FAYETTEVILLE — These next two weeks the Razorbacks owe it to Rakeem Boyd and he owes it to himself to return to Arkansas' premier running back.
Whether rest healing his injuries or practices polishing his game, or doses of both, this bye week and next week’s game week appear pivotal for Boyd before Arkansas next plays Oct. 31 at Texas A&M.
The senior running back can run remarkably. He was terrific for horrific 2-10 teams in 2018 and 2019.
Arriving as a sophomore junior college transfer just as the 2018 preseason began, Boyd opened behind in the playbook. He finished the team’s leading rusher with 729 yards on 118 carries.
Last year Boyd led and netted 1,133 rushing yards with eight touchdowns on 184 carries.
Boyd could have turned pro and been junior drafted.
New Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman marveled watching Boyd’s 2019 game film.
“He can run over you, he can run around you and he can run by you,” Pittman said.
And run to riches in the 2021 draft off what Pittman accurately foresaw would be Razorbacks improved.
“I believe that with another year he can certainly raise his value in the NFL,” Pittman said during the summer. “And I believe he believes that as well.”
Boyd did. Yearning to complete unfinished UA business, Boyd returned adorning the Preseason All-SEC second team and the Doak Walker Watch list that at season’s end honors the nation’s best running back.
Teammates voted him an offensive captain. Boyd captains an improved ship despite his declining individual stats.
Opening this season against Georgia’s nationally renowned defense, Arkansas’ still developing offensive line was overmatched. Boyd had nowhere to run on 11 carries for 21 yards in a 37-10 loss.
Injuries, the biggest risk for senior running backs returning when they could have been drafted, struck Boyd while gaining 28 tough yards on eight carries unable to finish the 21-14 upset victory at Mississippi State.
He missed the 30-28 controversial loss at Auburn but all week admirably served as captain and confidant to his running back replacement, Trelon Smith.
“Rakeem helped me a lot,” Smith said. “Watching film together, studying Auburn together, he was on my side the whole week. I thank Rakeem for that.”
For last Saturday’s 33-21 victory over Ole Miss, Boyd’s 1-yard run accounted for Arkansas’ lone rushing touchdown for 2020. But his 39 yards on 14 carries don’t conjure memories of him surpassing 100 rushing yards five times last year.
Perhaps pressing, which even great ones do striving to get untracked, Boyd apparently was too ready to run dropping a screen pass behind a late fourth-quarter Arkansas convoy set for him repeating one of those big plays of yesteryear.
He thirsts big time for that next time.
This bye week and six games remain to show what Boyd can do for the Razorbacks and they can do for him.
Their time starts now.