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3 things Arkansas football needs to work on before SEC play

By Austin Farmer

Sep 14, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) at the line during the fourth quarter against the UAB Blazers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) at the line during the fourth quarter against the UAB Blazers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
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Through two weeks, Arkansas has shown us they can dominate opponents and beat themselves. It's shown flashes of greatness and flashbacks to the Chad Morris era. The Razorbacks have a consistency problem, which isn't a recipe for success in the SEC.

Thankfully, there are a few things that could help Arkansas going forward into conference play. Right now, the biggest problems are on defense. Getting to the opposing quarterback and finishing tackles will limit big plays and help make the defense more consistent. On the other side of the ball, QB play has to be better. Taylen Green was 11/26 from the pocket, which won't win in the SEC, even with his amazing running abilities.

3 Things Arkansas football needs to work on

1. Hitting check downs and not forcing throws

One of the reasons Taylen Green is the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks is his explosive playmaking abilities. The most obvious example is what he can do with his legs. He's deceptively fast and can improvise in the passing game by either taking off with the football or running from pressure for some backyard football type of plays.

There's one more thing that makes him explosive; he almost always takes the deep option. The problem with that is he takes more chances than he has to. More than once this season, Green has thrown a pass that was either wildly inaccurate or highly contested deep down the field with his check-down receivers open.

Take Luke Hasz, for example. Before his injury, the star tight end was on his way to being one of the best in his position as a freshman last season. However, through three games, Hasz has only recorded five receptions for 88 yards. As a tight end, a significant portion of his opportunities will be when he's a check-down option. Another popular check-down option is the running backs, who cumulatively have 12 receptions for an additional 88 yards.

One thing that could help is making his reads fast. Former Georgia QB Aaron Murray harped on Green during the UAB broadcast and his podcast before game day. The former Boise State transfer has incredible talent. But his throws are often contested because he makes reads late. But, specifically for check-downs, he moves through his progressions too slowly.

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