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Sam Pittman reveals how Arkansas will determine whether Dominique Johnson plays in Week 2

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•09/07/22•

ChandlerVessels

Arkansas could be getting an important piece of its backfield back for Saturday’s contest against South Carolina in junior running back Dominique Johnson. The Razorbacks were without Johnson in the season opener this weekend, but according to coach Sam Pittman, that could change this week.

“I thought he looked good,” Pittman said of Johnson on Wednesday. “I still think it’s up in the air whether we’ll play him or not this week, but I think he certainly has improved over the last week-and-a-half. Obviously, we have today to look at him as well. He looked to me like he’s ready to go, but we’ll have to see how he feels about it before we decide. We still have two pretty good days that he can build some confidence and see if he’s ready to play or not. To be honest with you, it’s really up to him.”

Johnson suffered a knee injury in Arkansas’ Outback Bowl victory this past season, and has been working his way back all offseason. The running back had been a green non-contact jersey in practice this fall, but was seen without it for the first time Tuesday.

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Dominique Johnson ran for 575 yards and seven touchdowns last season before his injury, the third-most by an Arkansas running back. Upon his return to the field, he figures to mix in to a Razorbacks rushing attack that also features Raheim Sanders and quarterback KJ Jefferson.

Sanders led the team with 20 carries for 117 yards on Saturday as Arkansas earned a 31-24 victory against Cincinnati. Jefferson added 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground in addition 223 yards and three scores through the air. As a team, the Razorbacks finished with 224 yards rushing and an average of five yards per carry and should only get more dangerous once Johnson is added back into the fold.

His injury situation will be one to monitor the next few days as the Razorbacks prepare to kick off against the Gamecocks at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Fayetteville.