10 Things to Know - Kentucky

The Arkansas Razorbacks return from the open week and hit the road to take on Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT at Kroger Field in Lexington. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network and can be streamed online at WatchESPN.com or on the ESPN app. Here are 10 things to know before kickoff.

  1.  It will be the eighth meeting all-time between the two teams and the first time the two squads have squared off on the gridiron since 2012. Arkansas and Kentucky first met in 1998 in Little Rock, with the Razorbacks claiming a 27-20 victory. The last time the two teams faced off, Arkansas rolled to a 49-7 win, coming in 2012. Saturday will mark the first game between the two teams in Lexington since 2008. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 4-3, and are 2-1 against the Razorbacks in the Bluegrass State.
  2. The top freshman wide receiver duo in the country resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the tandem has only played together during the first three games of the year. Trey Knox and Treylon Burks arrived on the Hill with plenty of hype as four-star prospects, with Knox enrolling early in January. In four games, Knox has hauled in 21 receptions, for 299 yards and two touchdowns, while Burks has 13 catches for 230 yards to his name in the same amount of contests. Their totals combine for 34 receptions and 529 yards this season, as Knox has the most receiving yards by an Arkansas true freshman since Hunter Henry’s 409 in 2013. Arkansas is the only school in the FBS with two freshmen ranked in the top 11 nationally in receiving yards.
  3. Senior tight end Cheyenne O’Grady is making the most of his final season wearing the Cardinal & White, turning in another strong performance against Texas A&M on Sept. 28. The Fayetteville native racked up his highest reception & yardage total as a Razorback against the Aggies, tallying eight catches for 91 yards in the contest. Despite missing the first game of the year, O’Grady ranks second among conference tight ends and ranks 14th in the country in receiving yards with 243 & receptions at 18. He was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week on Oct. 1 for his game vs. the Aggies.
  4. The team lead in receptions and receiving yards through five games belongs to sophomore Mike Woods. He enters the weekend with 21 receptions for 301 yards, both career highs. He hauled in four receptions for 115 yards, scoring once against SJSU. His 115 receiving yards were a career-high and marked the 13th consecutive season Arkansas has had at least one 100-yard receiver. Woods’ first reception of the night went for the longest of his collegiate career, a 62-yard deep ball in the first quarter to tie the game at seven and match the longest offensive play of the season for the Razorbacks this year. All four of his receptions against the Spartans went for first downs. Against Texas A&M, Woods hauled in four receptions for 62 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown play. It marked back-to-back games he’s hauled in a touchdown catch.
  5. Arkansas has started a total of five true freshmen this season, with all five starting in two games against Colorado State and Texas A&M. Greg Brooks Jr. (DB), Treylon Burks (WR), Trey Knox (WR), Mataio Soli (DL) and Ricky Stromberg (OL) have all earned starting nods in 2019. Arkansas is one of four schools to have started at least five true freshmen in 2019 and is one of three programs, including the only one from the SEC, to have started three true freshmen on offense.
  6. An area the Razorbacks have emphasized in 2019 is is completing the deep ball in the passing game. Through five games, Arkansas has completed 14 passes thrown for 20+ yards, tied for the most of any team in the SEC. Junior quarterback Nick Starkel owns eight of those plays, while senior Ben Hicks can lay claim to six. Twenty-five of those deep targets have been assigned to three of Arkansas’ top four receivers in Treylon Burks (9), Trey Knox (8) and Mike Woods (8). Arkansas is the only school in the SEC with three players with eight or more targets of 20+ yards.
  7. Another week, another strong performance on defense from junior safety Kamren Curl. After losing the team lead in total tackles heading into Arkansas’ game against Texas A&M, the San Diego, California, native returned to the top of the leaderboard with his first double-digit tackle performance of his career. In Arlington on Sept. 28, Curl racked up 12 stops, four solo, against the Aggies to give him 39 on the season. It was his first time leading the team in tackles in a game this year. He ranks second in the SEC in total tackles and fourth in solo stops (24). His two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble forced & recovered on the same play, taking it 69 yards for a touchdown against Ole Miss on Sept. 14. He is the only player in the country with an interception, sack and fumble recovery for a TD this season. Curl entered the season as a preseason All-SEC third team member and found his way onto the Pro Football Focus SEC Team of the Week after the season opener against Portland State.
  8. Senior defensive tackle McTelvin “Sosa” Agim added another sack to his resume against the Aggies, bringing him to 12.5 as a Razorback. It was the second game this year he’s recorded a sack, notching two in the season opener against Portland State. With his latest figure, Agim inches closer to writing his name in the Arkansas record books. He is now four sacks away from reaching 10th in the career sack list at Arkansas, while needing six tackles for loss to reach 10th in the career TFL list, sitting at 27.0 over his time as a Razorback. He has four tackles for loss this season, tallying his other TFL against Ole Miss on Sept. 14.
  9. Senior defensive end Gabe Richardson entered the season as one of three seniors at the position, but quickly became the only upper classman left playing after a pair of injuries early in the year. While mentoring the slew of freshmen rotating in at the position, Richardson has quitely put together a strong campaign in his final year as a Razorback. He enters the weekend with 19 tackles, nine solo, the fifth most total tackles on the team and most by a lineman. Included in his 19 stops are a team-best 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble that was returned by De’Jon Harris for a touchdown against Texas A&M. He ranks fifth in the conference in TFLs heading into the sixth game of the year.
  10. One of the senior defensive ends who has missed some time this season, Jamario Bell, has made the most of his action on the field. In three games, Bell has six tackles, five of them involving players involving lossed yardage, giving him 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Both of his stops against Texas A&M went for sacks, as he ranks fifth in the conference in sacks, just 1.5 behind the leader.