Like It Is

Jones a real player in QB shuffle

Arkansas quarterbacks John Stephen Jones (left) and Ben Hicks talk during a game against Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

It is a full-blown quarterback controversy.

The University of Arkansas Razorbacks have four quarterbacks, not a quarterback, which is generally the most important position on a football team.

He’s the vocal leader who also does so with his actions.

He’s the only voice every offensive player hears on every down.

He’s the voice his own defense really doesn’t want to hear, but does so on occasion.

On Monday morning, the two-deep for the Razorbacks against Mississippi State showed up on the World Wide Web. This is what it showed:

QB 6 Ben Hicks.

OR 17 Nick Starkel.

9 John Stephen Jones.

The first responsibility of a coach is to put the team in a position to win by using his best players.

Hicks, a really nice young man, and Starkel, also a nice young man, have been the primary quarterbacks as Arkansas compiled a 2-6 record.

Hicks is a game manager who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s completed 60 of 119 passes for 692 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He played for Chad Morris and Joe Craddock at SMU before transferring to the UA.

Starkel is a big-arm guy who can stretch the field. He’s 93 of 169 for 1,118 yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He transferred from Texas A&M.

There has been an ongoing discussion among fans about who should start. The debate started in August and continued up to Saturday’s 48-7 loss to Alabama.

Now comes a third option, one that is becoming something of a fan favorite.

John Stephen Jones came off the bench three times Saturday night and moved the ball forward.

He threw a 10-yard completion to Rakeem Boyd for a first down in the first quarter. He was immediately taken out.

Late in the second quarter, he drove the Razorbacks 29 yards into Alabama territory. He was taken out, and Starkel threw a pick-six.

That’s five first-half plays for Jones that gained 39 yards. The other 32 plays netted 98 yards.

He started the second half and drove Arkansas 85 yards for its only touchdown.

Nick Saban was very unhappy about losing the shutout, especially since he was in shutdown mode and only allowed Arkansas to run 19 plays for 115 yards in the half.

Granted, the Crimson Tide were using second- and third-team defenders in the fourth quarter.

However, of the Razorbacks’ 213 yards, Jones was in the game for 154 of them.

But on the depth chart, he is the third option.

There’s another part of the controversy. Fans want to see KJ Jefferson, a true freshman quarterback who is a dual threat.

Maybe not as the starter, but play Jefferson for a series or two in each of the final four games, which he can do and keep his redshirt.

Where fans do not want to see him is in the transfer portal.

This quarterback controversy is going to get worse if the fans think Morris is playing favorites.

And wait until next season when his son joins the team. If no one transfers, all these quarterbacks will be back except Hicks. Plus, Chandler Morris — who has spent the past two seasons with his mother in Dallas playing for Highland Park — will arrive.

One thing is certain: Morris and his staff don’t need to recruit any more quarterbacks.

What they do need is obvious: offensive and defensive linemen, even if they have to go the junior-college route.

Hicks and Starkel have not been stellar, but they have been sacked and racked too many times.

Jones was fearless Saturday night in one of the most hostile environments in the SEC. In fact, he seemed to relish the role of underdog, and the Razorback Nation appreciates that.