10 Things to Know - San Jose State

Arkansas squares off with San Jose State on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m., at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and can be streamed on the ESPN app. Here are 10 things to know before the Razorbacks kick off against the Spartans.

1. HogTown has expanded! Due to popular demand, the footprint of HogTown will be expanded to take up all four lanes of Maple Street between Razorback Rd and Stadium Drive.
   What does this change mean? In previous weeks the southernmost lane of Maple Street remained open to east-bound traffic until 4 hours before kickoff when HogTown opened. To accommodate the expanded setup into that lane, ALL lanes of Maple Street between Razorback Rd and Stadium Drive will be closed to all traffic beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
2. There’s going to be a light show at DWRRS. We’re trying out something new on Saturday! In the first timeout of the 3rd quarter we’re going to ask all fans to take out their cell phones, open the Razorback Game Day App and participate in a synchronized stadium-wide light show. Here are the steps:
   • Make sure you have the Razorback Game Day App downloaded DOWNLOAD NOW
   • Open the app, click the menu icon in the top left corner, tap “Light Show”
   • Make sure you allow your microphone to be enabled
   • Once our song starts playing the flashlight on your phone if going to light and flash in sync with everyone else in the stadium
3. Saturday will be the first meeting between the two programs and the second game in as many weeks for the Razorbacks against a Mountain West foe. Arkansas is 15-2 against current members of the MW Conference. The Razorbacks are facing a “first-time opponent” for the second time this season in the Spartans, taking on Portland State in week one. Later in the year, Arkansas will also square off with Western Kentucky for the first time on the gridiron. The Spartans enter the game at 1-1, beginning the year with a 35-18 win over Northern Colorado on 8/29, before falling to Tulsa, 34-16, on 9/7. Saturday will mark the first road game for San Jose State & the third home game of the year for Arkansas.
4. Through three games this season, the Razorbacks have produced seven takeaways, which ranks third in the SEC and ninth in the country. In the first game of the year, Arkansas racked up three interceptions, all from different defenders in Kamren Curl, Joe Foucha and Jarques McClellion. Curl & Foucha were responsible for both of Arkansas’ takeaways at Ole Miss, this time coming via fumbles. Foucha recovered a loose ball from QB Matt Corral in the third quarter, while Curl ripped the ball free from RB Octavious Cooley early in the fourth quarter and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. The Razorbacks added two more fumble recoveries thanks to Montaric Brown, who picked up the ball after McTelvin Agim jarred it loose in the second quarter, and LaDarrius Bishop, who returned the fumble that Hayden Henry popped loose in the fourth quarter for a touchdown to give the Razorbacks a 55-34 lead. Arkansas’ turnover margin of +4 also ranks third in the conference and is good for 15th among FBS teams.
5. The Razorbacks have returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns this season, doing so in each of the last two games against Ole Miss and Colorado State. Kam Curl stripped and recovered his own fumble at Ole Miss on 9/7, returning it 69 yards for a touchdown to put the Razorbacks within one score. Against Colorado State, Hayden Henry came barreling and made a great hit on the Rams running back, popping the ball free right at LaDarrius Bishop, who scooped it up and sprinted 25 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. It was the first time Arkansas has had two fumble recovery TDs in a season since 2017 and the first time since 1999 a Razorback squad has done it in back-to-back games. Arkansas is one of seven schools in the country with two defensive TDs and one of three with both coming on fumble recoveries.
6. Junior quarterback Nick Starkel had an impressive debut as the starter on Saturday against Colorado State. The transfer from Texas A&M racked up 305 passing yards on a 20-of-35 clip with three touchdowns. He hit three different players for touchdows, including freshman Trey Knox (24 yards) and senior Chase Harrell (14 yards) in the first quarter for their first career scores. He also connected with senior Cheyenne O’Grady for a 62-yard touchdown that provided some insurance late in the fourth quarter. Overall, Starkel had catches from eight different receivers, with five receptions of 20+ yards. His 305 passing yards were the first by an Arkansas QB under head coach Chad Morris and the third of his career. It was the first time a Razorback quarterback had thrown for 300+ yards and three touchdowns in a game since Austin Allen in 2016. Starkel is the 12th Arkansas quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a game.
