Five Razorbacks Primed For Breakout After Bye Week

Arkansas (4-2, 2-1 SEC) is in a good spot at the midway point of the season but will need some reinforcements to navigate the back half of the schedule. Here are five Razorbacks who are primed for a breakout after the bye week.

1.) Running Back Braylen Russell

Russell already had himself a breakout performance against the Tennessee Volunteers where he finished with 62 yards on 8 carries and was critical on the game-winning drive as the Razorbacks pull of a massive upset against.

So far through his freshman year, Russell has 124 yards on the ground on 24 carries and a pair of scores and has quietly started to emerge as RB2 behind bell cow Ja’Quinden Jackson. Don’t be surprised to see even more of an uptick in touches for the Benton (Ark.) native.

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2.) Tight End Luke Hasz

Hasz’s season totals to this point in the season don’t inspire much confidence as he has been limited to 109 receiving yards on 8 catches with his lone touchdown reception coming in the Razorbacks’ loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Hasz saw early action against Tennessee with a 16-yard reception on the first drive of the game, but the most promising development was not seeing him favor his bothersome back after the play.

The bye week suggests Hasz will be as healthy moving forward as he has been all season. It also gives Bobby Petrino plenty of time to scheme up ways to get his talented tight end more involved in the passing game.

3.) Kicker Matthew Shipley

During the Tennessee game where starting kicker Kyle Ramsey sustained a groin injury after attempting a 44-yard field goal, Shipley assumed the kicking duties and connected on his lone try from 23 yards out.

Ramsey is expected to be sidelined for the immediate future, which means Shipley will have the opportunity to lock down the spot after losing a hotly-contested position battle in fall camp.

Shipley has plenty of experience and a proven track record to give Razorback fans hope. The two-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist went 14-for-18 last season at Hawaii.

4.) DB Larry Worth

Worth was the talk of fall camp as a summer addition to the roster who popped to the eye as a big, athletic, versatile piece who figured to be a key producer for the defense.

He didn’t do much at all with 20+ snaps in games against UAPB and UAB and played sparingly in Arkansas’ first two SEC games against Auburn and Texas A&M.

However, when Travis Williams implemented a new defensive scheme for Tennessee, it was Worth who got the starting nod and made the most of it with a season-high seven tackles and a half sack in 43 snaps.

5.) DL Quincy Rhodes

After entering the season as the de facto fourth defensive end behind Landon Jackson, Nico Davillier and Anton Juncaj, Rhodes has done a nice job in SEC play of making the most of his snaps.

While it doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet with tackles for loss or sacks, Rhodes has recorded at least one pressure in each game with his jersey regularly appearing in the backfield.

Arkansas has to establish more depth on the defensive front for the second half of the schedule. Look for Rhodes to see an increased role in upcoming games.