Five Takeaways from No. 22 Arkansas Razorbacks Win over No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

For a third consecutive season Arkansas has taken down a ranked Ole Miss team leaving the Rebel faithful shell shocked once again. Heading into all three contests, Ole Miss was the expected winner with aspirations of competing for a SEC West title.

A trend is developing in the SEC West, something college football diehards cannot deny. No matter the win-loss record, Arkansas is a tough squad no one wants to face, especially in Fayetteville. As the Hogs seek to build towards a team that can compete with Alabama in the West while finally beatTexas A&M, all other SEC teams have been fair game for the Razorbacks. Over the past three seasons, Arkansas has downed not only ranked Mississippi teams but have topped ranked LSU squads. Other conference wins have come against Tennessee, Auburn, and Missouri. A titan has not been built yet, but subtle signs of carving out a niche within the toughest division in the toughest college football conference in the nation are emerging.

The Hogs still have tough conference games remaining: on the road against Auburn (Oct. 22), vs. Florida (Nov. 5), vs. LSU (Nov. 12), at Mississippi State (Nov. 19), and at Missouri (Nov. 25). If the 5-2, 1-2, Hogs can run the table, Bielema will have built a beast against all odds. A 3-2 finish over the next five would be a big victory in many ways for the Hogs with a first-year starter under center, an offensive line that had to replace three starters including an All-American at guard, the loss of John Mackey Award winning tight end Hunter Henry to the NFL, and the loss of three-time 1,000-yard rusher Alex Collins also to the NFL.

After the Hogs 34-30 win over Ole Miss on Saturday night, there are several keys to the game to point out but the following maybe the Top 5.

Five Takeaways from Arkansas’ Win over Ole Miss

Bret Beilema has Hugh Freeze’s Number

Hugh Freeze joined the SEC ranks with Ole Miss in 2012 beating Arkansas 30-27 in Little Rock during the John L. Smith experiment gone wrong and then bounced Beilema in Oxford 34-24 in 2013. Since then, Freeze has lost three straight to Beilema dropping the 2014 contest in Fayetteville 30-0 followed by a 53-52 overtime loss in Mississippi a year ago and then Saturday’s 34-30 Razorbacks win.

Freeze has been lauded for his recruiting efforts but Arkansas, no matter their struggles entering the SEC West matchup, continue to find ways to walk away with a win. For a second consecutive season, Arkansas has handed Ole Miss their second conference loss effectively taking them out of conference title contention. All the focus maybe on beating Alabama and LSU within the West but Freeze and company should take note that Arkansas is the thorn in their proverbial backside.

Austin Allen not Chad Kelly is the Best QB in the SEC

Entering the 2016 season, Austin Allen was not on anyone’s radar as a potential All-SEC performer. Now everyone is taking notice. Kelly, rightfully so, has received the lion’s share of attention after passing for 4,042 yards with 31 touchdowns against 13 picks a year ago with a 155.9 QBR rating.

Allen now leads all major conference statistical categories including yards (1,861), passing touchdowns (18), and QBR rating (156.0). Statistically Kelly is second-best with 1,849 yards, tied with 14 touchdowns, and owns a 152.4 QBR rating.

An argument can be made that Kelly adds a dimension to the game Allen does not show, running the ball. Kelly actually led the Rebels in rushing yards against the Hogs with 89 scoring twice on the ground. The senior gunslinger has 213 yards on the ground this season, second-best on the Ole Miss roster behind Akeem Judd’s 343 yards. Kelly is also tied for the team-high in rushing touchdowns with three.

Allen is not without faults tied for second in the conference with six picks and is tied in the conference with 17 sacks taken. Arkansas fans will be quick to note line protection being responsible for a lot of the sacks, instead of a first-year starter holding onto the ball too long, with the same reasoning applied to some of his interceptions. Allen was sacked three times against Ole Miss, Kelly twice against the Hogs.

At the end of the day, Allen got the win over Kelly taking the head-to-head matchup. Kelly could still end the season with better statistical numbers but for now Allen is tops. Both squads still have tough teams left to play on the schedule. For Arkansas, the next three against Auburn, Florida, and LSU will be a challenge. For Mississippi, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, and maybe even Vanderbilt with their stingy defense could be trouble.

Evan Engram is the Best Receiving TE in the SEC

Arkansas has one heck of a receiving tight end in Jeremy Sprinkle, one of the best statistically in school history but Evan Engram is developing into a force during his senior season. The 6-3, 227 pound, talent is already nearing career season-highs with 37 receptions for 590 yards. His best season was in 2014 when he pulled in 38 passes for 662 yards with two scores. His five touchdowns this year are a personal best.

Engram is not only the best receiving tight end in the conference, distancing himself from South Carolina’s Hayden Hurst (30/388/0) but now leads all SEC receivers in receptions and yards. Missouri wide receiver J’Mon Moore is tops in the league with six receiving touchdowns.

Arkansas’ OL is Showing Signs of Improvement

Ole Miss entered the Arkansas contest with a porous rush defense but was blistered for 254 yards on 51 carries against the Hogs. The one-game turnaround for Arkansas after being held to 73 yards on 36 carries against Alabama is pretty amazing. The Tide may have the best defense in the nation, but for the Hogs offensive line to show signs of improvement is encouraging for Razorback Nation.

The Rebels pass rush is solid. Arkansas did a much better job protecting their junior signal caller only allowing three sacks, which is still fairly high, against the seven Alabama netted against the Hogs the week prior. More importantly, Allen had time to throw avoiding picking himself off the ground after every pass attempt which was the lasting impression from the Alabama game.

A Star is Emerging in RB Rawleigh Williams

Trivia question: who currently leads the SEC in rushing yards??? Answer: Rawleigh Williams with 785 yards.

Williams ascension up the SEC rushing ranks is a byproduct of LSU tailback Leonard Fournette missing games due to an ankle injury, Nick Chubb being Jim Chaney-ized (Georgia offensive coordinator), and Auburn splitting carries between Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway. But the fact still remains, Williams leads the SEC in rushing and is second among running backs with five touchdowns on the ground.

The super sophomore has four games topping the 100-yard rushing mark, four yards shy of a fifth in the season opener against Louisiana Tech. In highlighted games, Williams rushed 28 times for 137 yards in an overtime win against TCU and got his first 100-yard SEC rushing game of the season against the Rebels toting the rock 27 times for 180 yards.

Williams was splitting carries early in the season with senior tailback Kody Walker but has quickly taken over the spotlight in the Hogs’ backfield. Going forward, the Hogs will more than likely relieve Williams with true freshman Devwah Whaley helping keep Williams fresh for the remainder of the season. Williams and Whaley are starting to form the one-two punch Arkansas had with Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams during the 2014 season.

Arkansas travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday taking on No. 23 ranked Auburn. The Hogs enter the game as a nine point underdog. ESPN will carry the coverage with a kickoff time scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: AP Chris Brashers; No. 22 Rawleigh Williams breaks a long run against Ole Miss (2016).