KJ Jefferson and Ole Miss are meeting again Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Oxford, as the Mississippi product returns for the first time since the 52-51 game two years ago. The Razorbacks routed the Rebels in Fayetteville last season. While Jefferson's feet and physicality are a concern, he's been very successful in the middle of the field throwing this season.
Jefferson has 126 pass attempts (85 completions, 159 dropbacks, 10 TDs, 4 INTs) total this season and 80 have been to the middle of the field. That includes 31 middle screens or dumps in the middle behind the line of scrimmage compared to just one behind the line of scrimmage to either side. Here's his passing depth chart.
Luke Hasz, the Arkansas tight end injured against A&M on Saturday, is out versus the Rebels, and he had been quite the security blanket for Jefferson, catching 16 passes out of 17 targets. He also had eight receptions outside the hashes, as one of the QB's top targets when he wasn't throwing in the middle of the field.
Arkansas has struggled to protect Jefferson, especially during this three-game losing streak. PFF College gave the Hogs a 51 pass block grade against BYU, a 33 against LSU and a 46 against Texas A&M. Jefferson has been sacked 15 times, hurried 32 times and pressured 52 times. One Razorback, guard Josh Braun, has a PFF pass block grade above 70 in true pass sets. Tackles Patrick Kutas and Andrew Chamblee have allowed three sacks each, as has running back Rashad Dubinion. Rocket Sanders has a 38 pass block grade in limited work.
Some of the pass protection issue is on Jefferson taking too long with the football. He averaged 3.4 seconds to get rid of it on non-screen pass plays. He holds the ball longer than any SEC starter outside of Alabama's Jalen Milroe. On Jefferson's sacks, he's taken down on average of 3.54 seconds after the snap. That's 194th nationally among all FBS quarterbacks who have taken a snap this season.
Ole Miss struggled to get pressure with its base rush on Saturday against LSU. Jefferson can hurt teams with his feet and arm with vacated space in the middle of the field, but he's also very susceptible to chaos in the pocket. His protection is worse than previous seasons. He's very, very good on breakdowns and missed tackles. Arkansas looks really susceptible on its edges.
Jefferson has 126 pass attempts (85 completions, 159 dropbacks, 10 TDs, 4 INTs) total this season and 80 have been to the middle of the field. That includes 31 middle screens or dumps in the middle behind the line of scrimmage compared to just one behind the line of scrimmage to either side. Here's his passing depth chart.
Luke Hasz, the Arkansas tight end injured against A&M on Saturday, is out versus the Rebels, and he had been quite the security blanket for Jefferson, catching 16 passes out of 17 targets. He also had eight receptions outside the hashes, as one of the QB's top targets when he wasn't throwing in the middle of the field.
Arkansas has struggled to protect Jefferson, especially during this three-game losing streak. PFF College gave the Hogs a 51 pass block grade against BYU, a 33 against LSU and a 46 against Texas A&M. Jefferson has been sacked 15 times, hurried 32 times and pressured 52 times. One Razorback, guard Josh Braun, has a PFF pass block grade above 70 in true pass sets. Tackles Patrick Kutas and Andrew Chamblee have allowed three sacks each, as has running back Rashad Dubinion. Rocket Sanders has a 38 pass block grade in limited work.
Some of the pass protection issue is on Jefferson taking too long with the football. He averaged 3.4 seconds to get rid of it on non-screen pass plays. He holds the ball longer than any SEC starter outside of Alabama's Jalen Milroe. On Jefferson's sacks, he's taken down on average of 3.54 seconds after the snap. That's 194th nationally among all FBS quarterbacks who have taken a snap this season.
Ole Miss struggled to get pressure with its base rush on Saturday against LSU. Jefferson can hurt teams with his feet and arm with vacated space in the middle of the field, but he's also very susceptible to chaos in the pocket. His protection is worse than previous seasons. He's very, very good on breakdowns and missed tackles. Arkansas looks really susceptible on its edges.
