Getty K.J. Jefferson and the Arkansas Razorbacks kick off their 2023 season against Western Carolina.
The Arkansas Razorbacks (0-0) will host the Western Carolina Catamounts (0-0) at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday, September 2.
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The game isn’t on regular TV, but it will stream live on SEC Network+ (this can be watched on the ESPN app or website if you have a cable package or streaming service that includes SEC Network), which you can watch for free with FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Here’s how:
FuboTV
You can watch SEC Network+ with a subscription to FuboTV. You’ll need both the main channel package and the “Sports Plus” add-on, but both can be included with your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Western Carolina vs Arkansas live on the ESPN app (not the FuboTV app) or ESPN.com.
You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” You ‘ll need “Choice” or above to watch SEC Network+, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Western Carolina vs Arkansas live on the ESPN app (not the DirecTV Stream app) or ESPN.com.
You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
ESPN+
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, ESPN+ is the cheapest way to watch this game, as every game that is on SEC Network+ (which is different from the regular SEC Network TV channel) is also available live on ESPN+:
ESPN+ includes hundreds of college football games in 2023, plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Western Carolina vs Arkansas live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Compatible devices for the ESPN app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
Another cheaper option if you’re out of free trials, SEC Network+ is included in Sling TV’s “Sling Orange + Sports Extra” bundle, which is just $31 for your first month:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Western Carolina vs Arkansas live on the ESPN app (not the Sling app) or ESPN.com.
You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Western Carolina vs Arkansas Preview
The Razorbacks are coming off a 7-6 season in 2022, going 3-5 in SEC play. Arkansas averaged 32.5 points per game on offense, also giving up 30.6 points per contest on defense.
Leading Arkansas on offense once again will be dual-threat quarterback KJ Jefferson, who completed 68% of his passes last season for 2,648 yds, 24 touchdowns and just five picks. He also added 640 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Jefferson will be joined by running back Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders, who rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Together, the duo promises to give the Razorbacks a great deal of fire power, particularly in the run game.
The Razorbacks also have several new wideouts courtesy of the transfer portal, including Isaac TeSlaa (Hillsdale College), Andrew Armstrong (Texas A&M-Commerce) and Tyrone Broden (Bowling Green), so it will be interesting to see how often they are incorporated in this game.
“I feel like there’s no pressure at all,” Jefferson said about the upcoming season. “As long as we go out there and execute at a very high level. This is a game we love. We’ve been playing the game since we were little. No added pressure. No pressure upon us. I just feel like we have to go out there, have fun and just let it loose. Just play ball. At the end of the day, it’s football. It’s what you love to do. Go out there and let it hang.”
On the other side, WCU finished with a 6-5 mark last season, averaging 31.9 points per game on offense while giving up the exact same total per game on the defensive side. That kind of up and down performance easily explains their mediocre record.
This will be the first season as a full-time starter at quarterback for Cole Gonzales, and he’ll be joined by six returning starters on offense. In eight appearances last season, Gonzales completed 102-of-161 passes for 1,336 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Defense, the Catamounts have seven returning starters and could be a more menacing group than they were last year. “Defensively they have some really good pass rushers and defensive ends and guys in the back that can run,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said. “But you throw on the tape now, they’re scary on offense. And they got a really good defense as well.”
Arkansas is the clear favorite, and should win easily, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Western Carolina put up a solid fight.