Arkansas wide receivers: How Jordan fits once Marshall returns

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ryan Silverfield spent part of his bye-week press conference Wednesday doing a little math out loud.

If Antonio Jordan gets more snaps, somebody else gets fewer. And that somebody might be one of the most productive pass catchers in the SEC.

“It leads to the question: If he’s stepping up, does that mean you take plays away from Chris Marshall?” Silverfield said. “Or do you move Chris to another receiver position, which is fine — but then who does that take snaps from?”

That’s the puzzle facing the Razorbacks before they host Missouri on Oct. 31.

The good news comes first. Silverfield said Marshall is on track to return.

“He’s doing well,” Silverfield said. “We have every thought and faith that he’ll be ready to go for the Missouri game.”

How Hogs lost their top target

Marshall went down in the closing minutes before halftime against Vanderbilt. Arkansas went on to win 31-21.

It looked like a lower leg or hamstring issue. He’d just caught a 28-yard pass, his only grab of the day.

He didn’t return after the break. Marshall spent the second half on the sideline in street clothes.

Even with half a game, his numbers still stand out.

His 43 catches and 633 yards are both No. 2 in the league. Two of those grabs have gone for touchdowns.

So Arkansas needed a new answer in the middle of a game. It found one from Warren. It’s happened before for several years finding players from that Southeast Arkansas town.

Antonio Jordan steps in

Jordan’s snaps had been scarce before Saturday. That changed in a hurry.

The Warren native finished with five catches and 74 yards. Both numbers were career bests. No Hog topped his receiving total that day.

The victory ended a two-year wait for an SEC win.

His first series wasn’t pretty. A couple of passes slipped through his hands.

He made up for it fast. Jordan’s next two grabs moved the Hogs into scoring range for a touchdown run just before the half.

Quarterback KJ Jackson found him deep in the third quarter. That long gain put Cam Settles in position for a touchdown run from close range.

Jordan didn’t make it sound like a big deal after the game.

“We’ve been working on this since summer, so it wasn’t really nothing to it, for real,” Jordan said postgame. “Just going out there, being the next man up, and just executing like we practice.”

Silverfield wants more than catches

Silverfield liked what he saw. He also wants to see more.

“Antonio is a big-bodied receiver who has shown he can make some of those difficult catches,” Silverfield said. “I think he has earned the right to maybe see the field more.”

There’s a catch, and it isn’t the kind Jordan makes on Saturdays.

“We need him to continue to progress, play fast and be a good run blocker as well,” Silverfield said. “He can’t just go out there and catch that high ball when it comes to him late — though it’s great to have guys who can do that.”

Here’s the snag. Marshall and Jordan line up at the same spot.

During preseason practice, Tim Cramsey said Jordan doesn’t move around the formation as easily as some other wideouts. Cramsey’s the offensive coordinator, so his opinion carries weight.

So Silverfield’s plan is simple, at least on paper.

“We’re going to try to find the best mix of guys in the right rotation in-game,” he said.

KJ Jackson learns to look around

There’s another upside to Marshall’s absence. It pushed Jackson to work through every option on a play.

Jackson’s still new to the starting job. Early this season, he leaned hard on Marshall.

Texas A&M is a good example. No other Arkansas wideout caught a pass in that game until the fourth quarter.

Silverfield didn’t fault his quarterback for that.

“It’s hard to blame him for looking for Chris Marshall,” Silverfield said. “Chris has obviously been ultra-productive, he’s a very talented young man, and I’m glad he’s here.”

“In that game it was, OK, I can’t look for Chris Marshall to be my first read, so where’s the second and third?” Silverfield added.

Jackson found plenty of answers. Twelve different Razorbacks caught a pass against Vanderbilt.

“You hope it wasn’t due to an injury, but I think KJ now says, oh, we trust this guy, we trust this guy,” Silverfield said.

Missouri up next

The Hogs get a week off before the Tigers come to town.

Arkansas and Missouri meet at 6:45 p.m. on Halloween at Razorback Stadium. SEC Network has the broadcast.

Fans have this one circled. Silverfield isn’t treating it any differently.

“I know a lot of fans said this is a big one. They’re all big,” Silverfield said. “For us it’s a nameless, faceless opponent.”

Maybe so. But Missouri’s secondary now has to plan for two Arkansas receivers instead of one.