Everybody saw Chris Marshall’s one-handed catch right before the half against Georgia.
Tim Cramsey saw something else.
On that snap, running back Cam Settles stepped up and stonewalled a linebacker coming on a blitz. KJ Jackson had time to let it fly. The play went for a chunk of yards when Arkansas needed it.
“Unbelievable. That’s the improvements you see,” the Arkansas offensive coordinator said Tuesday about Settles’ effort.
Don’t mistake that for a good mood. The Razorbacks lost 45-17, their second lopsided loss in a row.
“Nobody’s happy, don’t get me wrong, nobody’s happy,” Cramsey said. “But you need to see improvements like that, because the previous week that didn’t happen.”
Cramsey said small wins like that let a quarterback plant his feet and throw. They also give receivers a fair shot one-on-one.
Chris Marshall climbs the ladder for the one-handed snag 😳 pic.twitter.com/xlJ3m1sDmX
— ESPN (@espn) September 19, 2026
A defense that likes to twist up front
The next test won’t be easy. Tulsa comes to Fayetteville at 3-0.
The Golden Hurricane beat Oklahoma State 24-10 in Week 1 and kept Cowboys QB Drew Mestemaker in check. A week later, the Cowboys upset No. 6 Oregon.
I’ve seen Tulsa be a roadblock to the Hogs for over 60 years, going back to when they played each other early every season. Some of the time even when they don’t win.
They’ve even given some of the Hogs’ best a rough time. In 1976, current UA board member Steve Cox kicked three field goals for the Golden Hurricane in a 9-3 win in Fayetteville.
Last weekend, East Texas A&M didn’t score on Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane is giving up 9 points a game, ninth in the nation.
“They physically beat them up,” Cramsey said of the Oklahoma State game.
He said Tulsa doesn’t need a big blitz package to stop the run. It moves its linemen around instead.
“But his answer to stopping the run is twisting the front and wrecking the front up front,” Cramsey said.
That’s bad timing for Arkansas.
Up the middle has been a dead end
Nationally, the Hogs are 135th when it comes to yards on the ground. Against Georgia, the ground game produced 17 yards.
Razorbacks runners are getting 2.3 yards per rush. That adds up to 75 a game.
Sutton Smith and Braylen Russell share the team lead with 66 yards apiece after three games.
The edge has been a little kinder. Inside runs haven’t gone anywhere.
“We cannot be a one-dimensional offense at this level, and that’s where we are right now,” Cramsey said.
He said the stalled ground game is putting extra stress on pass protection and on the quarterbacks and receivers.
“We got to fix that, and we got to fix that pretty dang quick.”
Jackson and Hill both still in the mix
With no ground game to lean on, Arkansas turned to the pass. Between them, Hill and Jackson put the ball in the air 41 times Saturday.
Both got snaps. Neither has won the job.
“We’ve got both guys going out there and getting better,” Cramsey said. “I thought KJ did some really good things on Saturday.”
AJ Hill got a nod too.
“AJ, for really his first time playing, did some good things,” Cramsey said.
Hill still has work to do, Cramsey said. The goal is small steps that pile up into big ones at quarterback.
That brings us back to Tuesday’s shortest answer.
A one-word answer
Late in the session, a reporter wanted to know if the Hogs could keep up in a high-scoring game with Tulsa.
“Yes,” Cramsey said.
That’s a confident reply from a group that has yet to find the end zone when a game against an FBS foe was still in doubt.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. Saturday at Razorback Stadium, and it will only be streamed SEC Network+. It’s the Razorbacks’ last nonconference game this fall.
Cramsey knows what’s on the line.
“You need one,” he said. “I need one. Whole dang state needs a win. That’s what we need right now.”
He’s already given the one-word answer. Now the offense has to give a four-quarter one.
