NFL
By: Randall Slifer
The Arkansas Razorbacks are in rough shape to start the 2026 season. Arkansas has one foot out the door already, and we are getting epic (and justified) rants on radio shows. The Arkansas Razorbacks are fighting for the worst Power 4 school with teams like Michigan State, Stanford, and Purdue in the mix. Who is to blame? Is it Ryan Silverfield? Is it Hunter Yurachek? I will not voice my full opinion, but I do not think it’s Ryan Silverfield.
Ryan Silverfield didn’t have enough time to build the team he wanted, and at the start of the season, the team looked promising enough to hold your fandom’s head high. Now, Arkansas is 1-1, but the rest of the schedule is bleak, to say the least. Not to make excuses, but Utah’s matchup was a funky preparation in itself.
The Utes utility player, Byrd Ficklin, plays the Taysom Hill role better than Taysom Hill. He’s got a rocket arm and can use it any way he can. Here is his stat line in totality:
Passing: 2/4 40 yards
Rushing: 4 rushes for 22 yards
Receiving: 1 catch for 11 yards
10 run-blocking snaps
He also served as a decoy on reverses and screens. For a team made up of 80% transfers and still figuring out how to play football together, it is a difficult matchup to endure. That is the only excuse, though. Who does Arkansas play this week? Number 2-ranked Georgia.
It is impossible to preview a team looking the way Arkansas has the past two weeks against an SEC team destined for the college football playoffs. Let’s talk about how Ryan Silverfield and the Arkansas Razorbacks can look like a football team against Georgia this weekend:
Can the rushing attack contribute at all?
The Arkansas Razorbacks are known for always having a strong rushing attack. They had a 220-pound running back who ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash and was drafted into the NFL. The history is plentiful, and this is the worst rushing attack in the past 10 years.
Braylen Russell and Sutton Smith are both averaging under 3 yards per carry. Braylen Russell scored a touchdown in week one, and Sutton Smith has yet to score one. They have split carries evenly, but Braylen Russell should take the bulk of the snaps. His size and lateral movement help him carry for extra yards on a team that can barely afford a 2nd and 10. Sutton Smith should be used as a change-of-pace back, and the team should involve him more in the passing game.
There should be no limitations to offensive formations. Utah was willing to run a versatile style of offense, and it will not hurt if Ryan Silverfield does something similar. Throw an extra offensive lineman in there and play bully blocking. Run 31 personnel and run counters and pitches to open up gaps. The offensive line looked better from week one to week two, but they still need to take that leap in run blocking. Getting advantageous situations with more blockers than defensive linemen can help open up the run game, which could make it easier on our average quarterbacks.
Can Ryan Silverfield make it easier on KJ Jackson?
KJ Jackson and AJ Hill don’t seem ready for a full-time starter role, but Arkansas doesn’t have any other options right now. Ryan Silverfield needs to make it easier on KJ Jackson to open up the passing game. As stated above, the rushing attack can alleviate some of the passing pressure if they can get to 2nd and 3rd down. Why isn’t the coaching staff using KJ as the rusher he can be?
KJ Jackson is a 6’4, 225 lb. dual-threat quarterback who is not being used as a runner. In the first two games, he has only rushed 14 times. 14 times! KJ Jackson has thrown the ball 69 times in those two games. The whole state knew his flaw was throwing the ball, but you can mask a poor thrower if you commit to the threat of KJ running the ball.
For some reason, Ryan Silverfield is operating as if KJ Jackson is a pocket-passing quarterback. Ryan Silverfield has called only 13 screen passes and has used play-action passing only 8 times. Playing straight-up football with a shaky passing quarterback is a disaster. Against Utah, their solution to cover 1 defense was to throw a moon ball to the sideline in 1-on-1 coverage and hope he comes down with the ball. The Arkansas Razorbacks need to start getting more creative because when your roster is average, you cannot go toe-to-toe in the SEC and expect to come out on top.
Can the defensive line produce any stats?
The Arkansas Razorbacks’ defensive line was one of my highlights heading into the 2026 season. Led by Quincy Rhodes Jr., they have enough firepower and talent to get to the quarterback. The entire defense has accumulated 14 pressures and 1 sack in 2 games. That is alarming. If teams cannot pressure the quarterback, it makes the defensive backs look bad. Quarterbacks become very successful when they have over 2.75 seconds to throw the football. It is basically a game of 7-on-7, and the offense wins every time.
Players like David Oke have the explosion and lateral movement to get through the offensive line with slashing, stunts, and twists. Charlie Collins is a dynamic edge rusher who has gotten Arkansas’ only sack. Ron Roberts blitzed at a 66% rate against Utah last week, and I hope he keeps it up. For the Georgia game, Gunnar Stockton is a great quarterback, but if you can compress the pocket and bring a blitz from his blind side, he can end up on the ground with nowhere to go. Roberts needs to show his defense understands its jobs, and the most important one is getting the quarterback to the ground.
The Arkansas Razorbacks face the Georgia Bulldogs this Saturday at 11:00 CST. The game is another 90-degree day in Fayetteville. Vegas favors Georgia by 24.5 points. No excuses, just expectations. After the Georgia game, Arkansas faces Tulsa. Tulsa is a great team, but Ryan Silverfield needs that win. I believe Arkansas would be content if the Arkansas Razorbacks cover the spread against Georgia. Do I think they will? Unless Ryan Silverfield gets creative and manages his team the way it was built, they may not. As always, go Razorbacks.
