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16 NWA COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 8.28.2022 GAME 1 CINCINNATI DATE Sept. 3 KICKOFF 2:30 p.m. ESPN PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville 2021 RECORD 13-1, 8-0 AAC COACH Luke Fickell (48-15 in five seasons at Cincinnati, 54-22 overall in six seasons) RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS TE Josh Whylie, C Jake Renfro, LB Deshawn Pace, CB Arquan Bush 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 ................................................at Arkansas Sept. 10 ............................. Kennesaw (Ga.) State Sept. 17 ...................................... at Miami (Ohio) Sept. 24 .................................................... Indiana Oct. 1 ....................................................... at Tulsa Oct. 8 .............................................. South Florida Oct. 22 ..................................................... at SMU Oct. 29 ...................................... at Central Florida Nov. 5 ........................................................... Navy Nov. 11 .............................................East Carolina Nov. 19 .................................................. at Temple Nov. 26 ....................................................... Tulane OUTLOOK The Bearcats will have a new starting quarterback for the first time in four seasons when they open at Arkansas. Desmond Ridder, the starter since 2018, is now an NFL rookie with the Atlanta Falcons. Redshirt sophomore Evan Prater, the highest-ranked recruit in program history at No. 45 overall by 247/Sports in the 2020 class, is competing for the No. 1 job with senior transfer Ben Bryant, who is back for a second go-around with Cincinnati. Prater played in seven games last season and completed 5 of 11 passes for 38 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryant transferred to Eastern Michigan, where last season he passed for 3,121 yards and 14 touchdowns. With Ridder finally gone, Bryant was welcomed back to the program. Whoever wins the starting job will work behind an offensive line that returns all five starters. Despite losing nine NFL Draft picks from last season's College Football Playoff team the Bearcats are ranked No. 23 in the preseason Associated Press poll. GAME 2 SOUTH CAROLINA DATE Sept. 10 KICKOFF 11 a.m. ESPN PLACE Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium, Fayetteville 2021 RECORD 7-6, 3-5 SEC COACH Shane Beamer (7-6 in one season at South Carolina) RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Spencer Rattler, WR Josh Vann, CB Cam Smith, LB Sherrod Greene 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 ............................................ Georgia State Sept. 10 .............................................at Arkansas Sept. 17 ................................................... Georgia Sept. 24 .........................North Carolina-Charlotte Oct. 1 ................................... South Carolina State Oct. 8 .................................................at Kentucky Oct. 22 ........................................... at Texas A&M Oct. 29 ................................................... Missouri Nov. 5 ............................................... at Vanderbilt Nov. 12 ...................................................at Florida Nov. 19 ..................................................Tennessee Nov. 26 ............................................... at Clemson OUTLOOK Getting Georgia off of the schedule is always good after the Razorbacks had to play the Bulldogs the previous two seasons, but adding South Carolina isn't an automatic win. Shane Beamer revived the program — which was a combined 6-14 in 2019-20 — in his first season as coach and led the Gamecocks to a 7-6 record, capped by a 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. South Carolina finished with a winning record despite enduring numerous injuries at quarterback, but now has an established starter in Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler. South Carolina and Arkansas played annually from 1992-2013, but their most recent meeting was in 2017 when the Gamecocks won 48-22 to extend their winning streak in the series to three games. Arkansas leads the series 13-10, but last won 44-28 in 2011. GAME 3 MISSOURI STATE DATE SEPT. 17 KICKOFF 6 p.m. SEC Network-Plus PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville 2021 RECORD 8-4, 6-2 Missouri Valley Conference COACH Bobby Petrino (13-9 in two seasons at Missouri State, 132-65 overall in 17 seasons). RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 7 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Jason Shelly, WR Ty Scott, DE Kevin Ellis, FS Kyriq McDonald 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ...................................at Central Arkansas Sept. 8 ..................................... Tennessee-Martin Sept. 17 .............................................at Arkansas Sept. 24 ................................. South Dakota State Oct. 1 .......................................... at North Dakota Oct. 8 ......................................... Southern Illinois Oct. 22 .......................................at Northern Iowa Oct. 29 .........................................Western Illinois Nov. 5 .......................................... at South Dakota Nov. 12 .....................................Youngstown State Nov. 19 .........................................at Indiana State OUTLOOK This isn't the usual guarantee game against an FCS opponent. This game will mark Missouri State Coach Bobby Petrino's return to Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to a 34-17 record in four seasons from 2008-11 before being fired because of off-the-field issues. Since sitting out the 2012 season, Petrino has coached at Western Kentucky, Louisville (his second stint with the Cardinals) and Missouri State. The Bears have made the FCS playoffs the past two seasons and are ranked No. 8 nationally in the FCS coaches' preseason poll. Petrino knows how to coach quarterbacks, and he has another gifted one in senior Jason Shelly, a transfer from Utah State who in his first season with the Bears passed for 3,088 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 398 yards and 10 touchdowns to was named MVC offensive player of the year. GAME 4 TEXAS A&M DATE Sept. 24 PLACE AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas KICKOFF TBA 2021 RECORD 8-4, 4-4 SEC COACH Jimbo Fisher (34-14 in four seasons at Texas A&M, 117-37 overall in 12 seasons) RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 5 defense KEY STARTERS RB Devan Achane, WR Ainias Smith, LB Andre White, DB Antonio Johnson. 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 ...................................Sam Houston State Sept. 10 ................................... Appalachian State Sept. 17 ..................................................... Miami Sept. 24 ....................Arkansas (Arlington, Texas) Oct. 1 .................................... at Mississippi State Oct. 8 ..................................................at Alabama Oct. 22 ...................................... at South Carolina Oct. 29 ................................................... Ole Miss 2022 ARKANSAS OPPONENT CAPSULES BY BOB HOLT Spencer Rattler | South Carolina quarterback AP Photo/Ray Carlin