FAYETTEVILLE -- Senior defensive captain Kevin Richardson is one of several Razorbacks from central Arkansas getting a chance to play close to home in the season opener Thursday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"It means everything," said Richardson, of Jacksonville. "I'm going to embrace every part of it.
"This is the last time I'm going to get to play in Little Rock in that Razorback jersey. This is something I've dreamed about and I get to do it now."
Right guard Johnny Gibson, a junior from Dumas, said he's excited to start in front of a large group of family and friends. He started the final five games last season after the Razorbacks made their lone Little Rock appearance against Alcorn State.
"Everybody will be there," Gibson said. "They all talk about how they're going to come to the game and see me."
Honoring Broyles
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville will honor Frank Broyles by wearing helmets with his initials -- JFB for John Franklin Broyles -- inside of the Razorback logo against Florida A&M, the athletic department announced Tuesday night.
Broyles, the Razorbacks' longtime football coach and athletic director, died Aug. 14 at 92.
For each of the remaining games this season, the Razorbacks will have a helmet decal that shows the signature profile of Broyles wearing a headset with the JFB initials.
New Rawleigh
Former Arkansas tailback Rawleigh Williams rejoined the squad last week as a student-assistant coach after his summer internship with the Dallas Cowboys.
"He came back as a coach this week," quarterback Austin Allen said. "Just having him back out on the field is really big for our offense and for our whole team."
Williams rushed for 1,360 yards last season, the third-highest total in the SEC, and 12 touchdowns. He was forced to retire from football after enduring a second neck injury on the final day of spring practice.
"I'm going to miss handing the ball off to 22, just knowing what he did last year and how good of a football player he is," Allen said. "I mean, that's a tough loss, but I think the guys in that running back room have handled the load well and I'm excited for them also."
Groovy Grovey
Former Arkansas quarterback Quinn Grovey, a veteran radio man for the Razorback Sports Network, will make his debut as lead color analyst Thursday, replacing Keith Jackson. Grovey previously has served as co-host of the Razorback pregame and postgame shows and as the longtime sideline reporter.
Grovey was a featured speaker during the recent Frank Broyles celebration of life service at Bud Walton Arena, where he centered his remarks around his mother Bobbye Jean's battle with dementia and the strength he drew from Broyles' playbook for caregivers of Alzheimer's disease.
"I saw a side of him there I'd never seen," Coach Bret Bielema said. "I give him kudos.
"He's very talented, very gifted in that. I know he was a good player. I think the part that's really cool is to have someone in that position that believes in the Razorback program. I know he wants to have success, and I think he'll knock it out of the park."
Rattler respect
Arkansas' players said they won't be caught looking past Florida A&M.
"You can't really take any team for granted," safety Santos Ramirez said. "No matter what, they can come out on any given day and upset us. They've got some very talented guys over there, and if we fall asleep, they can come out and put the boom on us. We've got to make sure that we use this first game to make a statement."
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of The Citadel's 10-3 victory over Arkansas to open the 1992 season.
"We've learned in our history here not to overlook anybody," center Frank Ragnow said. "One thing we've really pushed this summer and just overall is one thing at a time. Consistency and accountability finishing one thing at a time."
Riding solo
Florida A&M has a 1-24 record against FBS schools, and an 0-1 mark against SEC competition.
But the Rattlers have one of the top winning traditions in the FCS, formerly Division I-A, with 12 national championships, 36 conference championships, a top 15 spot in the FCS in all-time victories and more than 100 All-Americans.
The top coach in school history is Jake Gaither, who compiled a 204-36-4 record and won six black college national championships between 1945-1969. Gaither was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975.
"Bullet" Bob Hayes is perhaps the most well-known former Florida A&M player.
Tackle returns
Had Josh Liddell and Dwayne Eugene not played their way into starting positions during camp, the Razorbacks would have had only four players back among their top-10 tacklers in 2016 in the starting lineup.
Liddell is the top returning tackler with 63. The senior from Pine Bluff Dollarway beat out De'Andre Coley for the starting free safety job in camp.
Other returning tacklers from Arkansas' top 10 are cornerback Ryan Pulley (fifth with 47 tackles), cornerback Henre Toliver (sixth with 45), linebacker Eugene (seventh with 44), safety Santos Ramirez (eighth with 43) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (ninth with 42). Coley and returning linebacker De'Jon Harris tied for 11th last season with 37 tackles.
Hokie here
Former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer will be the featured speaker at the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club today at noon at Mermaids Restaurant in Fayetteville. The meet-and-greet portion of the event starts at 11:30 a.m.
Beamer had a 280-144-4 record in 35 seasons, the sixth-highest victory total among coaches at the Division I level or its equivalent.
Rotation
Defensive line coach John Scott wants to keep fresh legs on his players throughout the games, meaning he's prepared to rotate frequently at the nose guard and two end spots.
"We would like to roll seven or eight guys on a consistent rotation," Scott said. "With the style of offenses we're going to see, the tempo, I mean we have to. Our goal is to roll as many guys as I can, keep our guys fresh and play."
The starting trio on the depth chart is senior Bijhon Jackson at nose guard, and sophomores McTelvin Agim and T.J. Smith at end. Reserves Austin Capps, Armon Watts, Jake Hall, Briston Guidry, Jonathan Marshall and Dylan Hays are also listed on the two-deep chart.
Talented Hogs
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed Arkansas at No. 18 on his list of the 25 teams with the most NFL talent.
Zierlein listed 12 Arkansas players to watch in his analysis, including quarterback Austin Allen, defensive backs Ryan Pulley, Henre' Toliver, Josh Liddell and De'Andre Coley, and center Frank Ragnow.
"Frank Ragnow is a rock-steady center who will play on Sundays," Zierlein wrote.
He also listed defensive linemen McTelvin Agim and Bijhon Jackson, offensive linemen Hjalte Froholdt and Colton Jackson, receiver Jared Cornelius, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw as Razorbacks to watch.
"The secondary is loaded with four starters who should all find themselves in an NFL camp at some point," Zierlein wrote.
Extra points
• Arkansas has faced ranked SEC opponents in 24 of its past 32 conference games (75 percent).
• Arkansas will open the season in Little Rock for the first time since a 48-10 victory over Missouri State in 2009.
• The Hogs will play on a Thursday night in the regular season for the first time since a 28-6 victory over South Carolina on Nov. 6, 2003, in Little Rock. Arkansas' last opener on a Thursday came in a 14-10 victory in 2001 over UNLV, also in Little Rock.
Sports on 08/30/2017