FAYETTEVILLE -- The media was treated to its largest set of team period snaps yet, including a live tackling segment, during spring practice No. 11 for the Arkansas football team Thursday.
The first 12 periods of practice open for viewing included 3 team periods that had 31 plays, and the highlight by far occurred during goal-line work that came in the first team segment.
The defensive front clearly won the day in the live-tackling goal-line segment, yielding only two touchdowns on eight snaps from the 3 or closer.
The first offensive unit got the segment out to a promising start, as quarterback KJ Jackson pulled the ball back from a Run-Pass Option mesh with Braylen Russell over left guard and connected with Maddox Lassiter for a wide-open 3-yard touchdown.
It was all tough sledding after that for the first offensive line on a pleasant, overcast day, with the temperature at 77 degrees, and the threat of storms that did not materialize.
Defenders got penetration and hit Russell quickly after the handoff on each of the next three plays from the 2, and closer, as the offensive intent was to play bully ball out of an I-formation with a lead blocker in tight end Matt Adcock.
On the first snap, end Quincy Rhodes Jr. got quick penetration and hit Russell on a handoff at left tackle, and safety Christian Harrison darted in to solidify the combo tackle short of the goal plane. Russell tried right guard on the next play and both Xadavien Sims and Carlon Jones won their matchups and hammered the big back short of the goal line.
The final snap was a carry up the middle, but the result was same, with defensive linemen Sims and Hunter Osborne penetrating and teaming up to stop Russell.
The second offense, conducted by AJ Hill, was stonewalled on consecutive running plays from the 3 and the 2 with Jasper Parker at tailback. His run up the middle was snuffed out by blue-chip freshman Danny Beale on the opening snap. The next play at right guard saw both linebacker Wyatt Simmons and "Jack" Jamonta Waller burst into the backfield to hold Parker out.
On third down, Parker blasted over the left side and broke into the end zone. Freshman TJ Hodges got the call on the final play and freshman safety Tay Lockett, who has flashed multiple times the last few practices, drilled him low, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Ben Bogle.
Sutton Smith was in at tailback with Jackson and the top unit for the "Team Tempo" period a short time later.
Jackson completed a hitch pass to tight end Jaden Platt on the first rep, with "Star" Khmori House right on top of him and nearly breaking up the catch before stopping him for a short gain in the non-tackling period.
Jackson threw an incomplete pass low for Ismael Cisse on the next snap; then Smith shot through a gap on the left side for a good gain on the third play.
Jackson targeted Courtney Crutchfield deep down the left sideline on the next play, but the pass fell incomplete. Smith had a short-yardage run play to complete the rack for the ones.
Hodges opened the rack for the second group with a short run of 3 to 4 yards. Lockett broke up Hill's pass intended for tight end Ty Lockwood on the next play. Hill's play-action throw was complete to Hodges. Hill threw high for an open Jamari Hawkins down the middle with safety Ian Williams slipping on the play for a lost opportunity for the offense. Hill dropped back and ran up the middle on what looked like a quarterback draw on the final play.
Braeden Fuller went 2 for 2 with the third unit in team tempo, with passes caught over the middle by Dequane Prevo and over the right edge to Blair Irvin III, the teammates from Bentonville High. Fuller also had to tuck and run on a couple of plays and had a give up the middle to tailback Markeylin Batton on the other snap.
The defense also "won" a non-tackling "Compete 4th Down" segment later in the workout, a sequence that began with Rhodes' tag "sack" of Jackson. The next snap featured an overthrow of Cisse in the end zone. Jackson could find no open receivers on the third play and was tapped by Sims for another sack.
The last play was productive, as Jackson pulled off a reverse spin in the backfield and connected with Russell over the left edge for a touchdown.
Cornerback La'khi Roland had good coverage on Lockwood in the back of the end zone and Hill threw high on the first snap for the twos. Hill found Hodges underneath on the next snap and the running back was tagged at about the 3 though a broken tackle there would have meant a touchdown. Hawkins had Hill’s next throw in his hands on the left sideline but an unknown defender must’ve knocked the ball free as the tandem fell out of bounds across the field as the nearest official ruled the pass incomplete.
Hill pulled off the same reverse pivot as Jackson on the next play but seeing no receiver open kept the ball over left side and appeared to have momentum to score though he was touched on about 2.
Ex-Razorback ace receiver and punt returner Joe Adams, now an assistant coach at Springdale Har-Ber, was in attendance along with a solid number of prospects and visiting coaches.
During the last period available to reporters, Adams intently watched a kickoff return drill. He chatted it up with receivers coach Larry Smith during portions of the drill. Their playing careers overlapped as Smith was quarterback at Vanderbilt from 2008-11 -- the same years Adams was receiver and consensus All-American returner for Razorbacks.
Running backs coach David "YAC" Johnson spearheaded much of the drill which gave insight into leading candidates at kick returner. The running backs Russell, Smith, Batton and Cam Settles took many reps alongside receivers Hawkins and Prevo.
"We've done a lot of work with the punt returners," special teams coordinator Chad Lunsford said Wednesday. "We've done a lot of work with the kick returners. I think we are fielding the ball very well. I think we're catching the ball like we want to. ... It's been more fundamental stuff. I think we'll learn a little more as we start to do more of the full team stuff. But I like where it's at."
An emphasis from Johnson was for returners to secure the ball while beginning their forward momentum, ensuring a good initial burst. He demanded players to have "game reps" throughout.