FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas offensive lineman Colton Jackson informed Coach Chad Morris on Monday he had made the decision to retire from football.
The culprit is Jackson's ailments the past couple of years that have included back, foot and concussion injuries this year, and a back injury that required surgery that kept him out the first three games of 2018. Jackson has said he probably came back too quickly from the injury in the summer of 2018.
"Colton has really struggled with getting healthy and staying healthy," Morris said at his weekly news conference Monday. "It just seems like it's something that continues to reoccur.
"He and his family have made the decision that he's going to step away from football. He's very upset and frustrated that he can't get healthy and stay healthy."
Jackson started the first three games at left tackle, even as he engaged in limited practice time with the foot ailment. The 6-5, 298-pounder from Conway missed the San Jose State game due to a concussion, returned to start against Texas A&M, then sat out the loss at Kentucky while in concussion protocol.
Jackson started the next week against Auburn, but he reinjured his back and did not make the road trip to Alabama last week.
"I love Colton to death," Arkansas offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said. "He's a guy that we felt like was always taking great notes. He's a leader in that room, trying to get the other guys going. He's been a warrior.
"He's fought through a lot of pain that a lot of people don't know about. In our two years, he's fought through a lot."
Junior transfer Myron Cunningham, who graded out well against Alabama, is expected to make his seventh start of the year -- and his fourth at left tackle -- in Saturday's 3 p.m. game against Mississippi State.
Burks blastoff
Chad Morris saved his best praise Monday for the effort freshman Treylon Burks made in his effort to chase down swift Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs after his interception at the Arkansas 16 late in the first half.
Burks, who was slightly behind and well away from Diggs at the moment of the interception, sprinted the full distance and hit Diggs at the 1 as he finished off the 84-yard pick-six by falling into the end zone.
"There was no quit," Morris said. "Treylon Burks, you could look at one play and see it, sum it up.
"That's a challenge to all our players, to continue to push and give great effort in all phases like that."
Personnel update
True freshman defensive lineman Marcus Miller will have knee surgery Friday and is out for the remainder of the season. Miller played sparingly in a couple of games and had a tackle for loss against Kentucky.
Senior quarterback Ben Hicks, who practiced with left shoulder pain last week but did not play at Alabama, is expected to be available this week, Coach Chad Morris said. Junior center Ty Clary is expected to be ready to play Saturday after suffering a shoulder injury at Alabama. Senior Austin Capps is listed as the starter at left guard this week, but he's still day to day in his recovery from concussion protocol, which kept him out of last week's loss at Alabama.
Dogs' dings
Mississippi State is hurting at cornerback entering its game against the Razorbacks.
Maurice Smitherman, who started the first six games, was lost for the year after undergoing surgery on a lower body injury Monday. Jarrian Jones, who started last week's 49-30 loss at Texas A&M, is out this week with an upper body injury.
Junior Cameron Dantzler, a six-game starter and one of the Bulldogs' top players, is questionable as he recovers from an upper body injury.
"Everyone in the country is dealing with injuries," Coach Joe Moorhead said. "We have been beset by quite a few, but we have the next man in mentality."
Moorhead also said senior defensive end Fletcher Adams, a 45-game starter, is also out for the remainder of the year after undergoing surgery Monday.
McClellion decision
Sophomore cornerback Jarques McClellion has started 17 consecutive games, but he wasn't on the field to open the second half at Alabama, giving way to senior Britto Tutt.
Coach Chad Morris said McClellion, who is listed as the starter for Saturday, was not injured.
"Yeah, he should be back and ready to go," Morris said. "We just made a decision to make a change right there."
Defensive coordinator John Chavis said the coaches needed somebody else in the game.
"We make those decisions, and we don't talk about them, why we made that decision," Chavis said. "But we made that decision to get somebody else in the game and see if we could maybe be a little better."
Chavis was asked whether he was challenging McClellion, and how he might respond against Mississippi State.
"I hope he'll respond well," Chavis said. "Those are the kind of things you see, and we're going to continue to challenge our guys. Every one of them."
Chavis added he didn't play senior linebacker De'Jon Harris, a three-year starter, in the fourth quarter at Alabama.
"Is that a challenge to him?" Chavis said. "Maybe not as much as with someone else, but I'm not going to have him out there in the fourth quarter and then get him hurt and have to come in here and say why was he out there.
"There's different reasons. I'm not going to talk about the reasons. But if you think it's a challenge [to McClellion], it probably was."
Gerald update
Defensive end Dorian Gerald tweeted "Plotting my comeback Nov. 19th," but Coach Chad Morris said that doesn't mean Gerald will play again this season after suffering a neck injury in the opener.
"He's done for the year," Morris said. "I know he's got a follow-up doctor's appointment at some point in late November, and that may be what he's referencing there."
Gerald, a senior, is eligible to redshirt this season and return in 2020.
Two years ago
Monday marked the two-year anniversary of the largest comeback in Arkansas football history, when the Razorbacks rallied from a 31-7 second-quarter deficit to outlast Ole Miss 38-37.
Kevin Richardson returned a fumble for a 22-yard touchdown with 6:01 remaining, then Connor Limpert won it with a 34-yard field goal with four seconds left.
That road win is also Arkansas' last SEC victory. The Hogs' SEC losing streak reached 15 games with their 48-7 loss at Alabama on Saturday.
Tube talk
The Razorbacks' home game against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9 will be an 11 a.m. kickoff, the SEC office announced Monday. The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network.
The pre-noon kick time will be the third this season for the Razorbacks, following 11 a.m. starts against Texas A&M and Auburn.
Arkansas likely will face former quarterback Ty Storey against Western Kentucky. Storey has taken over the starter's role for the Hilltoppers, who are 5-3 heading into Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic. The former Charleston High standout has completed 70% of his passes (109 of 155) for 1,097 yards, with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Sports on 10/29/2019