FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks jump back into the SEC fray this week hoping for better health than when they entered the first of two open dates.
The University of Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC) faces Kentucky (2-3, 0-3) at Kroger Field in Lexington at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in their first road game against the Wildcats since 2008.
Arkansas has been roughed up at several positions, most notably receiver and defensive end, through the first six weeks.
The Razorbacks have shown signs of progress at moving the ball and notching sacks and takeaways this season. However, they did not finish strong in the fourth quarter in all three losses at Ole Miss, and vs. San Jose State and Texas A&M.
Assistant head coach and running backs coach Jeff Traylor, making his first in-season media appearance Wednesday, expressed the frustration the Razorbacks are feeling.
"None of those [backs] want to be 2-3 and none of the coaches do," Traylor said. "It's just how we feel, and it's amazing how a couple of plays we're siting in here 4-1, and we'd all be laughing and dabbing each other up. Instead, I want to go home and kick my dog, so ..."
That pent-up frustration extends to the injury front, where the nicks and dings have piled up behind early season-ending losses to senior receiver Deon Stewart and sophomore offensive tackle Noah Gatlin, whose presence would certainly have helped during the Hogs' start.
Stewart's loss to knee surgery was just the opening blow at wide receiver, where the Razorbacks have lost 13 games to injury for players who would comprise the top seven in the rotation.
Stewart and Jordan Jones (high ankle surgery) have missed all five games, while Treylon Burks (concussion), Trey Knox (hip) and De'Vion Warren (concussion) have sat out one game each. Sophomore Mike Woods suffered a hip injury in the 31-27 loss to Texas A&M that kept him out of practice last week.
Knox, Warren, Woods and possibly Jones, the team's fastest player, are expected to be in action for the Kentucky game.
"It's just next man up," receivers coach Justin Stepp said. "It's great for a lot of these young guys. Everybody is getting in there and getting a lot of reps.
"It's been a challenging season for us thus far as injuries go. Really looking forward to getting some guys back."
Woods is 11th in the SEC with 301 receiving yards, while Knox is 12th (299) and tight end Cheyenne O'Grady is 20th (243), with the most among tight ends.
The defensive end spot has been nearly as afflicted by injury as the wideouts.
Senior Dorian Gerald, who projected as the team's top pass rusher, went out in the first half of the opener with a season-ending issue with an artery in his neck. Freshman Mataio Soli broke a bone in his right hand in the opener and has played with a huge club on the hand while starting each of the past four games.
Senior Jamario Bell missed two games while rehabbing from a knee injury, but he bounced back strong with two sacks against Texas A&M. Bell is third in the SEC with 3.5 sacks, but he leads the league with an average of 1.17 per game.
Freshman Zach Williams, who had been active with six tackles during spot duty through the first four games, suffered a knee injury in the loss to San Jose State that kept him out against Texas A&M. Williams was back at practice in a green (no-contact) jersey last week and could be ready to play at Kentucky.
Defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell has given reps to true freshmen Soli, Williams and Collin Clay thus far, and Eric Gregory -- who needed high ankle surgery during camp -- is on the brink of playing time.
"Soli, I'm looking forward to hopefully he'll get that big ball off his hand in the next couple of weeks," Caldwell said. "I think he can play better than he's been playing because he can escape blocks better when he gets that off.
"Collin Clay, he's a load out there. He made a couple of big plays early in the game [against Texas A&M], and just getting consistency out of those guys and hopefully we'll have Zach back.
"I'm still wanting to get Eric in the game and just have not got Eric in yet to let him play. But those are four young guys that I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time with in the future."
The Razorbacks have done well at driving the ball on offense, as they rank third in the conference with 119 first downs, behind Alabama (130) and Texas A&M (122), and ahead of Auburn (115) and Mississippi State (114) entering the weekend.
Arkansas clearly has an improved passing game. The Razorbacks rank fourth in the SEC with 289.8 passing yards per game. However, their 57.6% completions is 13th in the league, ahead of only Kentucky's 52%, and their 7 interceptions thrown are the highest in the SEC by 2.
The net result is a pass efficiency rating of 123.0, which ranks 11th in the conference.
Arkansas is 10th in the league with 141.8 rushing yards per game.
Improved efficiency on offense and stronger red-zone production, where the Razorbacks are last in the SEC with a 65% scoring clip, are key areas for improvement.
While Arkansas is in the middle of the pack in the SEC with 33 penalties for 284 yards, the flags have come at poor times, wiping out several big offensive gains. The Razorbacks have had several alignment penalties or mistakes that have negated potential game-changing plays.
"We've got young guys that have got to come on, and we've got to clean up some self-inflicted wounds that have been costly for us," Coach Chad Morris said Wednesday. "And that comes with age and experience, and we've got to continue to demand that out of these guys. They've got to grow up quick."
Despite having the nation's second-youngest starting defense, the Razorbacks lead the country with three fumble returns for touchdown. They also rank near the top of the FBS in takeaways, placing fourth in the SEC and tied for 13th nationally with 10.
The Razorbacks' sack rate is also up, as they are second in the SEC and tied for 14th in the country with 15 sacks.
Up next
ARKANSAS AT KENTUCKY
WHEN 6:30 p.m. Central, Saturday
WHERE Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky.
RECORDS Arkansas 2-3, 0-2 SEC; Kentucky 2-3, 0-3
TV SEC Network
Sports on 10/06/2019