Gameday Extra

on Arkansas' schedule this season. In the same way teams can get psyched out just by seeing the Alabama and Georgia logo, those same teams can take a look at a lower-level team across from them and not play with the same force they might on any other Saturday. Underestimate the Flames and get burned. "You've got to prepare for each team the same way, by working hard, watching film," Arkansas left tackle Luke Jones said. "And we're preparing the same way. We're going to go out there and get it done." Liberty has not faced near the competition Arkansas has this season, but it does boast the nation's No. 35 run defense, allowing 123.3 yards per game. The Razorbacks, against one of the toughest schedules in the sport, are putting up 244.5 yards per outing. Arkansas can and should impose its will at the line of scrimmage offensively. On the other side of the ball, SEC speed and strength should come to the forefront. The Razorbacks finished with six tackles for loss at Auburn and three at BYU. They need to create havoc- type plays in the backfield and set the tone, letting the Flames know they are in for a long day. Pittman, in his two-plus seasons at Arkansas, has done a quality job preparing his teams to play to his standard. Liberty is not a traditional late-season non-conference game. Pittman is well aware of that. Take no one lightly and take care of business has to be the Razorbacks' motto this weekend. Bowl eligibility is up for grabs. "They're really explosive," Arkansas defensive back Hudson Clark said. "They can run the ball, they can pass the ball. They're pretty balanced. I think they have really good receivers who can catch really well, so if you're not prepared, if you're not locked in every play, they can really do a number on you. "We have to take that mentality to the game." DAE DAE HUNTER Much like Arkansas, Liberty has a bell-cow running back that it likes to feed a healthy amount of carries. Hunter, a sophomore from Denver, leads the Flames in rushing by a wide margin. He comes into the weekend with 825 yards — 6.8 yards per carry — and 8 touchdowns in 8 games. He has scored at least once on the ground each week since the season opener against Southern Miss, and he torched BYU's defense two weeks ago. In the 41-14 victory for the Flames, Hunter raced to a 213-yard, 1-touchdown day on 23 touches. His rushing total against the Cougars surpassed his numbers from his entire freshman season spent at Hawaii. And the 213 yards made for Liberty's first 200-plus- yard performance by a back since 2008. "Obviously he's a really good back," Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders said. "Liberty's a really good team. They've competed in every single game. They barely lost to Wake Forest. They're a solid team and it'll be a good contest. "Their back, I think, is one of their better players on offense and it'll be a good test for us." Hunter ran for 93 yards and a touchdown at Wake Forest in the team's lone loss. He has surpassed 100 yards in two other games, as well, and is someone Arkansas has to eye at all times. That also includes when he turns into a pass catcher. Hunter has 17 receptions for 147 yards and 1 touchdown. He has two games this season with at least four grabs, another with 60 yards, and he averages seven yards per touch offensively. "He could have played for me in my days at Ole Miss," Freeze said. "We didn't have maybe the greatest running backs in the conference at that time. He would have played for me there. Dae Dae's got some stiffness that probably is why he did not sign with Power 5s, but physically he's really, really strong and has enough burst. "He's not a blazer, but he's got enough burst to make explosive runs. There were some weeks (at Ole Miss) that we would have loved to have had him. I think he's right on the borderline probably (of being an SEC back)." Hunter might have an added workload this week. Freeze said the team's No. 2 back, Shedro Louis, might miss the game following the death of his father Wednesday. Louis has rushed for 350 yards and 7 touchdowns on 79 carries. CHRIS PAUL Not often is a back-up linebacker considered a key figure in a football game. But the play of the Razorbacks' most-counted-on reserve at the second level could loom large. Paul, who goes by the nickname "Pooh," will be a defensive player to keep an eye on for Arkansas because his role is growing under linebackers coach Michael Scherer and defensive coordinator Barry Odom. At Auburn last week, he played more snaps (35) than Bumper Pool (32). Pittman noted this week that the Razorbacks' staff is pushing to decrease Pool's in- game reps whenever possible to preserve his body for the stretch run of the schedule. Paul is ready and waiting, and he has taken advantage of his opportunities to this point. Against the Tigers, Paul finished with 5 tackles, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry. It was his second full sack of the season in 22 pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. "I said as I'm watching the tape on Pooh's sack that there'd be a lot of teams in the SEC that'd take him off of that play because he was fluid, fast, violent on the hit," Pittman said. "He's got a lot of those left in his career for us. "The more he plays, I think the better he'll get." Paul has missed only three tackles this season, and two since the season opener against Cincinnati. His tackle grade is fourth best among Razorbacks defenders who have played more than 100 snaps. "Pooh keeps getting better and better, and he keeps