Alright, the Razorbacks are heading into Week 4 against Tulsa with some seriously tough news on the injury front. Three key defensive players were not even dressed during warmups today, meaning linebackers Bradley Shaw, Wyatt Simmons, and Charlie Collins are all unavailable for the Hogs’ game on Saturday, September 26. This is a brutal blow for a squad already sitting at 1-2 on the season.
Linebacker Woes Hit Hard
Shaw, our middle linebacker, only saw 15 snaps last week against Georgia before an injury knocked him out of that game. Now he’s sidelined again. Combine that with Wyatt Simmons also being out, and our middle linebacker position is looking “especially thin.” You gotta wonder how Coach Ryan Silverfield is going to patch this up on such short notice. We desperately need depth, and right now, it feels like we’re scraping the barrel at a critical position. This is the kind of news that makes you nervous watching warmups, man.
Who Steps Up in the Crunch?
With Shaw and Simmons out, it means Jo’Quavion Smith and Ben Bogle are expected to step in as the starting middle linebackers. It also means Phoenix Jackson and Jeremy Evans are gonna get a whole lot more snaps than they might’ve expected. Plus, we’re missing Charlie Collins, who plays that crucial pass-rushing JACK linebacker role. He’s the backup to Steven Soles Jr., so Soles better be ready to go the distance and maybe even carry more of the load. This is a huge test for our defensive coaching staff and the guys lower on the depth chart. Can they rise to the occasion?
Some Much-Needed Good News
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, thank goodness. We did get some positive injury news that’s a massive relief. Left tackle Kavion Broussard and punter Gavin Rush are both dressed and going through warmups. These two starters both left last week’s game against Georgia early due to injuries, so seeing them out there means we’ll have our starting offensive line anchor and our punter back. That’s a huge boost for the offense and special teams, even if the defense is facing an uphill battle today.
So, the Hogs are playing Tulsa with a 1-2 record, desperately needing a win. Can our backups step up and hold the line on defense, or will this injury bug bite us hard? We’ll find out soon enough. Let’s go, Hogs!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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