The Arkansas Razorbacks vs. the No. 3 Texas Longhorns, a rivalry renewed by Texas’ move to the SEC – the Hogs host the Horns this Saturday after a very interesting season.

Head coach Sam Pittman’s team proved that they can not only compete with the top teams in the country, but can be the best after their 19-14 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. The Razorbacks have played a tough schedule with four opponents in the AP Top 25 poll – Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU and Ole Miss, games in which they went 1-3.

The most concerning threat Arkansas poses this Saturday is that it could very well be the second or third team the Horns have faced all season with an elite defense that doesn’t have their second or third string quarterback.

Offence

The Razorbacks’ offense can be dynamic in both the run game and the passing game and it all runs through their dual threat junior quarterback Taylen Green, who was injured in their last game against Ole Miss and is currently listed as probable on the injury report from Thursday.

The Razorbacks have speed on the ground with Green, and strength with their 233-pound power back Ja’Quinden Jackson, giving them a 1-2 punch in the ground game. They can also make the defense pay through the air, with one of the nation’s top receivers, Andrew Armstrong, playing in offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s passing attack.

Overall, the skill positions are elite for the Razorbacks, but it all runs behind a shaky offensive line that has already allowed 17 sacks this season. Against a Texas Pass Rush that has come home 21 times this year, this could be the Achilles heel for the Hogs who could decide the game next Saturday.

Quarterback

The Longhorns nearly faced yet another SEC opponent without the help of their starting quarterback after Green left their last game against Ole Miss in the second quarter with a knee injury. However, during the bye week, Green was a full participant in practice and should be good to go this Saturday in Fayetteville.

“Taylen practiced every day last week and I think he’s doing well,” Pittman said.

Due to the knee injury, the dual-threat quarterback’s mobility may be limited. Green is currently the second leading rusher for the Razorbacks with 411 rushing yards on 105 attempts with five touchdowns.

If Green’s rushing ability is reduced, it would be a huge blow to the Razorbacks’ offense, as he is a capable passer but certainly struggles with efficiency – he is 161 of 263 passing for 2,214 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Green can swing the rock, but sometimes has trouble reading reports, and can sometimes try to talk his way out of a bad situation.

The confidence in his arm is certainly justified, as Green can seemingly hurl the pill all over the yard. On passes of more than 20 yards, Green has completed 19 of 44 passing for 605 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. The deep ball is an ever-present threat with Groen under center and he has a talented pass catcher to facilitate it.

Wide receivers

The Razorbacks have a talented group of wide receivers, but none more potentially dangerous than Armstrong, an NFL-ready senior who is ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver by PFF and who has played as such all season. At 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, Armstrong has a large frame, but also elite speed and the ability to aim balls high and make contested catches from virtually any defensive player on the field.

This season, he was Green’s favorite target by a wide margin with 55 receptions on 84 targets for 857 yards and a touchdown, well on his way to a 1,000-yard receiving season.

Armstrong does most of his work in short and medium range, with an average target depth of 11.7 meters, usually deployed wide – 90.8 percent of his snaps are wide, making slants, quick outs and crossing routes his MO with just two receptions for 20 yards on seven targets for 54 yards and his only touchdown of the year.

More than anything, Armstrong is assured with just two dropped passes on the season, which equates to a 3.5 percent drop rate. Because he is such a reliable target and a marksman throws the ball to him, this can lead to interceptions with four of Green’s seven interceptions on balls thrown to him.

Run back

The strength of this Arkansas offense mainly comes from their running game with Green and Jackson, a wrecking ball that at times seems impossible to take down.

Of the 594 yards Jackson has accumulated this season, 386 have come after contact. With such a large frame and weight for a running back, Jackson is exceptional both between the tackles and in space – 34 percent of his attempts are in the A-holes off center, while 35.9 percent of his attempts are past takes place outside in space. .

Jackson can be a jack-of-all-trades for the Razorbacks with 11 receptions for 125 yards this year.

Tight end

The Razorbacks often use their big tight end, Luke Hasz, in the passing game, primarily in the red zone. At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, Hasz uses his size and weight to bully defenders in the red zone, leading him to a team-leading four receiving touchdowns this year.

He is also the fourth-leading target on the Razorbacks with 20 targets, hauling in all but four for 267 yards. In their last game against Ole Miss, Hasz was an integral part of the offense, recording five receptions on five targets for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The week before he threw in two touchdowns, Hasz is certainly becoming more of a used weapon in this offense and this streak will likely continue as he gains a better understanding of Green and his coaching staff.

