Arkansas football's balance has Razorbacks on pace for historic offense. Here's how.

FAYETTEVILLE — Through eight games, Arkansas football us averaging about 492 yards per game.

Assuming the Razorbacks make a bowl game, they're on pace for about 6,402 yards of total offense. That would beat the program record set in 2010 by over 100 yards.

They're doing it with the most balanced offensive attack any Arkansas team has had. Under the leadership of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, the Razorbacks' last two seasons have been among their most balanced by far.

Arkansas (5-3, 2-3 SEC) has just 28 more passing yards than rushing yards this season. The next smallest differential came in 1994, when Arkansas ran for 70 more yards than it passed.

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"I think that's who we are," coach Sam Pittman said in Week 9. "We can throw and catch, especially when we're unpredictable about what we are doing on early downs. ... A lot of teams are throwing it and having success, but for the way we are built, I think we have to run the ball to have success, and then do some things off of that."

The ability to hand off to a star running back like Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, who has already crossed the 1,000-yard threshold with four games remaining, is just one part of the offensive success. Quarterback KJ Jefferson is, as South Carolina coach Shane Beamer put it in Week 2, "a dual threat to run you over."

Arkansas doesn't seem to have a standout at receiver the way it does at running back, but Jefferson has been able to spread the ball around to players such as Jadon Haselwood, Matt Landers and tight end Trey Knox. The Razorbacks' ability to use either its running or passing game with confidence demands that opposing defenses prepare for anything.

Take Auburn for example. The Tigers have the league's worst run defense, and they appeared to put all their resources into trying to stop the run against Arkansas in Week 9. That opened up the passing game, however, and Jefferson threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. Auburn's efforts to slow down the run game didn't work, either: Arkansas ran for 276 yards and four scores.

There's more than one way to set a record. The Razorbacks might beat the record the 2010 team set, but that team was vastly different than this year's Arkansas squad.

The 2010 team didn't have the balance this year's does. Quarterback Ryan Mallett led the way for that group, and Arkansas passed for 2,403 more yards than it ran.

Instead of explosive passing plays giving Arkansas big chunks of yards, the 2022 Razorbacks are running an offense that gets smaller pieces of land at a faster pace. The 2010 team had 7.08 yards per play vs. this season's 6.53. Briles' hurry-up offense means Arkansas is simply running more plays now than it has in years past, wearing down defenses and cobbling together big yardage totals.

Offensive yardage doesn't translate directly into points, however.

Arkansas is on pace to score about 35 fewer points than Bobby Petrino's 2010 team. This season's red zone conversion percentage is almost 10% lower than the Razorbacks' mark 12 years ago. During Arkansas’ four-game skid this season, failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities was a major issue.

Yards also don’t equal wins. The Razorbacks went 10-2 in the 2010 regular season. This year, Arkansas has a hard road to even a 7-5 finish.

The reasons for that go far beyond just offensive statistics. The 2022 team’s inconsistent defense and special teams coupled with a challenging schedule aren’t a recipe for a Sugar Bowl appearance like the one in 2010.

But Arkansas’ offense is a point of pride, and the Razorbacks need to lean on it down the stretch of the season. It starts Saturday (3 p.m. CT, SECN) against No. 23 Liberty (7-1).

“II think we’re ready to try to make a run,” Pittman said. “Late October, early November, it’s a lot about the vibe of the team, what you really believe you can do, probably more importantly what you want to do. I like where our team is.”

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football is on pace for program record for total yards