pushing all of us and we keep pushing him," Drew Sanders said. "It's a great system we've got going." BOWL ELIGIBILITY Freeze and Liberty are slotted inside the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2020 season. AP voters placed them at No. 23 this week, but they were unranked by the College Football Playoff committee. The Flames will be the fourth team the Razorbacks have faced this season ranked 23rd in the AP poll. Arkansas defeated Cincinnati at home in the season opener, and fell to Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, and Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. While it is a bit of an oddity for a team to play four teams ranked in the same place in the poll, the more important number for the Razorbacks is six, as in victories. Arkansas enters the weekend one win shy of bowl eligibility. "It, obviously, would be a big deal to be bowl eligible," Drew Sanders said. "We're going to take it one game at a time. Our goal isn't just to win six games. Our goal is to win more, but winning Saturday would be big for our team. "Being bowl eligible, not every team gets to do that, so it'd be a big deal for us and be a good accomplishment for the season." Should Arkansas reach the six-win mark Saturday, it would come one day shy of the one-year anniversary of becoming bowl eligible last season. The Razorbacks celebrated the feat in 2021 after a home win over Mississippi State on Nov. 6. "We put ourselves in position to go 1-0 every week," Arkansas receiver Ketron Jackson said. "We're practicing hard every day just to make sure we go 1-0 every week." Keys n Continued from Page 2 11.05.2022 BEST OF THE WEB Here are some selected comments from the message boards at wholehogsports.com. ARKANSAS HAS ONE OF THE MOST BALANCED OFFENSES IN THE COUNTRY harleyhawgidson: There is exactly 1 yard difference between passing yards per game and rushing yards per game. Passing YPG: 246.8; Rushing YPG: 245.8 (6th overall). Total YPG - 492.6 (13th overall). IMO, this is the best Razorback offensive football team since 2011. … I believe we end the season on a six-game winning streak! hogq: I love the balance we have this year. It does make it harder to defend because we can run and pass. We still get ourselves in too many third and long situations; thankfully third down conversion has improved enough to the past couple of games we've moved up the rankings there. youdaman: KJ Jefferson has thrown the ball very well and that only makes it tougher for the defense to know what's coming. When you get a defense on their heels and they have to react to what you're doing you have a chance to be very successful and that's exactly what we're doing right now. danny: The offense seems to be getting better each week, I suppose as the wide receivers are maturing in the system. Really fun. ClayHenry: I think Rocket Sanders will keep getting better as long as he stays healthy. He's still young in his development as a running back. The long run was setup by his patience as he waited for the line to wipe out the defensive pursuit. He stopped, waited and then slid outside and was off to the races. That is a move of a great back. LDhog: There were a couple of posts in the game thread Sanders about him not hitting the holes quickly. I noticed it myself but came to the conclusion the coaches have instructed him to let the holes open up then go. That long run showed how that can work. There is a time to hit it fast and a time to let it open up. Good players figure that out. Rocket is a good player possibly headed to greatness. coloradohog: Yep. All Rocket is doing is leading the SEC in rushing and reaching a 1,000 yards faster than even Darren McFadden, but the great coaches on this board know far more about how he should run than he or his real coaches know. Just think how great the Hogs would be if Sam Pittman would just have a direct line to this (and other) boards on game day. He could even get rid of all his coaches. The team would be better and he would save a bunch of money. Hogmodo: The play of our offensive line Saturday was super impressive. KJ had lots of time to let his receivers get open. Sanders was totally free to pop out to the side on his long run as our offensive line steam-rolled the defenders with a blocker locked up on every potential tackler. Was KJ even touched by their pass rush much less sacked? FANS CHEER DORIAN GERALD FOR STICKING WITH IT THROUGH SEVERAL INJURIES youdaman: Dorian Gerald (#23) got to play a good bit in the third and fourth quarters yesterday and I thought he did very well. Was pressuring the quarterback several times. He was an absolute beast until he got injured about three years ago … to go through what he's gone through and to still see him want to play football this year is absolutely amazing. I am so proud of him for getting into the rotation this year and that tells me about his character and his ambition to always want to be doing his best. LDhog: As I mentioned on here several times I had a chance to visit with Dorian several years ago at my great nephew's burger joint in Fayetteville. We talked for a good while and he was very polite and well spoken. Yes sir, no sir all the way he looks you in the eye and seemed to enjoy visiting with old folk. eaglehog5: Not many would continue to play a sport that had been so brutal to their bodies. The guy has a lot of heart and I'm sure he will do well in anything he pursues. marcm: He's been through a lot for sure: injuries and the CM error. southpaw: CM error? What is that? marcm: Chad Morris