Today at 2:05 a.m.
by Tom Murphy
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas and Louisiana Tech will both have former players on the opposing rosters when they meet Saturday at 3 p.m. at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Former Razorback Zach Zimos is the No. 2 tackler for Louisiana Tech, while ex-Bulldog Keivie Rose is a solid contributor in the defensive tackle rotation for Arkansas.
Zimos, who was playing safety for Arkansas before his departure, is listed as a 6-4, 236-pound linebacker. The native of Sugar Land, Texas, has 53 tackles this season.
“When he hit you, you got stuck,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said in recalling Zimos’ days with the Hogs. “He’s certainly playing a different position than we had him here. But I like Zach. I always have. I’m happy for him.
“I think he’s one of the leaders over there. He’s played a lot of ball. I’m just really happy for him and he’s doing a good job. He’ll hit you, now, so we’ll have to figure that out.”
Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie talked up Rose’s work on his roster.
“Keivie’s a good player,” Cumbie said. “He was here with us for a couple years and ended up graduating in the summer and going to Arkansas. He’s a good player and I wish Keivie the best in every game except for this one. He was fun to coach.”
Zimos has turned into a key leader for the Louisiana Tech defense.
“I’m sure he’s hyped,” Bulldogs defensive back Jacobs Field said. “At the end of the day, it’s another game for us and we’re just going to go and compete at the highest level we can.”
Cumbie said Zimos has had a huge impact on the program.
“His role really grew and evolved at linebacker last year towards the end of the year,” he said. “And then this year from a defensive standpoint, the structure that we play, it fits him really well at linebacker.
“Whether it’s at Sam linebacker or whether it’s at Mike, he’s got some position flexibility there. And he’s brought obviously production and he’s done a lot of great things on the field for us.
“Football means a great deal to him. He studies the game as much as anybody that we have. And so from that standpoint, really glad to have him in our program.”
Cumbie pointed out that Zimos made a visit to a local elementary school Tuesday in Ruston, La.
“He’s been very intentional about his time here in Ruston, so I think his impact has undoubtedly gone further than just what he’s done on the football field and we love having him,” he said.
Who’s back
In a couple of weeks, Pittman will start being able to put together a roster plan for the 2025 season, which has become a more difficult and tricky chore with the advent of the NCAA transfer portal and the name, image and likeness game.
Two veteran Razorbacks who have eligibility remaining, offensive guard Josh Braun and linebacker Stephen Dix, did media interviews Tuesday night and were asked about the possibility of returning.
“I haven’t decided one way or the other,” said Braun, who is in his second season at Arkansas after transferring from Florida. “I’m just focused on finishing out the season strong. I’m focused on Louisiana Tech this week.
“I’ve talked about it with my wife, just given my situation. We both agree God has a plan for us and we’re just trying to figure out what He’s calling us to do.”
Dix, a two-time transfer who has been at Florida State and Marshall and is in his first year with the Hogs, had a similar response.
“Since I have a year, obviously that’s a possibility I have to take into consideration,” Dix said. “I think I’m going to need to sit down with my family and see what’s best for me, see where God wants me to be, whether that’s here at Arkansas or at the next level.”
Base set
Louisiana Tech has a base defense to which Cumbie made an apt comparison.
“We base out of a three-man front and to be honest, it’s very similar to the defensive structure that Arkansas played against Texas and Tennessee, you know the 3-2-6 that they play,” Cumbie said.
“As you watch our guys play on defense, how they play together, I think they play very physical and they’re on the same page. I think it comes from Coach JJ (defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson) and our staff doing a great job each week from a game plan standpoint, implementing the game plan and I think the clarity that our kids play with on defense.”
Pittman said Louisiana Tech hybrid linebacker Kolbe Fields, who has previously played at South Carolina and LSU, is tough to scheme against.
“They deliver some problems (with) the structure of their defense,” Pittman said. “They’re a 3-3-5, but it’s different because they have a robber, a rover — a guy basically who’s hard to get to to block, who is a really, really good player. The Fields kid.”
Fields, a 6-0, 220-pound junior from New Orleans, has team highs with 67 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles.
Big payday
Arkansas will cut a game check of $1.65 million to Louisiana Tech for Saturday’s nonconference contest.
The guarantee amount was reported by the Monroe (La.) News-Star, which also reported the Bulldogs received $1.55 million for their game last Sept. 23 at Nebraska, won 28-14 by the Cornhuskers.
Reporting review
The Arkansas Razorbacks won’t have to submit an availability report this week because they are playing an out-of-conference game against Louisiana Tech, but Pittman appeared to be in favor of the practice that was instituted this year by the SEC office.
“I still think it’s [a positive] … depending on who the coach is and what they put out there. Sometimes there’s a list this long,” he said Monday, holding his hands a foot apart. “And sometimes there’s a list like that.”
On the latter point, Pittman had his hands much closer together.
“But we certainly look at it,” Pittman said. “Then we say, ‘Is this really true?’ Sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s not.
“Kids seem to get healthy quickly at times. I like it myself, because y’all know and the public knows. You pretty much know whatever it says on there for us is what it is.”
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