As Arkansas opened up spring practice this week, it did so with defensive improvement as one of the primary goals. In 2015, the Razorbacks fell well short of the standard the unit set in the second half of the 2014 season.
The Hogs went from a defense that could shut out the likes of Ole Miss and LSU and dominate Texas to one that struggled to limit big plays.
This offseason, the Razorbacks reviewed their defensive performance and discovered that the number of big plays they allowed – defensive coordinator Robb Smith said Arkansas defines a “big play” as one that goes for at least 25 yards – went up by 10 (from 31 to 41).