10 Things to Know – Vanderbilt

Arkansas hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville for the first time since 2010. The Razorbacks and Commodores are set for an 11 a.m. kickoff on SEC Network. Here are 10 things to know before both teams take the field.

1. Saturday will be just the third game in Fayetteville in the series. Arkansas is 1-1 against Vanderbilt at Razorback Stadium, claiming the 2010 contest, 49-14, while dropping the 2005 matchup, 28-24. Overall, the Razorbacks are 7-2 vs. the Commodores, last squaring off in 2011, when Arkansas picked up a 31-28 victory over Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.

2. The Razorbacks posted four goose eggs against Tulsa last week en route to a 23-0 shutout of the Golden Hurricane. It was the first time Arkansas has blanked its opponent since a 30-0 victory over Ole Miss on Nov. 22, 2014. The shutout marked the 12th time the Razorbacks have kept Tulsa scoreless in the 73-game history. It was also the first shutout for Chad Morris as a head coach.

3. Senior offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt said the Arkansas defense had a “sack party” on Saturday against Tulsa. The Razorbacks totaled 6.0 sacks for 35 yards coming from six different defensive student-athletes against the Golden Hurricane, as McTelvin Agim led the way with 2.0 for 11 yards. It was the first time Arkansas has recorded six sacks in a game since Sept. 6, 2014, against Nicholls. Five of the six sacks came in the second half, with four of those plays coming on third or fourth down. Seniors Dre Greenlaw, Michael Taylor & Armon Watts, junior TJ Smith and sophomore Briston Guidry all joined Agim in landing on the sack sheet against the Golden Hurricane.

4. Junior defensive lineman McTelvin Agim highlighted a strong showing from the Arkansas defense in the 23-0 victory over Tulsa on Saturday. Agim was disruptive in the Tulsa backfield, accounting for seven tackles, 3.5 for loss, along with 2.0 sacks and three quarterback hurries. One of his QBH forced Tulsa’s Seth Boomer to throw an interception near the end of the second quarter, while his final sack of the day kept the Golden Hurricane out of the end zone on their final possession of the game. His two sacks were the most by a Razorback since Deatrich Wise vs. Missouri on Nov. 27, 2015, while his 3.5 tackles for loss were a career-high.

5. Sophomore running back Rakeem Boyd needed just one more yard on the ground against Tulsa to record his third-straight 100-yard rushing performance this season. His first as a Razorback came against Alabama on Oct. 6 behind 15 carries and 102 yards, then he followed it up with a 109-yard showing on seven carries vs. Ole Miss, including a 69-yard touchdown rush. Against the Golden Hurricane, he ran the ball 22 times for 99 yards for his fifth game this season with over 50 rushing yards.

6. Junior kicker Connor Limpert added another perfect kicking performance against Tulsa last week. After going 4-for-4 against Ole Miss in Little Rock, Limpert connected on all three of his attempts vs. the Golden Hurricane, bringing his season total to 15 field goals made in 2018. He needs one more field goal to move into a tie for 10th in single-season field goals made by an Arkansas kicker. Four of his 15 field goals have come from 40 yards are longer this season, while his 10 consecutive field goals are tied for third-most by a Razorback since at least 1972.

7. No other defense in the SEC has a tackling trio as accomplished as Arkansas. Senior De’Jon Harris (82) ranks second in the league in total & solo tackles, while senior defensive back Santos Ramirez (63) and senior linebacker Dre Greenlaw (58) rank fifth & seventh, respectively, in tackles. The Razorback trio has combined for 203 stops this season, while the next closest threesome in the league sits at 194. The combination of Harris and Ramirez is also the top tackling duo in the conference. At least one member of the trio has had 10 or more tackles in each of the last four games & seven of the last eight games, with all three accomplishing the feat against Texas A&M (9/29) and Alabama (10/6).

8. Junior cornerback Ryan Pulley hauled in his third interception of the season against Tulsa. With time winding down in the first half & the Golden Hurricane needing a score, a QB hurry from McTelvin Agim helped set up Pulley with his second pick in as many games & third in 2018. He ranks third in the SEC & 13th in the country in INTs this season, with six over his career.

9. The Razorback offensive line did not allow a sack in 72 snaps against Tulsa last weekend. It was the first time since a 39-38 win over Coastal Carolina on Nov. 4, 2017, Arkansas has not given up a sack in a game. The feat is even more impressive due to redshirt freshman Dalton Wagner picking up his first start at left tackle to protect another first time starter in freshman quarterback Connor Noland. The rest of the OL remained the same as the previous five games, including senior left guard Hjalte Froholdt, who leads the team with 549 snaps played in 2018.

10. Wagner was one of five freshmen to get the starting nod against the Golden Hurricane. Cornerbacks Montaric Brown & Jarques McClellion, wide receiver Mike Woods and quarterback Connor Noland all started the game against Tulsa, the most freshman using in the starting 22 by head coach Chad Morris this season. Noland was the first Razorback since Mitch Mustain in 2006 to start at quarterback, picking up the victory after going 10 of 16 with 124 yards passing & 20 yards rushing, while connecting with tight end Grayson Gunter for the first TDs of their collegiate careers.