3 Razorback Takeaways: Hogs Cruise Past Western Carolina 56-13

The Arkansas Razorbacks had little trouble on Saturday against the Western Carolina Catamounts on the way to a 56-13 win.

Sam Pittman's crew walked into the University's second home at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock with a mission to establish the type of team they want to be in 2023. For the most part that plan went off without a hitch as the Razorbacks forced a quick three-and-out and then scored on their just their second play. The Hogs dominated through the air on offense and the defense managed to pick up five turnovers including four big interceptions.

It was a day for spectacular debuts and for established names to re-assert themselves.

Here Are The 3 Big Takeaways From Week 1 For The Razorbacks:

First Takeaway: KJ On The Path To History

No surprise here, Star QB KJ Jefferson had a stellar day going 18/23 for 246 yards through the air and 3 TDs. He also ran for 11 yards scampering for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Jefferson completed his first 12 passes in a row and had the longest rush of the day at 17 yards.

By the end of this year, barring injuries, Jefferson will likely go down as the most successful QB in Razorback history as he moves closer to breaking every record at the position. With Saturday's performance, he moved into #5 all-time for career passing yards with 6,062, overtaking Casey Dick and Matt Jones. The current record holder is Tyler Wilson at 7,765.

He also threw for his 51st career touchdown, just 13 away from passing Brandon Allen at #1. Adding in his rushing touchdown Jefferson was responsible for four scores against the Catamounts bringing him up to 71 for his career and just eight away from the school record.

Many have Heisman hopes for Jefferson and while he may still be a long shot at this point, some great performances in big games could go a long way.

Second Takeaway: Rushing Game Struggled

While the passing game was strong for the Razorbacks they struggled to get out of the gates early on the ground. Through the first half, the Hogs only picked up 39 yards against an aggressive Western Carolina team. One of the big names, Raheim Sanders had a tough time getting things going only picking up 42 yards in the 2023 opener.

Arkansas would manage to score on the ground when it counted with Sanders picking up two rushing touchdowns from inside the 3-yard line and Jefferson scrambling to score from 17 out.

In total, the Razorback backfield only managed 105 yards on 36 attempts a number Pittman and company will hope to improve as the competition gets stronger. All credit should go to the Catamount defense who swarmed the line and had jerseys flying to the ball each time the Razorbacks handed it off.

Third Takeaway: A Day For Big Debuts

Razorback fans have a lot to look forward to on both sides of the ball if Saturday's game is any indication.

New receivers Andrew Armstrong and Isaac Teslaa hauled in big catches and scored a touchdown each. Both came to Arkansas through the Portal this offseason and appear to be taking their spots as key targets for Jefferson.

Meanwhile, Sophomore Jaedon Wilson, who only had three catches all of last year, took the ball to the house with a 65-yard touchdown on just the second play of the game.

On defense, junior defensive backs Jayden Johnson and Jaheim Thomas led the way in tackles with eight and six respectively. The defense held Western Carolina to 64 yards rushing and while they gave up 227 yards through the air, four interceptions kept the Catamounts from making any real progress. The Razorback offense scored quickly on Saturday, giving the defense more looks than they might get against future teams when offensive coordinator Dan Enos may look to control Time of Possession more.

Senior Dwight McGlothern, Hudson Clark, and Jayden Johnson all had picks against Western Carolina. Freshman Brad Spence took the last interception of the game 85 yards for a touchdown to push the score to 56-10.