Jefferson has 'mild symptoms' ahead of road trip

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) carries the ball, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, during the fourth quarter of the Razorbacks’ 49-26 loss to Alabama at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — The playing status of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson for Saturday’s 11 a.m. game at No. 23 Mississippi State will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis through the course of the week, Coach Sam Pittman said Monday.

On Saturday, Jefferson hit his helmet on the field during a fourth-quarter sack, missed one play, threw an incomplete pass on the next play, then did not return for the last 6:55 of the Razorbacks’ 49-26 loss to No. 2 Alabama. Cade Fortin, a senior transfer from South Florida, finished Arkansas’ final two drives.

Pittman did not confirm Jefferson was in the team’s concussion protocols at his weekly news conference Monday, but his comments suggest that is the case.

“He has some mild symptoms,” Pittman said. “Those are things that our doctors look at. Each kid is a little bit different with how they react.

“We’ve had guys back within three-four days. We’ve had guys out for 27 days. He’s kind of a wait-and-see to be honest with you.”

More from WholeHogSports: Highlights from Sam Pittman's press conference on Monday | Watch it here

Jefferson was at practice during the media viewing portion of the workout in light pads Monday. However, his level of participation for Saturday’s game remains unclear.

Pittman said Wednesday is typically the cut-off day for players to practice to be considered part of the game plan.

Jefferson has made 18 consecutive starts and is considered one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He has completed 80 of 121 passes (66.1%) for 1,096 yards, with 9 touchdowns and 1 interception. Jefferson ranks fourth in the SEC and 24th in the country with a pass-efficiency rating of 165.11.

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers is fifth in the SEC and 32nd in the country in efficiency with a rating of 158.88. He ranks third in the country with 1,715 passing yards on 171 of 234 completions with 19 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in Coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense.

Jefferson, a 6-3, 242-pounder from Sardis, Miss., has rushed for 312 yards and 4 touchdowns on 81 carries. Alabama snapped his streak of five consecutive games with a rushing touchdown Saturday.

Pittman said Fortin and sophomore Malik Hornsby would be in the mix to play quarterback if Jefferson is not available.

Fortin saw his first action with the Razorbacks on Saturday, completing 4 of 10 passes for 35 yards. Fortin engineered a nine-play, 46-yard drive on Arkansas’ final possession. The series ended on a failed fourth-and-5 conversion from the Alabama 12.

In limited action in one season at North Carolina and two at South Florida, Fortin was 61 of 121 (50.4%) passing for 610 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. He also had 27 rushing attempts for 152 yards, an average of 5.6 yards per carry, and 2 touchdowns.

Following Saturday’s game, Pittman said Fortin had surpassed Hornsby as the second-team quarterback a few weeks back, and on Monday he expanded his thoughts to say the two could be used in different instances as needed.

“There’s situations too now,” he said when asked how Hornsby was handling the situation. “I mean, we were behind. Fortin is kind of the guy who is what I would call the passing [quarterback].

“There’s a lot more that goes into it more than just who we put into the game. Malik is handling it fine. I visited with him today, and he’s fine. He’ll be fine.”

Hornsby had five touches through the first four games as a receiver and motion man. He has 3 carries for 21 yards, including a long run of 13 yards, and 2 receptions for 8 yards. His touches had been productive until the Texas A&M game, when three consecutive plays with him as the target or integral part of the play went nowhere.

The quarterback situation is one of several pressing issues facing Arkansas, which is trying to avoid its first three-game losing streak since falling at Georgia and Ole Miss, then losing at home against Auburn following its 4-0 start last year.

The secondary has been depleted since losing preseason All-America safety Jalen Catalon and nickel back Myles Slusher in the season opener. The group is still ailing, as a calf issue forced Slusher out of the Alabama game. His status for the Mississippi State game is iffy. Cornerback LaDarrius Bishop was lost for the season due to a knee injury in Week 2.

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The Arkansas defensive backs are sure to be challenged by Rogers and a bevy of receivers, who spread out all over the field and attack all quadrants, short, intermediate and deep.

“We have to get some guys back a little bit,” Pittman said when asked about the team’s defensive issues. “We’ve been beat up it seems to me like pretty much all year. We just have to continue to work on it.

“Man coverage has been a problem for us. Especially if we don’t get to the quarterback, it’s been a problem for us. We just have to continue to be in position better.”

Pittman said limiting explosive plays has to be at the forefront of improvements. The Razorbacks allowed three runs of 70-plus yards in the fourth quarter last week, when Alabama pulled away with 21 unanswered points.

Arkansas had outgained the Tide 165-75 on the ground entering the final quarter before Alabama ripped for 242 rushing yards.

“We have to be comfortable with keeping them in front of us and hoping we can have a pass breakup or get a guy on the ground,” he said. “Our tackling and our secondary woes have to improve. We have kids that will fight back there and work at it. They are a big challenge though.”