FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said cornerback Kani Walker is “doing good,” but his return timeline remains uncertain after being injured in Saturday’s 41-35 loss at Ole Miss.
Walker left the game in the fourth quarter when the back of his helmet struck teammate Caleb Wooden’s knee. He gave a thumbs up while being carted off the field and was taken to a hospital in Oxford, Miss., before flying home with the team.
The Razorbacks (2-1, 0-1 SEC) will return to the state of Mississippi this Saturday to face unbeaten Memphis (3-0).
Pittman noted that Jaheim Singletary, who played 14 snaps compared with Walker’s 59, will need to take on the bulk of practice reps this week. “I don’t know whether [Walker] will be able to play or not right now,” Pittman said. If Walker is unavailable, Keshawn Davila — who drew one of Arkansas’ two pass interference penalties against the Rebels — is next in line to start opposite Julian Neal.
On the defensive line, end Quincy Rhodes Jr., the team’s sack leader with three, was limited by a groin injury at Ole Miss. He did not start but still logged 37 snaps, finishing with two tackles. Rhodes revealed the injury only after Arkansas’ 56-14 win over Arkansas State the previous week. Against the Rebels, Rhodes split time evenly with Justus Boone, while Phillip Lee played a team-high 53 snaps at end.
Rhodes was listed as questionable early last week before being upgraded to probable, though he practiced at less than full speed in three of four sessions. Pittman said Rhodes’ presence is critical to a pass rush that struggled in Oxford. “We need him back and we need him healthy,” Pittman said. “He’s in better shape right now than he was last Monday.”
Pittman also confirmed that sophomore receiver Monte Harrison underwent surgery on his left foot last week and is progressing well in recovery.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said he submitted several plays from Saturday’s 41-35 loss at Ole Miss to the SEC office for clarification.
One of the most notable came on Ole Miss’ final touchdown — a 6-yard pass to De’Zhaun Stribling. On the play, slot receiver Cayden Lee ran a few yards downfield, then pivoted and extended his right elbow into Arkansas cornerback Kani Walker, who was covering Stribling’s slant route.
“We sent in several plays, to be perfectly honest with you, but if that wasn’t a pick, I don’t know what is,” Pittman said. “I’m not saying it was the wrong call, but I’m saying it was a pick. And I don’t think that’ll cost me money to say.”
Pittman said the staff also asked for a review of Ole Miss’ actions during kicker Scott Starzyk’s missed 51-yard attempt on Arkansas’ opening drive. On the play, a Rebel defender appeared to push off a teammate to gain extra lift in an effort to block the kick — a “leverage” tactic prohibited by rule.
“We also sent in the play where their guy stepped out of bounds about 10 yards before he was actually ruled out,” Pittman said. “They didn’t review it for whatever reason, so we’ll get all those answers back.”
Pittman said one of the special teams plays sent to the SEC involved a possible third-and-1 flinch, along with questions about pass interference and other calls.
“We sent in several, but that was one of them on special teams,” Pittman said. “I think they flinched on the third-and-1. I think they had movement there, too. There are just some things we need explained — whether we were right or wrong. We just need to know why it was called pass interference on fourth down, and what they saw.”
The situation echoed an NFL game Sunday when Denver linebacker Dondrea Tillman was penalized for leverage during a missed 60-yard field goal attempt by Colts kicker Spencer Shrader. The penalty gave Shrader a second chance from 15 yards closer, and he converted to lift Indianapolis to a 29-28 win.
Green power
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green continues to rank among the nation’s top performers after his big showing in the 41-35 loss at Ole Miss.
The senior from Lewisville, Texas, is tied for the FBS lead with 11 touchdown passes, sits 12th nationally in efficiency with a 182.66 rating, and ranks 17th with 288.7 passing yards per game. On the ground, he averages 102.3 rushing yards — the highest mark among all quarterbacks — placing him 13th overall.
Among Power Four quarterbacks, only Georgia Tech’s Haynes King (129.5) averages more rushing yards per game. King, who missed one contest earlier this season, has 12 more carries than Green despite playing one fewer game.
Play more Ball
Defensive tackle and team captain Cam Ball logged 66 snaps against Ole Miss, far more than any other Arkansas defensive lineman. Pittman said the heavy workload wasn’t about a talent gap, but about keeping his best player on the field.
Ball, a 6-5, 323-pound redshirt senior, had offseason elbow surgery and missed spring practices. Pittman has limited him on special teams, but said he’s now capable of handling a larger role.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves to keep our better players on the field,” Pittman said. “We usually rotate four and four, but if it’s not close, I’d rather have Cam out there. Some of the extra reps were because they didn’t substitute, and we couldn’t get him off. But I wanted him to keep playing more ball.”
Glove work
Arkansas defensive backs may practice in oversized gloves this week in hopes of curbing penalties. The Razorbacks have been flagged repeatedly for holding and pass interference the past two weeks, including four such penalties against Ole Miss.
“I think we’ll probably put gloves on some of those guys this week so they stop grabbing,” Pittman said. “That really hurt us Saturday.”
Jaheim Singletary, who is expected to see more snaps with Kani Walker in concussion protocol, was penalized for both holding and pass interference earlier this season. Safeties Larry Worth III and Shakur Smalls also drew holding flags, while corners Walker and Keshawn Davila were called for pass interference against Ole Miss.
Practice load
Defensive tackle David Oke made his Razorback debut at Ole Miss, playing eight snaps after missing the first two games with a knee injury. He finished with two tackles, including an assist on a tackle for loss.
“He needs to play more,” Pittman said. “For the limited amount of practice reps he had, he played fast. If he practices all week, I think he’ll play even better.”
Despite a string of minor injuries — including Taylen Green’s cramping, Oke’s knee, Quincy Rhodes Jr.’s groin, Phillip Lee’s rib, Xavian Sorey Jr.’s hamstring, and Devin Bale’s status — Pittman said practices won’t be dialed back yet.
“You can’t have four or five guys hurt and affect the rest of the team,” Pittman said. “When you start backing off, you’re not getting the twos ready either. We believe in what we do. Maybe we slow down in Week 9 or 10, but not right now.”
Going for it
Arkansas opened the game by taking the ball and driving to the Ole Miss 41, setting up a 51-yard field-goal try for freshman Scott Starzyk. Pittman opted for points early, but the kick missed wide right.
“Hindsight, maybe we would have gone for it,” Pittman said. “Our whole idea was to take the ball, take the lead, and make them chase us. Instead, we ended up chasing them the whole game. But he’s young — he’ll be fine.”
The Razorbacks’ streak of scoring touchdowns on their opening drive ended at three straight games.
Later, Pittman said the staff debated running a fake field goal on Starzyk’s second attempt. Trailing 38-28, Arkansas faced fourth-and-14 from the Ole Miss 31, but Pittman chose the safer option. The kick missed wide left.
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