The No. 19 Arkansas Razorbacks and No. 23 Cincinnati Bearcats will face-off in Fayetteville, AR on Sept. 3. This is one of the most hyped week 1 college football matchups for justifiable reasons.
Last season, the Bearcats became the first G5 team in history to make the college football playoffs. On the other side, the Razorbacks have done a 180° turnaround under head coach Sam Pittman. In 2021, the Razorbacks won their most games (9) in a season since 2011.
While both coaches have taken steps to turn their respective programs into national powers, there’s still question marks for both teams this year.
Who will be Cincinnati’s QB?
Sophomore Evan Prater and senior Ben Bryant are engaged in a tight QB battle for Cincinnati. Prater is a better athlete, and can use his legs to pick up yards on scrambles and designed runs. Meanwhile, Bryant has more experience at the college level, as he was the starting QB for Eastern Michigan in 2021. Bryant threw for 3,121 passing yards, 14 TDs, and 7 INTs in 2021. He was also very accurate completing 68.4% of his passes.
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Head coach Luke Fickell says he knows who the starter will be, but won’t announce it till game day. There’s also the possibility of the competition extending during the game. We may see both Bryant and Prater lead the drives in the game.
What will Arkansas’ WR Corps look like?
After losing Treylon Burks to the NFL, the Hogs don’t have a lot of returning production in their receiver room. But reports from fall camp indicate that the entire unit could be better this season.
Former OU wide receiver Jaden Haselwood decided to transfer to Arkansas during the offseason. He joins former Georgia and Toledo WR Matt Landers as the incoming receivers who look to produce the most.
Warren Thompson is also someone who showed flashes last season, and he figures to be a larger part of the passing game in 2022. Sophomore receivers Ketron Jackson and Bryce Stephens are also primed to play a big part.
Can any individual replace Treylon Burks? Probably not. But can the overall unit be better than last year’s? You bet!
Battle of the Offensive Lines
Both Cincinnati and Arkansas return a lot of starters on their offensive lines. Cincy returns all five starters, including three All-AAC players in Jake Renfro, Lorenz Metz, and Dylan O’Quinn. Meanwhile, four out of five starters return for the Razorbacks. Center Ricky Stromberg and guard Brady Latham were selected to the preseason All-SEC team.
With a lot of offensive line talent coming back, will both teams decide to play ground-and-pound? Arkansas had the best rushing attack in the P5 last season while Cincinnati is breaking in a new QB.
While in an ideal world both teams would like to run the ball, both defenses could stack enough men in the box to make it difficult. When that happens, both teams are going to have to rely on their unknowns in their offense. Whether that’s at receiver or quarterback.