Arkansas Razorbacks’ Andrew Armstrong Expects Bobby Petrino’s Offense to Explode

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Andrew Armstrong didn’t waste any words when asked what impact Arkansas’ new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will have on the offense this season.

“We’re trying to be explosive this year,” Armstrong said.

That was probably the most encouraging takeaway from Thursday’s SEC Media Days talk show in Dallas. Arkansas opened the fourth and final day of the event with the head coach and three players from four teams each day.

Armstrong, a Dallas native and the Hogs’ leading pass catcher last year, was honored to be at Media Days and was happy to show his appreciation.

“I’m in my senior year, SEC Media Days in Dallas. I told my mom it’s really ironic, so I’m really happy to be here,” Armstrong said. “I see the people, I see the view from the Omni (Hotel). I really appreciate that from my head coach.”

For Petrino’s offensive scheme to work and keep the defense collectively on its heels, quarterback Taylen Green will have to be efficient, timely and accurate. Armstrong said the combination of Petrino and Green could be exciting for Arkansas fans.

He’s impressed with Green, the speedy, 6-foot-1 quarterback who transferred from Boise State.

“Taylen Green is one of the happiest guys I know,” Armstrong said. “He’s ready to play. He loves to make mistakes because it helps him. It builds him up. It builds him up, and he’s the leader that a team needs.”

This is especially evident in the way Green interacts with the receivers.

“Anyone can go up to him, ask him a question about a route, and he knows everything,” Armstrong said. “You can tell he’s been in the script, and he’s really into it.”

The 6-foot-3 Armstrong led the Hogs in catches (56), yards (764) and touchdowns (5). He had first downs on 34 of his grabs, but it was still a disappointing season.

He hopes to have an even bigger impact in his second season with the Razorbacks after transferring from Texas A&M-Commerce, where he had 1,020 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022. He leads a largely unproven receiving corps that many would call suspect, but Armstrong said, “I feel like our receiving room as a whole has been tremendous.”

The second-most proven commodity in that room is tight end Luke Hasz, a four-star recruit who caught 10 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns in Weeks 3 and 4 losses at home to BYU (38-31) and away at LSU (34-31). He caught touchdown passes of 59 and 11 yards — including a 2-pointer after the first TD — to tie the game twice in Baton Rouge.

Hasz broke his collarbone the following week against Texas A&M and missed the remainder of the season. Arkansas’ passing game suffered significantly in his absence.

Armstrong is confident others will step up this season, specifically mentioning 6-foot-1 senior Tyron Broden and speedy sophomore Jordan Anthony, a transfer from Texas A&M.

Anthony played briefly as a four-star recruit at Kentucky in 2022, but then excelled on the track team, breaking the school freshman record in the 60 and 100 meters and finishing second in both the SEC and NCAA meets in the 60 meters.

“He’s an absolute cheat code because he’s got 9.8 speed. You can say ‘down,’ ‘set,’ ‘hut,’ ‘throw,’ and he’ll just run underneath and catch it,” Armstrong said.

But the 5-foot-11, 170-pound player from Tylertown, Mississippi, isn’t even the fastest receiver on the team, according to Armstrong.

“We’ve got Tyrone Broden, 6-foot-7, the fastest guy on the team,” Armstrong said. “You don’t see that very often (when someone is that tall). He’s good at making his breaks and catching the ball in traffic and good at getting up there and catching the ball. He’s been extremely, extremely, extremely focused this year.”

Broden, who was quite slender at just 200 pounds, played three years at Bowling Green before transferring to Arkansas. He caught just 15 balls last season.

Armstrong named several more receivers on the depth chart: Isaiah Sategna, Jaedon Wilson, Davion Dozier, CJ Brown.

“And a lot of young guys, too,” Armstrong said. “Dazmin James, Jordan Anthony.”

How well the Hogs pitch and catch could determine the level of success they achieve in 2024. However it plays out, Armstrong hopes to be in the thick of it.

PIG FEED:

• Pittman does everything he can to save Mateos

• Back to the work ethic, why Pittman is so confident now

• The 2023 practice showed why Pittman changed his offseason approach

• Embrace the Hog: Pittman delivers new message to Razorbacks program

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow all HOGS on X And Facebook