Arkansas Football: Brandon Allen clear-cut starter for Razorbacks
Year two for Bret Bielema for the Arkansas Razorbacks will hopefully go better than the first year in Fayetteville for the Hog faithful who started the season 3-0, but lost the next nine games to close out a disappointing season.
If the second year is to be any better, quarterback Brandon Allen will have to look like the signal-caller that player so well in the team’s start prior to suffering a concussion and never regaining his early-season ways.
After Arkansas has a scrimmage on Saturday, Bielema shut the door on any potential quarterback controversy and said no quarterback on the roster can challenge Allen.
Bielema: Brandon Allen has separated himself. There's no one in out program that can challenge him.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportandStoryBo) April 12, 2014
Allen, a rising junior, finished his first season as the full-time starter with 1,552 yards on 128-of-258 passing and 13 touchdowns. He also added 29 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
His backup if there was a game tomorrow would be younger brother, Austin Allen, who is a redshirt freshman this season and then true freshman Rafe Peavey.
With Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams lining up at running back behind Allen, look for Arkansas to put their quarterback in a lot of third-and-short situations to try and take as much pressure off him and for rising sophomore tight end Hunter Henry to be featured on a lot of high-percentage passes early this season to get Allen’s confidence high.