Preview #3 Texas vs. Arkansas Opponent: The Horns face a championship game against the Hogs

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. No. 3 Texas Longhorns, a rivalry renewed by Texas’ move to the SEC – The Hogs host the Horns this Saturday after a very interesting season.

Head Coach Sam Pittman’s team proved they have an ability to not only compete with the top teams in the nation, but best them after their 19-14 victory over Tennessee Volunteers. The Razorbacks have played a difficult schedule with four opponents in the AP Top 25 poll – Texas A&MTennessee, LSUand Miss Olematches where they have gone 1-3.

The most concerning threat that Arkansas poses this Saturday is that it may very well be the second or third team the Horns have faced all season with an elite defense not on their second- or third-string quarterback.

Crime

The Razorbacks’ offense can be dynamic in both the run game and the pass game, and it all runs through their dual-threat junior quarterback Taylen Green, who was injured against Ole Miss in their last game and is currently listed as probable on Thursday’s injury report.

The Razorbacks have speed on the ground with Green, and power with their 233-pound power back Ja’Quinden Jackson, giving them a 1-2 punch in the ground game. They can also make defenses pay through the air, with one of the best receivers in the nation in Andrew Armstrong playing in offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s passing attack.

Overall, the skill positions are elite for the Razorbacks, but it’s all running behind a shaky offensive line that has already allowed 17 sacks this season. Against a Texas pass rush that has come home 21 times this year, this could be the Achilles heel for the Hogs that could decide the game this Saturday.

Quarterback

The Longhorns nearly faced another SEC opponent without help from their starting quarterback after Green left their last game against Ole Miss in the second quarter with a knee injury. During the bye week, however, Green was a full participant in practice and should be good to go this Saturday in Fayetteville.

“Taylen practiced every day last week and I think he’ll be fine,” Pittman said.

Due to the knee injury, the dual threat quarterback’s mobility may be limited. Green is currently the second leading rusher for the Razorbacks with 411 rushing yards on 105 attempts with five touchdowns.

If Green’s rushing ability is diminished, it would be a huge blow to the Razorbacks’ offense, as he’s a capable passer but certainly struggles with efficiency — he’s 161-of-263 passing for 2,214 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, Green can throw the rock, but has trouble reading coverages at times and can try to pounce out of a bad situation at times.

Faith in his arm is certainly warranted, as Green can seemingly sling the pill across the yard. On passes over 20 yards, Green has gone 19-of-44 for 605 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. The deep ball is an ever-present threat with Green under center, and he has a talented pass catcher to help facilitate it.

Wide receivers

The Razorbacks have a talented group of wide receivers, but none potentially more dangerous than Armstrong, an NFL-ready senior who is PFF’s No. 5-ranked wide receiver and has played as such all season. At 6’4, 202 pounds, Armstrong has a big frame, but also elite speed and the ability to punt balls and make contested catches over virtually any defensive player on the field.

This season, he has been Green’s favorite target by a wide margin with 55 receptions on 84 targets for 857 yards and a touchdown, well on his way to a 1,000-yard receiving season.

Armstrong does the majority of his work in the short and intermediate range with an average target depth of 11.7 yards, generally lined up wide — 90.8 percent of his snaps are outside, making slants, quick outs and crossing routes his MO with only two receptions over 20 yards on seven targets for 54 yards and his only touchdown of the year.

More than anything, Armstrong has safe hands with just two dropped passes on the season for a 3.5 percent drop rate. Because he is such a reliable target and has a gunner throwing him the ball, this can lead to interceptions with four of Green’s seven interceptions coming on balls thrown to him.

Running back

The strength of this Arkansas offense flows primarily through their running game with Green and Jackson, a wrecking ball that at times is seemingly impossible to bring down.

Of the 594 yards Jackson has accumulated this season, 386 have come after contact. With such a large frame and weight for a running back, Jackson is exceptional both between the tackles and out in space – 34 percent of his attempts are in the A-holes outside the middle, while 35.9 percent of his attempts are along the outside in space.

Jackson can be a do-it-all back for the Razorbacks with 11 receptions for 125 yards this year.

Close end

The Razorbacks often use their big tight end, Luke Hasz, in the passing game, primarily in the red zone. At 6’3 241 pounds, Hasz uses his size and weight to bully defenders in the red zone, racking up a team-leading four receiving touchdowns this year.

He is also the fourth leading target on the Razorbacks with 20 targets, bringing all but four of them to 267 yards. In their last game against Ole Miss, Hasz was an integral part of the offense with five receptions on five targets for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The week before he brought in two touchdowns – Hasz is certainly becoming more and more of a used weapon in this offense, and that streak will likely continue as he continues to connect with Green and his coaching staff.

