FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield isn’t buying an allegation from two defenders who helped Utah stuff the Hogs’ offense in a locker over the weekend.
The Razorbacks (1-1) couldn’t get anything going in a 43-10 blowout loss to the Utes on Saturday, Sept. 12. The offense averaged 4.01 yards per play and only scored a single touchdown during garbage time in the fourth quarter.
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After the game, Utah linebacker Jonathan Hall and safety Nate Ritchie told ESPN 700 that there were “cues” that informed the Utes‘ defense whether the Arkansas offense was going to run or pass on any given play. Hall said the clues lied with the running backs and offensive linemen.
Silverfield doesn’t believe tipping plays was an issue for Arkansas in Week 2.
“I think throughout the game, you go back and watch the film without — even if you sorted it — very, very difficult to tell run or pass based off those certain things,” Silverfield said.
The Arkansas coach did acknowledge the offensive tackles were tipping plays based off their stance in the Week 1 victory over North Alabama.
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Silverfield said the coaches saw the issues during the game and then self-scouted it during a film review. He believes the problems were addressed before facing Utah, and his coaching staff will continue to self-scout and try to eliminate any pre-play leaks.
“There’s times also they were yelling out ‘It’s a pass’ and we ran the ball,” Silverfield said.
There’s plenty that needs to be fixed for the Arkansas offense. Every position is at fault for the early-season struggles, according to Silverfield.
But one storyline is getting repeated more than most: Arkansas is disappointed with its inability to beat man coverage in the passing game.
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“You sit there and say, ‘Man, you know this is a true man-beating scheme, and we’re not able to get open,'” Silverfield said. “Is it the inability?”
Even on this front, Silverfield said there are multiple people to blame. Sometimes, the quarterback isn’t making the throw when it’s open. At other times, he isn’t getting enough protection from the offensive line.
Silverfield believes the wide receivers need to improve, but he also shared that the struggles in this department paved the way for Monte Harrison to receive more snaps. The former MLB player who is now a junior at Arkansas, had three catches for 18 yards against the Utes.
“Sometimes beating man coverage is not just about speed,” Silverfield said. “Sometimes it’s taking a 230-pound 31-year old and saying, ‘Run a slant route and try to find a way to get across that 20-year-old in front of you that weighs 195 pounds.'”
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Silverfield said quarterback play was not up to his standards against Utah, but he once again did not embrace a switch from KJ Jackson to AJ Hill.
“We plan on having KJ as our starting quarterback, but I’ve got great faith in everybody in that quarterback room. I certainly do, and they’re going to continue to improve,” Silverfield said.
Arkansas coaches have all sat down with Jackson since the Utah game to assess how they can make strides. Silverfield acknowledged some things that made Jackson successful in practices and scrimmages are not translating to the games.
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The staff hopes that Jackson will improve with more game experience. Arguably, the biggest test of the season is on-deck with No. 2 Georgia coming to Fayetteville.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield reacts to tipping plays allegation
