Arkansas Run Game Found Consistency Vs South Carolina

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Nov 15, 2026 10:30 AM ET

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield said after the Razorbacks' loss to Auburn on Nov. 8 that the run game was "boom or bust" against the Tigers.

That certainly wasn't the case on Saturday in Arkansas' 34-6 whipping of No. 17 South Carolina in Fayetteville, in which Arkansas ran for 167 yards on 46 carries (3.6 yards per carry).

Cam Settles had a team-high 64 yards on 17 rushes, Sutton Smith had his most balanced game of the year with 60 yards on 13 carries and QB KJ Jackson had 10 carries for 46 yards on a night where the Arkansas offensive line manhandled a talented South Carolina defensive line for 60 minutes.

Jackson didn't even have to attempt a pass in the fourth quarter, as Arkansas salted the game away with 17 carries for 53 yards, including a touchdown run for Smith that put the icing on the cake and made the score 34-6.

"We talk about it all the time, being able to run the ball efficiently can open up some stuff in the passing game," Silverfield said. "But I think what you got to see tonight is like, some of the runs we finished, right? You saw the O-line pushing the running backs, legs churning over. Listen, I believe they’ve got a couple of high-round draft picks on that D-line and I thought our offensive line did some good things.

"I thought our tight ends did some good things. The receivers and the quarterbacks trusting that, then ultimately the running backs seeing their holes and trusting their vision and running hard. So that run game is going to be something we’re going to need to continue to establish. But obviously when you play a stout D-line you’re pleased when you’re able to get the result we got tonight."

"It felt really good," said center Kash Courtney. "All this week, prepping up, we were wanting to be the more physical people compared to last week. They had a really good d-line, I’m not going to doubt them on that."

South Carolina's defensive line is talented and could very well end up with multiple players in the NFL, but Arkansas' offensive line made light work of them on Saturday.

"Those boys played a great game, and even the run game, we were able to run the ball at will tonight," Jackson said.

Arkansas has been searching for consistency in the run game all year and may have finally found it over the last several games. It'll need a solid rushing attack to have a chance to beat the likes of Texas and LSU.

This article first appeared on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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