Arkansas Football vs. FAMU: 3 things we learned

No. 3 – The Razorback backfield will be just fine

Lead back Devwah Whaley inherited the starting job from Rawleigh Williams III who was forced to retire this offseason due to health concerns. That was a blow to the Arkansas offense, leaving several unproven options to carry the load in 2017.

The running game was by far the most positive element from the Razorbacks’ win. They spread the ball around and got three different running backs involved and all three of them were effective. The quality of the opponent aside, all the Hogs runners made precise cuts and were each able to turn up the field and accelerate. There wasn’t a need to dance around and fight for extra yardage. This was a game where they could pound the rock. That’s exactly what they did.

Whaley got first dibs and scored the first Arkansas touchdown of the season on a 5-yard dive up the middle. He finished with 60 yards on 12 carries and the one score. After him Chase Hayden had 14 carries for 120 yards and one score and grad transfer David Williams had two touchdowns and 23 yards rushing on seven carries.

Arkansas will have the most success this year if they have multiple backs that they can trust to get the tough yards between the tackles. Those yards are going to get a lot more difficult to get against the likes of Alabama, LSU and Auburn. However, the Razorback running attack passed their first test of the season with flying colors.