Razorbacks’ defensive efforts garner multiple awards

Hogs recognized for efforts in impressive win over Ole Miss

arkansasrazorbacks.com FAYETTEVILLE — For their part in the defensive gem polished by Arkansas securing seven turnovers in last Saturday’s 33-21 victory at Reynolds Razorback Stadium over the previously explosive Ole Miss Rebels, Razorbacks, senior middle linebacker Grant Morgan and redshirt freshman cornerback Hudson Clark were honored Monday by the SEC Office in Birmingham, Ala.

Morgan was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Clark was named SEC Freshman of the Week. They helped pick apart an Ole Miss offense that totaled 125 points its previous three games including 48 points with 647 yards total offense against 4-0 SEC West leader Alabama.

Fifth-year senior Morgan of Greenwood was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for making a game-leading, career 19 tackles, including three for losses with two on Arkansas’ first of two successful goal-line stands.

With Arkansas only leading, 26-21, Morgan sealed the deal. He intercepted the fifth of six passes that Arkansas picked off from previously red-hot Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and returned it for a 23-yard touchdown with 3:07 left in the game securing the 33-21 final score.

Redshirt freshman safety Jalen Catalon recorded Arkansas’ first of two picksixes against Ole Miss with his 35-yard second-quarter touchdown return upon corralling a Corral pass.

Catalon, nine tackles, also recovered Corral’s fourthdown fumble on Arkansas’ first-quarter goal-line stand.

Catalon could have been a candidate for either award but for Morgan and Clark.

Clark, the redshirt freshman walk-on from Dallas Highlands zooming from obscurity to starter upon injuries to Razorbacks cornerbacks Montaric Brown and Jerry Jacobs after 2019 starter Jarques McClellion opted out expressing coronavirus concerns, intercepted three Corral passes.

Clark became the first Razorbacks freshman ever with three interceptions in a game. He also made five tackles and allowed only one Ole Miss completed pass in his area.

Asked postgame about Clark being a Razorback nobody had heard of, Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman replied, ““Well, they’ve heard of him now.

Three times at least.”

Pittman Monday morning informed the SEC Network that Clark will be placed on athletic scholarship at the January start of the spring semester.

The Razorbacks, next playing Oct. 31 at SEC West rival Texas A& M, were scheduled to take Monday off and start bye-week drills Tuesday. Asked after Saturday’s game about the Razorbacks’ bye-week workout schedule, Pittman cited several recovering Razorbacks who didn’t play against Ole Miss because of injuries, and that many young players normally scrimmaged extensively during a bye week have lower the injury risk since they’ve been counted upon to play immediately.

“Well we definitely have to get healthy,” Pittman said.

“So we won’t do as much hitting as maybe teams in my past that I’ve been associated have. You’d say we need to develop young kids, well the young kids are being developed right out there in the stadium on Saturday. So I don’t think that’s needed to be done next week. We have a sixgame stretch coming up and we have to be a healthy football team. We

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Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Razorbacks RAZORBACKS (cont.)

healthy football team. We also have to get ready for A& M and we have a good plan for that.”

Honors continued Tuesday for Arkansas senior middle linebacker Grant Morgan’s performance in the Razorbacks’ 33-21 SEC West victory over Ole Miss at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The fifth-year senior former walk-on from Greenwood on Tuesday was named the Chuck Bednarik Award National Player of the Week after making a career high, game leading 19 tackles, with three for losses including a quarterback sack, breaking up two passes and sealing Arkansas’ victory extending a 26-21 lead to the 33-21 final with his pick-six interception and 23-yard touchdown return with 3:07 left in the game.

On Monday Morgan, the national leader in tackles averaging 13 per game, and leading the SEC with 52 total tackles, was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Athlon’s National Defensive Player of the Week.

Athlon also named Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom its National Defensive Coordinator of the Week.

Honors also continued Tuesday for Arkansas redshirt freshman cornerback Hudson Clark. A walk-on thrust into a starting role because of injuries to two starting cornerbacks and a returning starter from last season opting out of playing in 2020 because of coronavirus concerns, Clark’s three of Arkansas’ six interceptions against Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral earned him Monday named SEC Freshman of the Week.

On Tuesday Clark and fellow Razorbacks redshirt freshmen Jalen Catalon and Brady Latham were selected to the Football Writers Association of America’s Freshman All-America Watch List.

Starting safety Catalon leads all freshmen in tackles, 45 for an 11.3 average, and leads the SEC in solo tackles, 7.3 per game, and against Ole Miss recovered a fourth and goal fumble and recorded the first of two Arkansas pick-sixes, a 35-yard touchdown return corralling Corrals first of the six interceptions.

Not a first-teamer when preseason practice began, Latham forged to the front to start all four games for the 2-2 Hogs at left offensive

ranks the highest of Arkansas offensive linemen logging 250 snaps.

This week getting their lone bye week of the season, the 2-2 Razorbacks continue their 10-game entirely SEC campaign visiting Texas A& M on Oct.

31.

Game time is 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network at the Aggies’ Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.