Today at 2:00 a.m. <br>by <a class="underlined-byline" href="https://www.wholehogsports.com/staff/tom-murphy">Tom Murphy</a> <br>FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks enter game week for Thursday’s season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with some knowns but a good bit of mystery entering Year 5 of the Sam Pittman era.<br>The known begins with the largely aggressive defensive schemes of second-year coordinator Travis Williams and a staff that returns intact with third-year Deke Adams on the line and second-year co-coordinator Marcus Woodson and Deron Wilson in the secondary.<br>Williams is not going to stop bringing pressure in an effort to disrupt offensive timing and the opposing quarterback, but Pittman said last week he feels good about the ability to get pressure with four-man rushes from a veteran defensive line headed by Landon Jackson, Cam Ball, Eric Gregory and the combo of Nico Davillier and Anton Juncaj.<br>The Razorbacks imported a variety of multi-position players like Doneiko Slaughter, Anthony Switzer and Larry Worth. How they fit into the schemes will be of big importance.<br>Williams and the staff also worked a good deal with the “Buck” position, a kind of stand-up edge player who can rush, play the run or drop back into coverage. How that piece plays out, with Davillier and sophomore linebacker Brad Spence running it the most, will be interesting.<br>There’s also a known when it comes to offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Razorback fans will remember well the high-powered attack he directed as Arkansas’ head coach from 2008-11, including a school-record 6,273 total yards in 2010.<br>Those offenses featured heavy play-action passing and deep-ball shots, but there was also a toughness to the ground game while the Razorbacks went in 34-17 those seasons, capped by a 21-5 record from 2010-11. Those still stand as the last seasons the program finished with 10 or more wins.<br>Petrino’s starting quarterbacks during his tenure — Casey Dick (2008), Ryan Mallett (2009-10) and Tyler Wilson (2011) — were all mostly pocket-passers and the schemes played to that strength. Now he has redshirt junior Taylen Green, a dual-threat 6-6, 230-pounder, as part of his arsenal.<br>Petrino and Pittman have said the play-action pass game will be a featured element in the attack, but the quarterback run game as part of a run-pass option scheme is also in play. The Razorbacks have also utilized two tight end sets with some regularity during camp and they’ve motioned them into the backfield to create the I-formation sets as well.<br>So it sounds like the ear marks of a multi-pronged attack, but Petrino wanted to hone in on some particular parts of his package to feel good entering the season.<br>“We’ve got time to work on it, but I feel better about understanding what we do best in the run game,” Petrino said last Tuesday.<br>“But run right, run left, what do we do with the tight end? How do we get to certain things? We’re still working on those parts of the identity, but I think we understand what we’re doing in the run game. Our protections have been pretty solid. Our communication has been pretty solid on that. And then it’s just the aspects of the passing game that we like the best, and we’re getting closer on it.”<br>Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson entered training camp in the top spot at tailback, but he was dinged in the final scrimmage Aug. 15 and was held out of practices during the open media viewing window last week. That allowed junior Rashod Dubinion, the only returning tailback on the roster, to take first-team work.<br>Whomever starts at tailback, there is likely to be big doses of both and possible activity from freshman Braylen Russell and transfers Rodney Hill and Tyrell Reed on Thursday.<br>Another spot with some uncertainty is left guard, though redshirt sophomore E’Marion Harris appeared to have settled there for more than a week as new position coach Eric Mateos tried many combinations with returning starter Patrick Kutas sidelined with a back injury early in camp. Even if Kutas is back to full health it would make sense if Harris got early playing time and possibly the starting job.<br>Williams emphasized the togetherness he sees on the field and in the locker room, even saying he likes to see how offensive players like Green and tackle Fernando Carmona have made an impression as leaders.<br>“You watch and you can just see, ‘OK, these guys like each other,’ ” Williams said last Wednesday in the last media availability before Pittman holds his regular Monday news conference.<br>“The group that I really like to watch is the defensive line. They’ve got a special type of bond. During Spring Break they all go to Miami together, like all of that. Man, it’s just pretty cool to see and just seeing what Coach Pitt has built here, and you just see those guys buying into it and how close those guys are, how close the staff is. It’s really fun to watch.”<br>Copyright © 2024, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC.<br>All rights reserved.<br>This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC.<br>Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2024, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. 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