era. Auto correct got me. wizardofhogz: CM era…CM error…pretty much the same thing. ARE THE WHITE HELMETS BAD LUCK? SwineFusion: Probably nobody but me thinks about this stuff, but it occurred to me Saturday that it had been a while since we won a game in our road uniforms. We wore red at BYU this year, and lost to A&M in white unis on the doink. In 2021 our only road win was at LSU (red unis due to their home whites). A&M was red unis at the neutral site. Bowl game was red unis. In 2020 we won at Moo U and one was taken away at Auburn. Before that it had been 2017 at Ole Miss. So three wins in the white unis in the last six seasons. And we'll probably wear red again at Misery as we've done for a few years. MattJones: Arkansas wore white at Mizzou in 2020. You missed the white unis for Chad Morris' debut vs. EIU in 2018. SwineFusion: OK, but we lost (at Missouri). We'll see if they go back to the red rivalry unis. Mizzou wore black at RRS last year. Yes I did (miss Morris' debut game) but then everything about those two years was eminently forgettable. So, four in six years. duffhog: I think it's the white helmets that lose, not the white unis. Pavlovhog1: Hogs in white satin, never reaching the end But, these anthracite jerseys, are a dang bloody sin SwineFusion: We did beat Florida for the first time in forever in anthracite. Have we ever won in the white helmets? We won in chrome (K-State 2016), we won in anthracite (Florida 2016) but have we won in white lids? MattJones: Yes, multiple times, but the record is not good since they were reinstated. The record wasn't good in red helmets for a good chunk of that time, either. SwineFusion: OK, we used to wear white helmets in the 40s and so on, but I'm talking about the last 20 years or so. hogmaestro: I hate, loathe and despise the white helmets. I would love to toss them all into the Arkansas River. I hope we never wear them again. They fill me with Anger. Irritation. Rage. I am kidding of course. But I do not like the white helmets. It's not tradition, because as Jeff pointed out we wore white back in the pre-facemask era. I just think that once we went red with the white hog on the side, our helmet has become one of a truly handful of great looking, iconic helmets. … we look like dreaded l=Longhorns wannabe's with the white helmets. So let's stay with red. Wear whatever uni you want. Go 1960's psychedelic for all I care. Just leave the helmet alone. There. I feel much better. LDhog: I'd hate to pollute the Arkansas River with those monstrosities. Haul 'em down to the Red River. That would work for me. Jakey23: Nobody likes them except for a few folks. They need to be Fed-Exed down to Austin. Let the Longhorns use them for practice after taking off the Hog decals… dfwtexhog: Don't know any fans who like the white helmets (or the anthracite). Unsure why UA continues using white unless surplus discount from the supplier. Prefer the traditional non-metallic cardinal red despite metallic being the trend. SCORE PREDICTIONS FOR SATURDAY'S HOMECOMING GAME WITH LIBERTY coloradohog: Still a long way from sold on our defense, but feel a little better. Probably just enough speed to slow them down and let our offense do their same. Will be no room for turnovers. How about: Hogs 51, Bells 28. armyhog: Hogs 56, Liberty and Bucky 17 I really hope we get see the young players get plenty of reps in this game. It is important to avoid looking past this game. With LSU and Ole Miss both coming to the hill our Hogs need to catch some lightning in a bottle on defense in November! The Missouri defense won't be a pushover either. The real question remains how many of these games can our Hogs win? I hope we win all of them. georgiahawg: Think they score 30 on our defense. Just need to score 31 or more to win. Offense continues it's upward progression on the ground and through the air making the game against LSU a top 25 matchup on CBS at 11 a.m. Hogs, 52-30. redpig: I think I will reuse last week's since we did not come out as I had envisioned.:59-24. bakedhog19741: Liberty 116, AR 3. Liberty gets in Top 10 and has chance at playoffs. Or, Liberty actually sucks and we win by 30. lilhawg: Hogs blow them out in first half. They know they must get their rest because they have to play at 11 a.m. the next week! jimbeau77: We score a bunch but Liberty will score to with Hugh Freeze at the helm, but not enough. Hogs 48, Liberty Bells 30. bballhawg: Ringing the bell often to a 44-21 win. lovemyhogsforever: Lemu the Emu and Doug will be scrappy. But the Hawgs should pull away. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty 21, Hawgs 35. www.innisfreeseniorliving.com "Treating you like family" NOBODY'S PRICES OR CARE CAN COMPARE IN NWA! Innisfree Senior Living We are cheering on our College Team this season! GO TEAM! 300 Innisfree Circle • Rogers, AR • 479-636-7363 NOW HIRING QUALIFIED THERAPISTS & ESTHETICIANS Thanks for voting us the Best of the Best! FAYETTEVILLE 3557 North Shiloh Drive 479-571-3689 ROGERS 2603 W Pleasant Grove Rd 479-633-8340 Monday-Saturday 8 am-8 pm | Sunday 10 am-8 pm *Offer valid for first-time guests only. All session times include a total of 10 minutes of time for consultation and dressing, which occurs pre and post-service. Additional taxes and fees may apply. Each location is independently owned and operated. ©2021 ME SPE Franchising, LLC. All rights reserved. ME-DNLD-1969-00-002-8.5X3.625 $ 75 intro rate massage* Best of Northwest Arkansas the Now offering: CBD EnhanCEmEnt OptiOns & COmprEssiOn LEg sErviCEs

• Cover