7. Junior center Ty Clary won’t have any stats that show up in the box score, but his play anchoring the offensive line has been noticeable through the first three weeks of the year. The Fayetteville native graded out as the top center in the country for his week three performance by Pro Football Focus, earning an overall offensive mark of 85.3. He played in 71 snaps against Colorado State & did not allow a sack, QB hit or hurry, keeping Nick Starkel clean to help the Arkansas offense amass 520 yards of total offense and 48 points in the win over the Rams. Clary had the best run blocking marks of any center in the NCAA as well, putting together a grade of 80.3, while the Razorbacks flourished in the ground game with 215 rushing yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by Rakeem Boyd’s 122. Over the first three weeks, Clary has only allowed one QB hurry, as he leads the country among collegiate centers with a PFF grade of 82.8. He was named to the outlet’s National Team of the Week on 9/15.
8. Speaking of Fayetteville natives, senior tight end Cheyenne O’Grady put together a performance that was noticed on both the field and the stat sheet against the Rams. He hauled in three passes for 74 yards, including a massive catch late in the fourth quarter with the Hogs up by seven points. With the Razorbacks driving down the field, O’Grady caught a pass near the Arkansas sideline for a first down and looked to be brought down for about a 20-yard gain. Instead of going down, he shook off five Colorado State defenders and rumbled another 40+ yards to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Razorbacks a two-possession lead. It was the longest offensive play of the year over the first three weeks of the season for the Razorbacks. Combined with three receptions for 45 yards in his first game of the year at Ole Miss, O’Grady is Arkansas’ career active reception (60) and receiving yards (714) leader.
9. Junior running back Rakeem Boyd put on another remarkable performance carrying the ball against Colorado State last week. He racked up 122 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, his highest rushing total while donning an Arkansas uniform. It was also his first multi-rushing TD game as a Razorback, giving him three for the season after finishing the 2018 campaign with two total. He also tallied 114 rushing yards on 18 carries in the season opener against Portland State, while also reeling in three receptions for 22 yards for a total of 136 all-purpose yards in the contest. It was his second-most combined yardage day behind a 145-yard performance against Ole Miss in 2018 that featured 109 rushing yards on seven first-quarter carries. Boyd’s 114 yards vs. PSU was the first time he had rushed for over 100 yards in a non-conference game. After Saturday’s performance against CSU, he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fifth time while running as a Razorback. He is one of 25 Arkansas running backs all time to record four 100+ yard rushing performances while playing for the school. Boyd’s 100-yard game against Portland State gave Arkansas its 36th consecutive season with at least one 100-yard rusher. Arkansas has a total of 10 100-yard performances currently on its roster split between Boyd (four), senior Devwah Whaley (four) and juniors T.J. Hammonds (one) and Chase Hayden (one).
10. The Razorbacks were led in the receiving game by a pair of freshmen on Saturday against Colorado State. Half of Starkel’s 20 completions went to Trey Knox and Treylon Burks, who racked up 182 of the team’s 305 yards through the air. Knox led the team in receptions with six, earning 90 yards, while Burks paced the squad with 92 yards on four catches. Knox was the first Razorback to find the end zone against the Rams, scoring on a 24-yard pass from Starkel to tie the game at 7 early in the opening frame. Knox leads the team this season with 216 yards and is tied with sophomore Mike Woods with 13 receptions. The Knox/Woods duo lead the charge against Ole Miss, combining for 12 receptions and 172 receiving yards with nearly identical totals between the two. Ten different receivers caught a pass against the Rebels for the first time since Oct. 6, 2018, when 10 Razorbacks hauled in at least one pass against Alabama.