Improved offensive line play was a big need for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff entering this season, and the big men up front have delivered so far.
UAPB will look for that trend to continue Saturday when it hosts Florida A&M for senior day at 2 p.m. at Simmons Bank Field on HBCU GO.
The Golden Lions nearly entered the season without an offensive line coach after Steve Wallace left mere weeks before the start of fall camp to become the offensive coordinator at Kentucky State.
UAPB (4-5, 2-3 SWAC) Coach Alonzo Hampton said he met an agent during a coaches’ retreat who had a solution.
“It’s funny how God works,” Hampton said. “I went down there and visited with him, and I was looking for an O-line coach. I text him, and he said, ‘Coach, I got the guy for you.'”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The agent led Hampton to Donovan Jackson, who spent last season on the defensive staff at the University of Washington. Jackson had to get to work quickly with fall camp starting, but his group of linemen quickly took a big step forward.
Last season, UAPB gave up 43 sacks, the most in the SWAC. Opposing teams averaged 3.6 sacks per game. The Golden Lions averaged 115.8 rushing yards per game.
Nine games into this season, UAPB is tied for fifth in the SWAC for the fewest sacks allowed with an average of 1.2 per game. The rushing offense has improved by 40 yards per game without expected starting running back BJ Curry playing a snap this season due to injury.
Hampton said Jackson’s coaching has made the difference.
“He’s been a blessing,” Hampton said. “This guy was at LSU when they won a national championship. He’s been a high school head coach. He’s did a couple internships in the NFL, so you ask me what’s the difference? It’s him. It’s his mentality. It’s his professionalism. It’s the way he goes about his work. He’s demanding, but not demeaning, and our kids, they needed that.”
Last week’s 40-21 win against Southern may have been one of the line’s best showings this season.
Southern defensive end Ckelby Givens leads the SWAC in sacks with 7.5 and tackles for loss with 14. Givens did not make one of either against UAPB and finished with one tackle total. The Jaguars as a team made two tackles for loss and never sacked quarterback Christian Peters.
That performance in pass protection was in addition to aiding UAPB in rushing for 158 yards and three touchdowns, both season highs against Division I competition.
Florida A&M (3-5, 2-2) hasn’t posed a significant pass rush threat this season. The Rattlers have 10 sacks, tied for the second fewest in the SWAC. Their defense is allowing 199 rushing yards per game, which ranks 10th in the SWAC but is 0.2 yards per game better than UAPB’s defense.
The Rattlers are coming off a 41-16 home loss to Jackson State in which the Tigers rushed for 392 yards. FAMU Coach James Colzie said the Rattlers understand what Peters and the UAPB receivers can do, but their top priority will be stopping UAPB’s running backs, a group junior Jaylen Jennings leads.
“You might be putting your DBs on an island a little bit, but at the end of the day, Jackson State beat us this past weekend not because they were able to throw the ball to all the receivers they had,” Colzie said. “They were able to run the ball effectively, take time off the clock, and then have success on third down when they needed to.”
Hampton was asked on Monday to comment on speculation that UAPB offensive coordinator Tony Hull may be a candidate for Southern’s vacant head coaching position. He said he hadn’t heard anything about it.
“I’m concerned with FAMU,” Hampton said. “Obviously, any time your coach gets mentioned for a job, he’s a Louisiana guy, Warren Easton High School head coach. He’s done a great job. I worked with him at ULM. Man, we’re trying to win a game, but if he came to me and asked me my advice, I’d give him all the information I got. He’s deserving of every opportunity that he gets, but that’s the only thing I have to say about that.”
Southern fired Terrance Graves on Oct. 20 after a 1-6 start to his second season. Former Alcorn State head Coach Fred McNair is serving as the interim head coach and led the Jaguars last week in Pine Bluff.
The Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate listed Hull as one of 15 possible candidates for the job, though there have been no reports Southern is actively pursuing him as of Monday.