In a game they can ill-afford to be shorthanded, Arkansas will be just that.
An injury to his right (throwing) shoulder in the Week 6 loss to South Carolina knocked Austin Allen out of the game. Earlier this week, head coach Bret Bielema indicated that the status of his starting quarterback for the Week 7 game against top-ranked Alabama was very much up in the air.
With kickoff approaching, there’s some clarity on the situation, albeit not in the way that the football team would’ve preferred as KNWA, citing sources close to the program, Allen is not expected to play against the Crimson Tide. At this time, there’s been no official word from the Razorbacks on Allen’s status for the game.
Allen is currently 11th amongst SEC quarterbacks in passing efficiency, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions in 117 pass attempts.
If the report is accurate, the starting job would fall to Cole Kelley. This season, the redshirt freshman has thrown for 186 yards and three touchdowns on 18 pass attempts while adding 42 yards on the ground.
This game would mark Kelley’s first career start -- and in Tuscaloosa no less against a team looking to get the taste of rat poison out of its mouth.