As Arkansas opened up spring practice this week, it did so with defensive improvement as one of the primary goals. In 2015, the Razorbacks fell well short of the standard the unit set in the second half of the 2014 season.

The Hogs went from a defense that could shut out the likes of Ole Miss and LSU and dominate Texas to one that struggled to limit big plays.

This offseason, the Razorbacks reviewed their defensive performance and discovered that the number of big plays they allowed – defensive coordinator Robb Smith said Arkansas defines a “big play” as one that goes for at least 25 yards – went up by 10 (from 31 to 41).

“On those big plays, we gave up an average of 37 yards per play,” Smith said. “On every other play, which was about 600-some odd snaps, we gave up 4.4 yards per play, which is more consistent with the level of defense we want to play.”

The 41 plays of 25 or more yards allowed by the Razorbacks were the most any SEC team allowed in 2015.

With nine defensive starters returning in 2016, Smith is optimistic about the potential improvement of his unit. But how will they improve? Smith discussed several keys for the defense in the coming weeks of spring:

On improving the pass defense, which was last in the SEC last season:

“Obviously it's 11 guys working together and we need to obviously generate more pass rush with our front four and we can help ourselves with our intermediate drops at the linebacker level and our nickel back and even our dollar, our dime. In the secondary we have to shore some things up and eliminate big plays. …We've got to be a little bit more consistent in the back end with our technique and with our eyes. That carries into our linebacker level and generating more consistent pass rush. If we can be more consistent and cut that big play number in half, then I think we have a chance to play defense at a much higher level.”

On the addition of new defensive backs coach and former Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads:

“Paul's done a tremendous job. He brings a lot of insight. He's been a head coach, he's been a coordinator in this league. He has a feel for the big picture items in terms of what we're trying to do defensively. He's really embraced our system, our package, and he's an excellent teacher. We've had our ‘Hoganese’ sessions and the feedback has been great.”

On how to generate a better pass rush (the Razorbacks were 13th in the SEC in sack percentage last year):

“We shifted some guys personnel-wise. … Jeremiah Ledbetter, we're going to move him [from defensive end to the] inside and try to replicate some of the things that we did with Darius Philon in the past. He's a little bit more of an athletic guy on the interior for us, which will allow Taiwan Johnson to return to the nose position where he was two years ago and was effective. … Deatrich Wise is a guy we're just going to kind of leave in a groove on the edge. We moved him around at times last year but he really came on down the stretch. We found a niche for him within our package. I think just with the preparation we're going to have this spring and the improvement that we're going to make, coupled with a few minor moves inside, I think it's going to really help us generate a pass rush.”

On the Arkansas linebackers:

“Brooks Ellis really anchors the linebacker corps. … I'm hoping that he takes a big step here going into his senior season and we fully expect that. Dre Greenlaw is a guy who got better each and every week out for us. He's a converted defensive back from his high school days but really came on at that [weakside] linebacker position. We'll have some guys battling it out at the [strongside] linebacker position: Khalia Hackett, Dwayne Eugene, Randy Ramsey's back in our program. Kendrick Jackson we got back from the offense.”

On the addition of five-star defensive end recruit McTelvin Agim, who enrolled in January:

“He's a guy that we got a chance to take a glimpse of in bowl prep and we were very excited about what we saw there. I know he spent a lot of time trying to learn and pick up the package and the system this offseason. We really get a chance to get a better feel for him [in spring practice]. He'll have an opportunity within the two-deep to show himself, and we're excited with what he can bring to the table. The thing I'll tell you about ‘Sosa’ [Agim’s nickname]: he's a tremendous football player, but he's shown a lot as a person too. He's an excellent leader for our young guys, and that's really going to help when the rest of our freshman class arrives this summer.”