Friday's Top Takeaways

July 28, 2017

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Although it was in helmets and shorts with no pads or live tackling, Arkansas turned up the intensity Friday, going through a fast-paced 24 period practice at the Fred W. Smith outdoor practice fields.

At A Glance
The second day of preseason practice saw a lot of individual drills, focusing on fundamentals and technique. The team continued to work on first-down situations but also began second-down installation. After 10 periods, the team broke for water then moved into 7-on-7 work, where several players on both sides of the ball made big plays, especially quarterback Austin Allen.

Plays Of The Day
Allen opened the first 7-on-7 session with a first-down completion to sophomore tight end Austin Cantrell. He went on to complete his next eight passes with the third attempt being to sophomore wide receiver Deon Stewart for what would’ve been a 20-plus yard gain. Allen was relentless throughout practice, going on to move the chains with completions to a variety of receivers. He connected multiple times with junior college transfer Jonathan Nance, found running back Devwah Whaley on a few attempts out of the backfield, and also threaded the needle to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jordan Jones for a big gain.

After making an impressive catch yesterday, freshman Jarrod Barnes continued to haul in big passes Friday. The Cabot, Arkansas, product caught his first target of 7-on-7 from quarterback Cole Kelley after making an impressive grab down the sideline in an individual drill earlier in the day.

Defensively, seniors Henre’ Toliver and Dwayne Euguene Jr., and freshman Chevin Calloway forced some stops. Toliver and Calloway broke up a couple of passes, while Euguene forced a fumble to help shift the momentum in the defense’s favor in the second 7-on-7.

“One Thing We Emphasize Is Being Consistent On A Daily Basis”
Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads met with the media following practice. One of Rhoads’ messages to his unit has been the importance of consistency in both practice and in everything they do.

Up Next
The Razorbacks will practice in half pack on Saturday before a day off on Sunday.