FAYETTEVILLE — The stats say the University of Arkansas is enjoying an offensive renaissance under former head coach and first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

The Razorbacks rank second in the SEC and 11th in the nation with 458.3 total yards per game heading into Saturday’s 3:00 PM game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium against Louisiana Tech.

Arkansas (5-5) has shown offensive balance with the nation’s 20th-ranked passing offense at 278 yards per game and the 45th-ranked rushing attack at 180.3 yards per game.

However, the raw numbers and special elements on the unit, such as top receivers in Andrew Armstrong and tight end Luke Hasz, a deep tailback corps and dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green operating behind a veteran lines, haven’t always turned into a scoring machine.

There are various reasons for this.

For starters, the Hogs committed 17 turnovers (16 of them on offense), the third-highest total in the SEC, to rank 99th in the country in that department. In addition, Arkansas allowed 31 sacks, also third-most in the SEC, which cost them 209 yards and moved some drives out of downfield.

So while some of the cumulative stats are strong, including 47.29 percent third-down conversion to rank second in the SEC and 15th in the nation, the translation into scoring has been a bit off. Arkansas is 45th in the nation with 30.7 points per game, which is sixth in the conference behind Ole Miss (40.7), Alabama (39.5), Texas (37.0), Tennessee (35.5) and Texas A&M (31.6).

“We’ve been an efficient offense, but we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot with little things,” senior guard Josh Braun said. “I would say when you look at scoring offense versus yards per play, it’s easy to have a good game that results in a big gain. It’s harder to string together 5, 6, 7, 10 plays that are efficient, effective runs. passes that you roll on the field and score.

“To do that, you have to pay attention to the little details: make a block on the rim, block inside, catch this route, plant your right foot inside. It’s a bunch of little things that add up to a touchdown, and that’s what we have to be focused on going forward if we want our plays and good plays to lead to touchdowns.”

The Razorbacks punted just 29 times, a paltry 2.9 per game, tied for 10th fewest in the nation. That means they have few three-and-out possessions and frequently sustain drives. They converted just 66.7 percent of their field goal attempts (14 of 21), which is tied for 104th in the country.

That helped rank 77th nationally in red-zone scoring (83.7%), though the Hogs’ red-zone touchdown percentage of 69.8% (30-of-43) is a strong stat, good for 27th place.

“We struggled a little bit in the red zone or going over the 50,” wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa said. “So I would say maintaining drives is a big thing. I know Braun touched on it quite a bit, but he just gets bogged down in the details on offense and just plays one play at a time. When you play like that, big plays will happen. and you will be able to drive in the field”.

Taken as a whole, the season-over-season improvement was substantial. Arkansas was 105th in total offense (326.5 yards per game), 105th in passing (187.5 ypg), 86th in rushing (139.0 ypg) and 67th in scoring (26, 6 points per game) a year ago. That score total deserves context, though, as first-year coordinator Travis Williams’ defensive unit contributed five touchdowns and Isaiah Sategna added another with a punt return.

This year’s team has no defensive or special teams touchdowns. The Hogs are one of 35 FBS teams without a defensive score.

Interestingly, the 2023 team’s passer efficiency number of 140.12, which ranked 53rd nationally, is pretty close to the current unit’s 143.3 (38th nationally), largely partly due to a large difference in touchdown/interception ratio.

Green is still learning the system with only 10 games with Petrino under his belt, so there’s reason to believe that if the junior returns, he could increase his offensive numbers and passing efficiency in 2025.

“What jumps out at you is his athleticism,” Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie said of Green. “But I think since he came from Boise State to Arkansas, coach Petrino, obviously his track record with quarterbacks speaks for itself. He has done an outstanding job in this area and is a phenomenal football player and coach.

“I think he’s done a lot with Taylen in terms of his throwing, his accuracy, his passing skills. And I think they’ve adapted what they do offensively to his skill set.”

Cumbie appreciated Green’s touch on deep balls and his down-ball prowess.

“When things are covered, he puts some pressure on you from a coverage standpoint,” he said, “especially on third down because of his ability to extend plays. He’s 6-6, 230 pounds, so he’s a big kid who can run fast. It’s hard to deal with sometimes.”

The Razorbacks are looking for ways to turn around their offensive performance in the final two games of the regular season.

Coach Sam Pittman spoke at Monday’s news conference about several scenarios on offense that could have given the Razorbacks a better chance to beat No. 3 Texas, including a tipped pass from tight end Tyrone Broden that ended up in the hands of safety Texan’s Jahdae Barron in the first quarter.

“There were some clear plays there that … and they forced most of them,” he said. “I made some mistakes with some of them too. But the early interception, we definitely have to catch that ball.

“I missed a wide open Sategna. Those two plays could have changed the outcome. Let’s hold on to the ball when we throw that little tunnel screen over there to CJ (Brown).

“Defensively, one of those (plays not made) was a missed charge on the empty guard. We slide in the wrong direction with the center. We had a few missed routes where Taylen had to hold the football because we weren’t running. the right routes.”