Ranking Arkansas football's 5 biggest concerns heading into Utah

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football must put a disappointing season-opener in the rear-view mirror. A massive challenge is on the horizon.

The Razorbacks now turn their attention from a 31-14 win over North Alabama in Week 1 to a westward road trip. The Hogs will face No. 21 Utah in Salt Lake City in Week 2, and it will be the first matchup between the two programs.

What are the biggest concerns for Ryan Silverfield as he prepares for his first matchup against a top-25 opponent with the Razorbacks? We ranked our top-five worries coming out of a sluggish victory against an FCS opponent.

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This was expected to be a strength of the offense. Memphis transfer Malachi Breland joined returnees Caden Kitler and Kobe Branham to form a formidable threesome in the middle of the offensive line. If Bryant Williams and Kavion Broussard could be capable run blockers, a two-headed backfield of Sutton Smith and Braylen Russell should find running room.

None of that transpired against North Alabama. Arkansas rattled off 49 carries for an uninspiring 148 yards. Smith and Russell both averaged fewer than three yards per carry. The longest run of the day was a 16-yard jet sweep to wide receiver Jelani Watkins.

Silverfield acknowledged that the offensive line needs to play better, but he said there was no consideration to changing the starting unit and he refused to put all of the blame on the big bodies at the line of scrimmage.

“There were some Day 1 things, but they would bring two off the edge on the play side, and we didn’t make the proper adjustment in-game,” Silverfield said. “There’s things like two guys on the backside, and we didn’t make the proper adjustment backside of the read. It’s a combination.”

North Alabama only had one completion go more than 15 yards. A 59-yard strike from Destin Wade to Xavier Johnson set up a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that trimmed the deficit to 14 points.

However, there were plenty of missed opportunities throughout the game. Wade missed Johnson down the right sideline on the first play of the second quarter. A pass interference by Kyeaure Magloire interrupted another connection between the two Lions later in the same period, and running back Jalen Fletcher was open for a touchdown on the first play of the second half. Wade overthrew him.

An SEC quarterback might make those throws, and all of a sudden a strong defensive performance will turn into a big-play fiasco. The linebackers and safeties have to be better closing off the middle of the field moving forward.

In a massive surprise, Rhodes did not start against North Alabama. He’s the best NFL Draft prospect on the roster, but Rhodes was limited in practice during the week.

“(Rhodes) was not able to be a full-go participant in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and ultimately it was my decision for him not to get the start,” Silverfield said. “We had that conversation. The fact he was able to go shows he was able to tough it out.”

Rhodes’ impact was minimal. He had one tackle and didn’t generate a quarterback hurry. On most third downs, he shifted inside and was nullified as a pass rusher.

Arkansas needs more from the defensive end, beginning next week at Utah.

Silverfield said that Arkansas didn’t execute in the RPO game and the Hogs weren’t effective on play-action passes. Those categories fall on the quarterback.

Jackson failed to pull the trigger on a handful of open receivers in the first half. He must be more decisive moving forward, but the lefty did provide some optimism with a strong second half. He missed on one of his 13 passes and had 136 yards with a touchdown.

There were some drop issues throughout fall camp, and the Razorbacks let Jackson down on three occasions in the first half. Smith, Antonio Jordan and Jamari Hawkins all had passes slip through their hands.

Jordan’s was especially disappointing. The 6-foot-6 sophomore had an easy completion on a curl route to convert a 4th-and-three, but he started his turn upfield before securing possession.

Three of the Hogs’ nine incompletions were drops. That’s too high of a percentage.

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Ranking Arkansas football’s 5 biggest concerns heading into Utah