SEC Football Media Days 2019: One big takeaway from each team

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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – OCTOBER 27: Head Coach Chad Morris of the Arkansas Razorbacks yells to the officials in the first half of a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Commodores defeated the Razorbacks 45-31. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Razorbacks look to win bowl eligibility

Chad Morris won’t be expected to contend in the SEC West, he’ll certainly be expected to move this Arkansas program toward a bowl game. After a 2-10 record and a winless SEC season, 2019 will reveal just how far along Morris’ rebuild is.

He’s had this task before. After taking over at SMU, Morris won two games in 2015. In the next two seasons he won five, and then seven games. In Fayetteville, that kind of trajectory would be welcome.

The improvement in Dallas happened because of Morris’ offensive savvy. After the Razorback offense finished last in the SEC in points per game, he’ll need to apply that again.

Ben Hicks, former SMU quarterback, is likely to be the starter in 2019. He knows this offense extremely well, and will essentially be another coach on the field as most of this roster enters year two under Morris.

John Chavis will guide the defense. He spent a large chunk of his career at LSU with Les Miles, and spent time at Texas A&M as well. He knows the SEC West better than most, and that will be vital to help this unit grow after the loss of leader Dre Greenlaw.

Arkansas won’t return to contention immediately. They have an uphill battle ahead of them, but the six-win mark is the next goal for the Razorbacks.

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