NWADG College Football

2017

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Allen said he has seen vast improve- ment from the unit while following Rag- now's lead. "They were in here doing extra film work, getting extra field work," Allen said of the summer routine for the line- men. "Having a guy like Frank come back and rub off on all those other guys is a really good thing for us. And it's great for those young guys being able to learn from a guy like Frank." Ragnow returned for his senior sea- son to make a final run with his friends. He has emphasized that the 35 sacks al- lowed by the Razorbacks last season, 34 against Allen, cannot be repeated. "It's honestly embarrassing and unac- ceptable what happened last year, and I don't want it to happen again," Ragnow said. "That's one thing … I've really tried to emphasize during the offseason is that it's not acceptable for him to get hit. It's not acceptable for him to have pressure in his face. We should hold ourselves to the standard where he's never getting touched, and if he is touched, it's on very, very rare occurrences." The Arkansas running game, which produced a 1,360-yard rusher in sopho- more Rawleigh Williams III, ranked 11th in the SEC with 164.2 yards per game and averaged just 4.1 yards per carry. Despite losing Williams due to a ca- reer-ending neck injury in the spring, the Razorbacks believe they can improve their run production between the tack- les. They have spent a good portion of camp reinforcing the need to run whey they want to run with the three-man crew of Devwah Whaley, David Wil- liams and Chase Hayden following the blocking of fullbacks Kendrick Jackson and Hayden Johnson. "We want to be a run-the-football team," Enos said. "That's our goal. We want to … establish the run and be a phys- ical, tough football team that can create explosive plays through the play-action game and then go from there." Whaley is the leading returning rush- er with 602 yards, and he's been pushed in camp by the graduate transfer Wil- liams and by Hayden, whose speed, cutting and tackle-breaking have been evident throughout camp. At tight end, Austin Cantrell is the returning player with the most experi- ence. Cantrell is seen as a plus blocker, while Cheyenne O'Grady has made the most athletic catches from the position. Holdovers Jack Kraus, Grayson Gunter and Will Gragg will compete with highly regarded junior college transfer Jeremy Patton to hit the field in the Hogs' mul- tiple tight end sets. In the kicking game, Cole Hedlund and Blake Mazza are competing for the top place kicker job, while Blake Johnson appears to be the heir apparent to Toby Baker at punter. Two of the Razorbacks' top potential return specialists, Jared Cornelius and T.J. Hammonds, were slowed in camp, so the return game, which has not been su- per productive under Bielema will get an injection from younger players like Deon Stewart, Jarrod Barnes, Chevin Calloway and possibly Jordan Jones. Bielema said he likes the way the schedule sets up for Arkansas, but there are some quirks in it. The Razorbacks have their open date in Week 3, prior to their SEC opener against Texas A&M after opening against Florida A&M and TCU. The Hogs play only one confer- ence home game, against Auburn on Oct. 21, prior to the closing games against Mississippi State and Missouri. W E HAV E TH E B EST P RICES I N N WA! 1010 Holcomb • Springdale 479 927-2024 107 S. Shiloh St • Springdale 479 751-2082 • We Finance • No Credit Check • All Auto Repairs Full Auto Services • New and Used Tires M-F 8am-5:30pm • Saturday 8am-2pm Residential & Commercial Construction Gunite & Vinyl • Chemicals & Equipment Service & Maintenance • Renovations Established in 1967 1301 SE WALTON BLVD • BENTONVILLE 479-271-9933 4686 N THOMPSON • SPRINGDALE 479-756-6543 www.seasidepools.com 16 NWA Democrat-Gazette College Football Preview Sunday, August 27, 2017 Hogs v Continued from Page 14 NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Arkansas running back Devwah Whaley carries the ball during a drill in practice July 29 in Fayetteville. "It's honestly embarrassing and unacceptable what happened last year, and I don't want it to happen again. ... That's one thing … I've really tried to emphasize during the offseason is that it's not acceptable for him (quarterback Austin Allen) to get hit." — UA center Frank Ragnow

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