FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff receiver JaVonnie Gibson described the Arkansas Razorbacks' secondary as “big but slow” in interviews last week, sending a shot across the bow of the Hogs’ secondary before the second meeting between the schools in Little Rock on Thursday.
A couple of Arkansas defenders doing video interviews Tuesday said they heard the comment.
“We saw it but definitely don’t look at stuff like that a whole lot,” defensive end Landon Jackson said. “It’s a lot like the media, you just can’t really pay any attention to it. I feel like we have a really talented secondary so we’ll go out there and play ball.”
Added linebacker Brad Spence, “We heard it and we’re not really worried about what they’re talking about. I feel like we’ve got a pretty good secondary to our team, so all that other stuff, we just ignore it right now. We could care less what they’re talking about.”
Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman was asked about bulletin board material and whether he discusses it with the team or just let’s them talk about it on their own.
“Nowadays everybody sees everything,” Pittman said, with neither the reporter nor the coach specifically referencing the Golden Lions’ slight. “We have a lot of respect for Pine Bluff and their staff, so we’ll just leave it at that and try to go out and play our best game.”
Green dot focus
Quarterback Taylen Green will be wearing the helmet communications device, signified by a green dot on his helmet, on the offense, while the defensive player in that position might wind up moving around.
Jackson, the defensive end, said he thought safety Jayden Johnson or the linebacker Spence would receive the on-field communications from coordinator Travis Williams.
Spence said, “I’m pretty sure Jayden Johnson for sure has it. They’re deciding out of the linebackers who to have it. I’m not sure who’s going to have it. It might be me. It might be Stephen Dix.”
Spence said he wore the device some in the spring.
“It was pretty decent,” he said. “It was something I was new to, so it really helped the defense. With the 15-second play clock, I feel like that’s going to be a game-changer for the defense.”
Streaking
Arkansas has won 20 consecutive games against Football Championship Subdivision teams heading into the UAPB game.
The Razorbacks began the streak in the 2000 season opener with a 38-0 win over Missouri State. Their most recent victory over an FCS team was against Western Carolina, 56-13, last season.
The last FCS team to beat Arkansas was The Citadel, 10-3 in the 1992 opener in the Razorbacks’ first game as an SEC member. At the time, FCS teams played in the NCAA I-AA classification.
Earliest ever
Thursday’s game will be the earliest opener in Arkansas football history by one day.
The previous earliest date was Aug. 30, which the Razorbacks have played on four times, most recently in a 45-21 loss at Auburn in 2014. That was a conference clash moved to the start of the season in the first year of the SEC Network.
In the Rock
The Razorbacks are 153-62-4 at War Memorial Stadium. They defeated Abilene Christian 40-16 in the stadium’s dedication game on Sept. 18, 1948.
Arkansas’ all-time record in Little Rock is 170-68-5.
Anthony up
There wasn’t a lot of talk about redshirt sophom*ore receiver Jordan Anthony in camp, but he is listed on the second-team offense on the depth chart.
“Really good camp,” Pittman said. “I think Jordan has moved his way up. He’s definitely two-deep.”
Anthony was an All-American sprinter at Kentucky in the spring of 2023 in addition to playing in two football games and redshirting. He transferred to Texas A&M and played four games last season. He had three catches for 14 yards against Louisiana-Monroe.
Anthony ran indoor track during the spring at Arkansas along with going through football practice. He then missed the outdoor track season due to a toe injury.
Anthony had a 65-yard touchdown catch in the second scrimmage of camp.
‘I think you’ll really like him on Thursday,” Pittman said. “I feel like he’ll do a good job for us.”
It’s a business
Arkansas linebacker Stephen Dix got off to a strong start at Florida State as a true freshman in 2020 when he posted 45 tackles while starting 5 of 9 games.
Dix played in 12 games in 2021, but he didn’t make a start and finished with 14 tackles.
After Dix missed the 2022 season with a torn labrum, he said he transferred to Marshall on the advice of Seminoles defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.
“It was really something that the coaches honestly did for me,” Dix said when asked about leaving Florida State. “I mean, it’s a business. It is what it is.
“Coach Fuller brought me into his office. He told me, ‘I know you still have aspirations to play and be a starter like you believe you can be,’ and I knew I could do that. And he just gave it to me, told me like a man, ‘I think it’s probably best if you look for another program.’ I ended up taking off.”
Dix transferred to Marshall, where he had 67 tackles in 13 games, including 7 starts last season.
“It’s still mutual respect, because he respected me enough to tell me straight to my face, knowing that I still want to pursue my dream and play big-time ball and be a starter,” Dix said. “So he just told me what it was and he said that he would love to still have me, like 100%, but if [playing more] is what I really want to do, then he doesn’t want to keep me there and keep me from chasing that.
“So it was just respect at the end, and that’s all I could ask for.”
Dix, a redshirt senior, is listed as a second-team linebacker behind Spence on the season-opening depth chart, but he sounded happy to be at Arkansas in a media interview last week.
“I think I’ve been fitting in really well,” Dix said. “It’s nothing that I haven’t really been through. I think the system is similar to the previous programs I’ve been at, Marshall and Florida State.”
After Marshall started 4-0 last season, the Thundering Herd finished 6-7 with a 35-17 loss to Texas-San Antonio at the Frisco Bowl.
“Just the things that were going on there and the way I saw my life going and my career, I could tell that my time at Marshall was coming to an end,” Dix said. “And I think coming to Arkansas, it really did make me realize this was where I was supposed to be. And God guided my steps.”
Added timeout
College games will now have a two-minute warning in which the clock stops like the NFL has used for years.
“Just more stuff to worry about,” Pittman said with a smile.
The feelings about the new rule, Pittman said, likely will be dictated by the score with two minutes left.
“It just depends on are you ahead? Are you behind? How much are you behind?” Pittman said. “If you’re two scores down, you’re probably going to try to add another one before the two-minute warning.
“There are certain situations where you could possibly steal a timeout and that’s what we would do.”
