FAYETTEVILLE - Senior starting left guard Austin Capps of Star City returned from the injured list Tuesday, while freshman quarterbacks John Stephen Jones and KJ Jefferson took snaps with the first- and second-team offenses.

Capps has missed three games in concussion protocol but practiced unrestricted Tuesday in shoulder pads and shorts and apparently will start Saturday.

The 2-7 Razorbacks play host to 5-4 Western Kentucky of Conference USA at 11 a.m, Saturday. The SEC Network will televise the  non-conference game from Reynolds Razorback Stadium. 

Redshirt freshman Jones and true freshman Jefferson directed second-half touchdown drives in Saturday’s 54-24 loss to Mississippi State in relief of starter Ben Hicks.

Either Hicks or Nick Starkel have started Arkansas’ nine games, but Jones and Jefferson took all the first-team snaps Sunday and Tuesday. Jones will start, but Jefferson will play, Arkansas coach Chad Morris said Monday.

MORGAN BACK

Kirby Adcock, who suffered a concussion starting for Capps two games ago against Alabama, did not practice Tuesday. Junior backup linebacker Grant Morgan of Greenwood, removed from the Mississippi State game because of a thumb injury, has returned to practice behind senior starting middle linebacker Scoota Harris.

STOREY TIME

The SEC’s leading tackler last season, Harris is close friends with Western Kentucky graduate transfer starting QB Ty Storey (in Craven Whitlow photo above). Storey, the  Charleston native, started nine games at QB last year for the Razorbacks.

Storey says they’ve kept in contact, but he prefers the contact not be close Saturday. 

“Yeah, I told him he’s got to take it easy on us a little bit,” Storey said laughing. “Hopefully they won’t be too hard on us. We messed around a little bit. He’s a great player. Arkansas’ got several great players. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. We’ve got to go in and just execute the game plan.”

Though Morris praised Harris for his play last week, the Hogs’ defense was no challenge to Mississippi State, which amassed a school SEC record 640 yards total offense.

Storey insists it’s a major challenge, nonetheless.

“We’ve got to go in and take care of business for sure,” Storey said. “They’re a very talented team. It’s back to SEC football. They do a lot of things that are going to make it tough on our guys and make it tough on me. We’ve got to go and execute it and hopefully come out with a win.”

Western Kentucky receiver Lucky Jackson has caught 55 passes this fall, including 16 from Storey during Saturday’s 35-24 loss to Florida Atlantic.

“You talk about Lucky,” Storey said. “We’ve had a really good connection ever since spring ball. He’s a fifth-year senior like myself. It seems like I always know where he’s gonna be, and he’s really good at finding holes in the defense and exploiting them.”