Arkansas' Opening Two-Deep Reads Familiar, But the Second String Is the Real Test

Arkansas' first official two-deep of the season landed on the internet without much drama, and that was pretty much the point. The 4th & Five crew read it line by line and kept arriving at the same reaction: this is the group they have been watching since spring.

The interesting part is not who starts. It is what happens on the sideline when those starters come off.

A Depth Chart With Very Few Curveballs

DJ Williams pulled the chart up live on the show and worked through it position by position. At receiver, Chris Marshall and CJ Brown landed exactly where the crew expected, and they were not alone as the standouts of camp. Ismael Cisse and Jamari Hawkins belong in that same conversation, according to the show's read of the last few weeks.

The names to keep an eye on are Courtney Crutchfield and Antonio Jordan. Both have flashed enough to matter, and the question the crew wants answered is whether that carries over once the lights come on and the environment changes.

The slot spot was the one place the chart refused to commit. Two names, separated by an "or," no starter named.

Williams does not read that as indecision.

"I think that'll be something you see all season long," Williams said. "You got to get all that talent on the field."

Up front on defense, the starters read as Quincy Rhodes Jr., Hunter Osborne and David Oke, and the jack spot went to Steven Soles Jr. over Charlie Collins after what Williams called one of the best battles of camp. Bradley Shaw is a starter at linebacker, Christian Harrison and Miguel Mitchell are paired at one safety spot, and the offensive line broke the way the show had guessed a week earlier.

"Pretty cut and dry from what we've seen in the spring and fall as well," Williams said.

The Backfield Was the One Spot Everybody Was Watching

If there was a position that had genuine intrigue heading into the release, it was running back. Williams was clear that he would not call it a shock, but he would call it the battle fans had circled.

The show's read of the chart is that the transfer back got the early nod, with Arkansas' returning power back right behind him. Fans wanting the exact order should go straight to the official two-deep on the Razorbacks' site, because the depth chart language on that spot is the kind that can flip week to week.

Ty Lockwood as the Sleeper

The name Williams volunteered without being asked was tight end Ty Lockwood.

"I think Ty Lockwood may be set up to have a pretty surprising season," Williams said. "I've seen enough of him. I kind of like this guy."

Call it the sleeper pick of the offense. Williams' point is that Lockwood is far enough along on tape to be a real piece rather than a rotational body, and a productive tight end would give this offense a middle-of-the-field answer it did not consistently have.

Watch: the full 4th & Five breakdown.

The Corners Have Miles on Them

Grant Cook's eye went straight to the boundary. Jaheim Johnson, the Tulane transfer known as the Joker, appears locked in on one side. The other corner spot is listed as a competition, with Shelton Lewis one of the names in it.

Cook said he did his own digging on the backgrounds and came away encouraged less by any single player than by the sheer volume of college snaps Arkansas imported.

"What I like is that we have that many corners that have that much actual playing experience in college football that transferred in here," Cook said. "Maybe our defensive backs end up being kind of a shining light against North Alabama."

For readers who want the film rather than the résumé, 4th & Five posted full player breakdowns on both transfer corners when they came out of the portal, including game tape. Those are still live on the show's YouTube page under the videos tab.

Roughly 22 Defenders, and What That Actually Reveals

As reported on the show, defensive coordinator Ron Roberts' plan is to get somewhere around 22 defenders on the field in the first half and to leave the starters out there until Arkansas is comfortably ahead. Williams framed that as an audit, not a courtesy.

"You got gamers and then you got people who are great in practice and then just can't seem to get it figured out in an unpredictable environment," Williams said.

That is why he keeps circling back to depth as the equalizer.

The flip side is the failure case. Williams described the nightmare version as an offense reading the substitution and immediately checking to a pass play because it knows exactly which defender to attack.

He has seen the cost of that before. Williams recalled a game against Texas A&M in which Arkansas ended up putting a young Charlie Collins into a situation the freshman was not ready for, and said the tape still stands out to him years later.

Four Rushers, Nothing Fancy

Williams also set a hard standard for the pass rush in the opener. Four should be enough.

"It's not being disrespectful," Williams said. "We're just talking about all the resources and the gap in talent that should be there."

An occasional linebacker on a delayed rush is fine, in his view. Disguised pressure packages and exotic looks are not. "You're going to save that stuff for Utah and Georgia," Williams said.

The Wrong Takeaway and the Right One

Josh Throne wanted to head off the reaction he expects to see the second the final whistle blows.

"The takeaway for this game is not, is this defense the real deal or not," Throne said.

His measuring stick sits later in the game, once Arkansas is up big and the second and third units are on the field. He wants clean communication, a line that still reaches the quarterback, and a secondary that does not hand over explosive plays or blow a coverage.

"If you do not see a drop off in performance, even against North Alabama, that's a good sign," Throne said.

And if the drop off does show up, he expects the game itself to tell on Arkansas. A more competitive scoreboard in the fourth quarter would be its own answer.

The starters on this chart were largely settled weeks ago. The names that decide whether this defense can survive Utah and Georgia are the ones who jog on after halftime.