It appears Arkansas will be without its starting quarterback for a while longer than just one week.
An injury to his right (throwing) shoulder in the Week 6 loss to South Carolina knocked Austin Allen out of the game. After some initial uncertainty in the week leading up to the Week 7 game against top-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Allen was indeed ruled out for what turned into a 41-9 loss.
With No. 21 Auburn up next, Bret Bielema all but ruled the senior out of the Week 7 matchup. Additionally, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reported that Allen could miss up to three more weeks after being sidelined last weekend.
“If it came to a point later in the week where he could practice Thursday, I think there’s merit to (Allen returning this week),” Bielema said. “Where he’s at right now, I’d say we’re still a couple of weeks away, but Austin is a guy who surprises a lot of people and if he can go and do things, it’s a positive for us.”
Should the three-week timeline come into play, he would miss the AU game as well as contests against Ole Miss and Coastal Carolina before returning for the road trip to LSU Nov. 11.
If Allen is indeed sidelined, Cole Kelley (pictured) would again take his place. Making his first career start, the redshirt freshman completed 23-of-42 passes for 200 yards, one touchdown and one interception on the road against the vaunted Crimson Tide.