Offensive line

Arkansas’ offensive line has certainly had trouble protecting the quarterback this season with a whopping 17 sacks.

The offensive line has also seen its fair share of changes as they try to find the right combination to protect their dynamic quarterback. Arkansas moved right tackle Keyshawn Blackstock to left guard and E’Marion Harris to right tackle two weeks ago.

Harris in his new position at right tackle has certainly struggled with the shift, allowing a whopping three sacks last week against Ole Miss. The question remains whether, after such a performance, he lacks the lateral quickness to compete at the tackle position and will move. back to duty.

The rest of the offensive line has seen more consistency, with junior Fernando Carmona (6’5, 322) at left tackle, junior Patrick Kutas (6’5, 313) at left guard, sophomore Addison Nichols (6’5, 329 ) at center and senior Joshua Braun (6’6, 338) at right guard.

It’s likely we’ll see changes to the offensive line after the bye week this Saturday, in an effort to better protect their dual-threat quarterback coming off a knee injury against Ole Miss, the question is what combination it will be.

Defense

If there’s one incredible strength this defense possesses, it’s their ability to punt, with an incredible 19 sacks on the season.

Defensive line

The defensive line runs through senior edge rusher Landon Jackson. I don’t know what they feed this man, but at 6’7, 280 pounds, he still possesses the quickness and agility to overpower and swim past elite offensive tackles off the edge.

Jackson is easy to spot at 6’7 — No. 40 flies off the edge and has five sacks this season with 32 pressures, 20 hurries, three fumbles and 26 tackles through nine games. The man is a problem, and Texas junior left tackle Kelvin Banks will have his hands full this Saturday trying to contain him.

Linebackers

The linebacking core is led by junior Georgia transfer Xavian Sorey. He leads the team in tackles with 73, 50 of them solo. He is incredible in the open field and has the agility and size to carry City’s talented ball with just eight missed tackles this season.

Sorey can effectively play in any role this defense needs, from coverage to run defense and even pass rush with 10 pressures, two sacks and an interception. He has a knack for flying to the ball and being in the right place to make key stops with a team high 35 on the season.

Secondary

Arkansas’ secondary is anchored by sophomore safety TJ Metcalf. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. TJ is the younger cousin of Seahawks all star wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The 6’1, 200-pound safety is aggressive in coverage, bouncing balls as opposed to playing behind opposing pass coverages, leading to three interceptions on the season but also some blown coverages.

Metcalf lines up throughout the secondary — at free safety, in the box and at times even in the slot.

Special teams

Kicker

The place kicking duties have fallen to senior Matthew Shipley after senior kicker Kyle Ramsey injured his groin against Tennessee on a missed 44-yard field-goal attempt. Right now, Shipley is getting the job done for the Razorbacks, going a perfect 13-of-13 from extra points and 6-of-8 from field goals. This year, Shipley has fit the role nicely, sinking two kicks from 50-plus yards.

Returning

Isaiah Satenga handles the punt return duties, but hasn’t made much of it this season. Satenga hasn’t returned a punt since Tennessee week six, and overall has returned just five punts all season. The first game of the year he was able to return a punt 33 yards. Since then, he has primarily claimed the fair catch for most of the punts sent to him.

The kickoff looks a lot like the punt return team in that they haven’t returned much all season. Satinga handles most of the return duties and has only made two on kickoffs.

Overall

This could be a trap game for the Longhorns if they are not careful. The Razorbacks’ 5-4 record doesn’t seem to be indicative of how good this team really is or how good they can be, primarily based on the difficulty of their schedule to this point in the season.

They have proven they can compete with the nation’s top teams after upsetting Tennessee and that they can compete in all three phases of the game.

Defense is the most concerning aspect of the Razorbacks, primarily their defensive front. For a Texas offensive line that has plenty of talent but has looked shaky over the past few weeks, containing Landon Jackson and the rest of this pass rush will be a tall order. They also need to be able to create lanes for the run game and keep quarterback Quinn Ewers clean if they have any chance of moving the ball down the field.

For the defence, everything depends on the health of the Greens. His mobility could play a big role in Arkansas’ ability to stay on the field. Their offense is very similar to Vanderbilt’s behind Diego Pavia. This one could get close quickly, so the Longhorns need to limit their rushing attack and force Green to beat them through the air.

The offensive line for the Razorbacks has been shaky this season, so if Trey Moore, Colin Simons, Barryn Sorrell and Alfred Collins can come home and make Green uncomfortable, they will be able to shut down this offense.