FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — KJ Jackson gave Arkansas a reason to be encouraged after the Razorbacks’ season opener. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-14 win over North Alabama. He spread the ball around, made several timely third-down throws, and looked comfortable running the offense in just his second career start.
Now comes the hard part. Arkansas travels to Utah on Sept. 12 for the first meeting between the two programs. The Utes present a different level of challenge than North Alabama, especially for a quarterback still learning how to lead an offense against FBS competition.
Jackson’s numbers were encouraging. His mistakes were not. He threw an interception, lost a fumble, and led an Arkansas offense that turned the ball over three times. The Razorbacks survived because they outgained North Alabama 415-153 and possessed the ball for more than 41 minutes. Utah will not allow Arkansas the same margin for error. North Alabama gave Jackson room to recover. Utah will make him pay.
Utah Will Crowd the Pocket
Utah’s defense is built to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. The Utes have a massive interior defensive line, with several tackles listed above 300 pounds. That is a major concern for an Arkansas rushing attack that produced only 148 yards on 49 carries against North Alabama. Arkansas cannot expect Jackson to consistently throw from clean pockets if the Razorbacks fail to establish the run…