to lose. He'll headbutt every offensive linemen before the game. People like him, and people like Nick. They're both good quarterbacks anyone would want to follow. Ben is not afraid to call someone out, or go encourage. He's matured a lot over the years, and learned how to be a leader. When the Navy SEALs were at SMU, they didn't think much of him but complimented him this summer when they came here.

• On Starkel: Any time you don't get named the starter you're a little disappointed. Everyone wants to play. If you play this position at this level, everyone is competitive. Nick understands he didn't play at all last year and was limited the year before, so we have to get him ready. He has to get some game experience and game reps. It's a long season in the SEC West.

• Portland State plays extremely hard. Against Oregon last year, it didn't seem like they were shy about being there. It was 14-0 about midway through the second quarter. They're long at corner. Those guys are 6-2 plus. They play kind of a funky defense you don't see a whole lot. We have to stay confident, stay calm and do what we do. They do a good job hiding some of their coverages. We have to match their intensity.

• I feel like our best five linemen are in the starting lineup. We have to develop that continuity and allow guys to make some calls on the run. Portland State does a lot of movement and twisting. If you're not on the same page it can create some problems. Excited to start those guys and see what they'll do this year.

• Hoping to get to count on O'Grady. His knee is taking longer than Koilan's and Capps'. Trying to get him back as soon as we can. Coach has a rule that if you don't practice then you don't play, so we'd like to have him back on Wednesday. I have confidence in the other tight ends like Grayson Gunter and Chase Harrell.

• I think from a getting-separation standpoint with receivers, we're not where we need to be. We have some work to do. Those guys have come a long way in camp and will continue as the season rolls along. Me, Justin Stepp and Dustin Fry went to Kansas City for Chiefs OTAs this offseason and just hung out, watched practice and tried to pick up on anything we could.