FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's tough to label a Week Two game as a "must win" so early in a season, but heading to Salt Lake City to face a ranked Utah team inside one of the more underrated venues in college football is a major challenge for first-year coach Ryan Silverfield.

If his team performs how it did against North Alabama, they aren't going to stand a chance of pulling off an upset. However, if KJ Jackson and his offense comes together there's a chance it could lead to an old fashioned "PAC-12 After Dark" classic on ESPN.

KJ Jackson Outduels Devon Dampier

There was probably no other player for Arkansas who took more offense to the first half of North Alabama than quarterback KJ Jackson. He'll have a major step up in competition this week attacking a well respected Utah defense that's been historically strong under the guidance of Morgan Scalley.

The Utes gave up 225 total yards of offense and defeated Idaho 66-14 last Friday, but things weren't always easy for them getting there. The Vandals hung around midway through the second quarter due to its rushing attack and plays made by dual-threat passer Joshua Wood.

Things took a turn when the offense finally figured out how to pop for big plays with Devon Dampier leading the way with 176 yards through the air and three touchdowns. His biggest attribute is his fit in the run game, rushing for an additional 31 yards.

Jackson has enough weapons at his disposal to make this a game, but it's going to come down to major improvements from last week to get it done. If he can pass for more than 250 yards and three scores, it'll go a long way to pulling off a victory in Salt Lake City.

Most importantly, he has to protect the football, because the Razorbacks showed enough talent at the skill positions to make Utah far less comfortable from a defensive perspective.

Silverfield noted that his defense will have to play with exceptional discipline, but there are going to be breakdowns that the Razorbacks will have to overcome. Having Jackson at his best in this one will be imperative for a victory.

Offensive Line Issues Prevalent

If there has been one group under the microscope this week, it's the Arkansas offensive line that collectively struggled in the season opener. For the most part, that was was expected to be the one position group to be the strength for the Razorbacks.

However, a lack of push up front was prevalent from the start and there were many reasons for that as North Alabama had a fairly big defensive front for an FCS team. Arkansas played with higher pad level, which didn't help leverage too much in the run game.

Arkansas' problems become more concerning considering the opponent waiting Saturday. Utah has built its defensive identity around controlling the line of scrimmage under Morgan Scalley, and the Utes won't need to manufacture much pressure if the Razorbacks can't generate movement against their front.

The Utes certainly didn't have to overwhelm the Vandals in Week One, which showed in the box score with just one sack. However, the Scalley was still pleased with the defensive front's pressure put on Idaho throughout the game.

Arkansas center and team captain Caden Kitler is aware of the defienciences and wants to get those fixed immediately.

“You saw the performance we put on the field last game,” Kitler said during The Ryan Silverfield Show on Wednesday. “Week 1 to Week 2, you make your biggest stride. We’re trying to correct everything that we messed up in Week 1, and we're ready for this challenge going to Salt Lake City.”

Inability to Control "Controllables"

Arkansas rushed 49 times for 148 yards on the ground with only one touchdown on the day. Silverfield was frustrated with the overall performance, including penalties and turnovers that he believes are fixable enough to put them in contention to win on the road.

“It starts with the penalties. We talked about that. That's something that we absolutely have to be able to eliminate and get rid of," SIlverfield said. "Certainly cut those down. They're going to occur, but that's a controllable. And then we also talked about some of these other things."

Arkansas flashed too much on Saturday with the running backs not to have a dynamic offense. Whether that came in limited duty with Jasper Parker, Braylen Russell's physicality and Sutton Smith's elusiveness, the Razorbacks showed what it's capable of with room to run.

But football is a team game, which means doing everything in their power not to hold, block in the back, or commit pre-snap penalites that eliminate a big plays. That happened too much on Saturday for Silverfield's liking and will kill this team's overall ceiling if they can't get it done.

“Turning over the football, obviously the pre-halftime interception was inexcusable, cannot happen, and then the two fumbles. Those are things that we control," Silverfield said. "We get those things cleaned up, then you're talking about a different ball game. We’ve got to be able to do that moving forward.”

Arkansas was talented enough to survive those mistakes against North Alabama, but won't have the same luxury at Utah. Not being able to control the small things can diminish the Razorbacks chances and leave them thinking about what might've been.

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