Offensive line

Arkansas’ offensive line has certainly struggled to protect the quarterback this season with a whopping 17 total sacks.

The offensive line has also undergone quite a few changes as they try to find the right combination to protect their dynamic quarterback. Arkansas shifted right tackle Keyshawn Blackstock to left guard and E’Marion Harris to the right tackle spot two weeks ago.

Harris has certainly struggled with the shift in his new position at right tackle, allowing a whopping three sacks against Ole Miss last week. The question still remains whether after such a performance he will lack the lateral quickness to compete at the tackle position and move back to guard.

The rest of the offensive line shows more consistency, with junior Fernando Carmona (6’5, 322) at left tackle, junior Patrick Kutas (6’5, 313) at left guard, sophomore Addison Nichols (6’5, 329) at center, and senior Joshua Braun (6’6, 338) at right guard.

It’s likely we’ll see changes to the offensive line after the bye week next Saturday in an effort to better protect their dual-threat quarterback after a knee injury against Ole Miss, the question is what combination it will be.

Defense

If there is one incredible strength this defense possesses, it is their ability to get to the house, with a whopping 19 sacks on the season.

Defensive line

Running the defensive line is senior edge rusher Landon Jackson. I don’t know what they feed this guy, but at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, he still has the speed and agility to overpower elite offensive tackles and swim around the rim.

Jackson is easy to recognize with his height of 1.80 meters. Number 40 flies off the edge and has five sacks with 32 pressures, 20 hurries, three batted balls and 26 tackles in nine games this season. The man is a problem and Texas junior left tackle Kelvin Banks will have his hands full this Saturday trying to contain him.

Linebackers

The linebacking core is led by junior Georgia transfer Xavian Sorey. He leads the team in tackles with 73, including 50 solo. He is incredible in the open field and has the agility and size to bring talented ball carriers into town, with just eight missed tackles this season.

Sorey can play effectively in whatever role this defense needs, from coverage to defense and even pass rush with 10 pressures, two sacks and an interception. He has the ability to fly to the ball and be in the right spot to make key stops with a team-high 35 this season.

Secondary

The Arkansas secondary is anchored by second-year safety TJ Metcalf. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. TJ is the younger cousin of Seahawks all star wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The 6’1, 200-pound safety is aggressive in coverage, jumping balls instead of playing behind opposing pass coverages, leading to three interceptions on the season, but also some blown coverages.

Metcalf lines up throughout the secondary – at free safety, in the box and sometimes in the slot.

Special teams

Kicker

Place-kicking duties have fallen to senior Matthew Shipley after senior kicker Kyle Ramsey injured his groin against Tennessee on a missed 44-yard field goal attempt. Right now, Shipley is getting the job done for the Razorbacks, going a perfect 13-of-13 on extra points and 6-of-8 on field goals. This year, Shipley fit the role by sinking two punts from more than 50 yards.

Recurring

Isaiah Satenga handles the punt return duties, but hasn’t done much of that this season. Satenga hasn’t returned a punt since Tennessee Week Six, and has only returned a total of five punts all season. In the first game of the year he was able to return a punt for 33 yards. Since then, he has mainly called for a fair catch for most punts sent to him.

The kickoff is quite similar to the kick return team in that they haven’t returned much all season. Satenga handles most of the return duties and has only made two on kick-off.

General

This could be a trap for the Longhorns if they aren’t careful. The Razorbacks’ 5-4 record doesn’t seem indicative of how good this team really is or how good they can be, based primarily on the difficulty of their schedule to this point in the season.

They proved they can compete with the top teams in the country after upsetting Tennessee, and that they can compete in all three phases of the game.

The defense is the most troubling aspect of the Razorbacks, especially their defensive front. For a Texas offensive line that has plenty of talent but has looked shaky in recent weeks, containing Landon Jackson and the rest of this pass rush will be a tall order. They also need to be able to create lanes for the running game and keep quarterback Quinn Ewers clean when they have a chance to move the ball down the field.

In defense everything depends on the health of the Greens. His mobility could play a big role in Arkansas’ ability to stay on the field. Their offense is very similar to Vanderbilt’s behind Diego Pavia. This one could get close quickly, so the Longhorns need to keep their rushing attack in check and force Green to beat them through the air.

The Razorbacks’ offensive line has been shaky this season, so if Trey Moore, Colin Simons, Barryn Sorrell and Alfred Collins can get home and make Green uncomfortable, they will be able to stop this offense.