NWADG College Football

2022

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32 NWA COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 8.28.2022 true dual-threat quarterback, Hall passed for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and rushed for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns as BYU averaged 33.0 points and beat six Power 5 teams with victories over Arizona, Utah, Arizona State, Washington State, Virginia and Southern California. Running back Christopher Brooks, a transfer from California who rushed for 607 yards last season, should help the run game. Junior Paku Nacua led BYU with 803 receiving yards last season. Ben Bywater, a sophomore linebacker, had 102 tackles. BYU will return the game to Arkansas next season. GAME 8 AUBURN DATE Oct. 29 PLACE Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala. KICKOFF TBA 2021 6-7, 3-5 SEC LAST SEASON 6–7, 3-5 SEC COACH Bryan Harsin (6-7 in one season at Auburn, 82-31 in nine seasons overall) RETURNING STARTERS Offense 6, Defense 5 KEY PLAYERS RB Tank Bigsby, TE John Samuel Shenker, DE Derick Miller, DE Colby Wooden 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 ...................................................... Mercer Sept. 10 ........................................San Jose State Sept. 17 .............................................. Penn State Sept. 24 ................................................. Missouri Oct. 1 .................................................. Penn State Oct. 8 ................................................... at Georgia Oct. 15 ................................................at Ole Miss Oct. 29 ...................................................Arkansas Nov. 5 .................................... at Mississippi State Nov. 12 ............................................... Texas A&M Nov. 19 .....................................Western Kentucky Nov. 26 ................................................at Alabama OUTLOOK Bryan Harsin is on the hot seat going into his second season at Auburn after nearly being fired in the offseason when some powerful boosters were concerned about a mass exodus of players and the departure of defensive coordinator Derek Mason to Oklahoma State. Ultimately, the administration made the decision to stick with Harsin, but he might need to win at least eight games — or beat Alabama — to keep his job. The Tigers lost their final five games last season after a promising 6-2 start, but Harsin and the players insisted at SEC media days the offseason turmoil brought them closer together. We'll see. Media members picked the Tigers to finish seventh in the West. Harsin caught a break when Tank Bigsby, one of the SEC's top running backs, decided to return to Auburn rather than enter the transfer portal. Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada is the top candidate to replace Bo Nix — who transferred to Oregon — as Auburn's starting quarterback. GAME 9 LIBERTY DATE Nov. 5 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville KICKOFF TBA 2020 8-5 COACH Hugh Freeze (26-11 in three seasons at Liberty, 95-43 overall in 11 seasons) RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Charlie Brewer, RB T.J Green, DE TreShaun Clark, FS Javon Scruggs 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 ...................................... at Southern Miss Sept. 10 ............................. Alabama-Birmingham Sept. 17 ........................................ at Wake Forest Sept 24 .......................................................Akron Oct. 1 ..........................................at Old Dominion Oct. 8 ........................................at Massachusetts Oct. 15 .......................................... Gardner-Webb Oct. 22 .......................................................... BYU Nov. 5 .................................................at Arkansas Nov. 12 ...........................................at Connecticut Nov. 19 ............................................. Virginia Tech Nov. 26 ..................................... New Mexico State OUTLOOK Hugh Freeze, the former coach at Arkansas State and Ole Miss, quickly has turned Liberty into a dangerous mid-major program. The Flames have played in three consecutive bowl games, but must replace Malik Willis, their starting quarterback the previous two seasons who is now an NFL rookie with the Tennessee Titans. Willis was a transfer from Auburn, and Freeze hopes Charlie Brewer is another former Power 5 quarterback who can win big at Liberty. Brewer is a sixth year senior who previously played four seasons at Baylor and last season at Utah. He has impressive career numbers of 10,184 passing yards and 68 touchdowns and 1,035 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. GAME 10 LSU DATE Nov. 12 PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville KICKOFF TBA 2021 RECORD 6-7, 3-5 SEC COACH Brian Kelly (first season at LSU, 284-97-2 overall in 32 seasons) RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 3 defense KEY PLAYERS WR Kayshon Boutte, OT Cameron Wire, FS Joe Foucha, LB BJ Ojulari 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 4 ...................... Florida State (New Orleans) Sept. 10 .................................................Southern Sept. 17 .................................... Mississippi State Sept. 24 ............................................ New Mexico Oct. 1 at ....................................................Auburn Oct. 8 ...................................................Tennessee Oct. 15 ...................................................at Florida Oct. 22 ................................................... Ole Miss Nov. 5 ......................................................Alabama Nov. 12 ...............................................at Arkansas Nov. 19 ............................... Alabama-Birmingham Nov. 26 ........................................... at Texas A&M OUTLOOK Quarterback Myles Brennan, who last spring was talked into returning to LSU by new Coach Brian Kelly rather than enter the transfer portal, won't be starting for the Tigers. Brennan, plagued by injuries the previous two seasons, announced midway through training camp he's retiring from football. That leaves junior Jayden Daniels, a transfer from Arizona State, competing with redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier for the starting job. Daniels passed for 6,025 yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter for the Sun Devils. Kayshon Boutte gives LSU a Opponent n Continued from Page 19 Jonathan Mingo | Mississippi wide receiver File Photo

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