Know Thy Enemy: Tanner Spearman of the Pine Bluff Commercial previews Arkansas-Pine Bluff

In the buildup to Mizzou’s season opener, the Columbia Missourian spoke with Tanner Spearman, an Arkansas-Pine Bluff football beat writer for the Pine Bluff Commercial, about the matchup between the Tigers and the Lions.

This interview has been modified for brevity and clarity.

Q: With a new season and new roster, can you just give a quick synopsis of this team's identity, along with what the expectations are for this team going into the season?

A: I think the expectation is just to keep improving. It's a slow build, but they've been a little bit better every year since Alonzo Hampton took over a couple years ago. So, (the) expectation is just to keep moving up, keep getting better, and showing those signs of progress. Maybe win a couple more games this year.

They've got some guys back, and then they've got new guys that they brought in trying to replace the ones that they lost. So it's a mixture of guys who are back, and you've got a lot of guys back at running back. You've got two or three returning starters on the offensive line, some returners at linebacker and the defensive front, but then you've got other positions.

They're still identifying who the new starting quarterback is going to be. They lost some key pieces in the secondary, so it's a mix of guys who are back from last year and guys that they're having to slot in to replace guys they lost.

Q: Who are Pine Bluff’s starting quarterback candidates, what do they bring to the table and who is the leading candidate?

A: They've said it's down to two guys. So you've got Garrison Davis. He's a redshirt freshman. He was on the team last year. Played in two or three games. He actually started the last game of the season against Alabama State because the first starting quarterback and the backup got hurt the game before, so he was kind of pressed into service and diid fine. I mean, they were on the road against a much better opponent, so you knew what you were getting into with that, but he did all right.

They've been high on him ever since he showed up on campus. He's a coach's kid, so he knows the game very well. He's pretty athletic now. He is pretty small, so there is that holding him back. But he's got the IQ and the athleticism for sure. Then you've got Jack Shierholz, a JUCO transfer. He's a little bit older, a little bit more experienced. Last time, a couple weeks ago, the last scrimmage they had, he looked pretty good to me. They've named him a team captain, so that could be an indication of where the quarterback battle is going. Although they're not officially naming him the starter yet, they like his leadership and what he brings to the table in that regard. Of course, he can throw the ball as well.

Q: How important to the offense is running back Jaylen Jennings?

A: He's a guy that a year ago he was like third or fourth on the depth chart coming into the season because they had two guys back from the year before. The first guy, who was preseason All-Conference, didn't play a snap all season because of injury, and then the other guy, Za’Marion Webber, was the starter for the first three games, and then he tore his ACL. So Jaylen got absolutely thrust into it. The good thing for him was (that) the game where Za’Marion Webber tore his ACL was against a much lower opponent. So Jaylen was able to walk in, take over early and rush for over 200 yards. He obviously it was tougher to do that against better opponents, but he ended up not starting the first two games. He ended up with almost with over 800 yards.

Za’Marion Webber is back, and his ACL has been, as far as we know, healed. They've got a couple of the guys as well. Obviously, the conference at least knows about Jennings because they saw him last year. He's preseason all-conference first team. He was first team at the end of the season last year, so he's a guy that can really take charge for this team. But having a guy like Webber back from injury now, and I was talking with Jaylen about this the other day, he doesn't have to carry the ball 25, 3, times a game anymore. They've got other people that can take over if he needs a breather.

They've got other guys that are just as capable, and so you'll see maybe a little bit more sharing of the ball, but that'll keep them both fresh, and I think that will really help them if they can all stay healthy throughout the season.

Q: Who else on the offensive side of the ball stands out and could make some plays against Mizzou?

A: D’Avery Robinson was a freshman a year ago and ended up being second in the team in receiving, and he's back. You've got Jordan Jackson who transferred in last year from a Division II school. He's a Pine Bluff native, so he's playing for his hometown team, and he did pretty well last year. He’s hoping to do even better this year for his senior year.

Of course, you know Chris Hicks Jr. is another guy that they'll probably look at. I'm curious about Josh Richards. He transferred in last year from Maryland, but got hurt, and so we didn't really see a whole lot of him. Obviously, it was one of those deals where he played at a Power 4 but didn't really play, so let's see what he can do when he actually gets out there on the field if he can stay healthy. So that's something I'm curious to see how he does.

Q: Who are some of the key leaders and standouts on defense who could be disruptive in 2026?

A: Danarius Hilliard, the linebacker, is first-team all-conference. He's the leader. He's the guy. He was the leading tackler last year. He's going to try and do much of the same this year, try to be maybe even better. But he's definitely a guy you're going to be looking at.

Tylan Cole, the edge rusher, is another key picked player for them on the front seven. We'll see who else kind of takes over. Marquise Cagle is a defensive tackle that should probably play a lot of snaps.

In the secondary, they had two corners that they lost to the portal. But you got Azayvonne Stribling, who was a freshman last year. He did really well, so he'll probably play a bigger role this year. You got Michael Henderson, who was a transfer in from a JUCO last year. He'll be looking to play a bigger role. He played last year as well, but he'll step up. So we'll see how the safety spots end up filling out. Jai’Teriyas Robinson, I think I saw him in the spring game, do pretty well. Na’il Johnson's another guy. I think he was actually a teammate in JUCO with Henderson. So they got some guys there. But I think for sure Hillard is the leader. He's the guy you're looking at. He's the key player out of that whole group.

Q: Even with a game before Mizzou, how do you think UAPB will prepare given the level of competition it’ll be facing?

A: Well, it's going to be tough because it's a short week for them. As nice as it is to be able to see what you've got first, you're going to have to turn around on a short week when Mizzou doesn't have to do that. That just kind of adds to the disadvantage.

I remember last year, one of the practices before Texas Tech, I went to that stadium and I could not hear myself think because they were blasting music at max volume to get them ready for that kind of environment that they were going to walk into. So I'm sure they'll probably do something like that. Alonzo Hampton is still talking about Texas Tech throwing tortillas, so they'll be talking about the environment. They'll be talking about the fan base they got to play in front of and I'm sure they'll be focusing on how to (do) silent counts and that kind of thing to just make sure that they can communicate and be ready to go because you don't play in a lot of environments like that when you're in FCS.

I mean, there's some good environments in the SWAC, but nothing like an SEC school or a Big 12 school. So it's something they got to get ready for. So I'm sure that will probably be a big focus for them, and you know, with a short week, obviously they'll put in all the work to game plan and scout and all of that. But I wouldn't be surprised if they don't try to take it just a little easy, just to make sure that they're not too tired or too injury-prone going into that game. You want to give them enough time to rest or recover for a short week. So it's going to be a challenge for them to make that preparation.

Q: How could you see this matchup unfolding and what do you think both squads would show?

A: It's an FCS team against an SEC team. You know what you expect to see. I remember the Tulsa game. Obviously, that's not an SEC team, but as an FBS team, they actually started the game really pretty well. They actually were leading 7-0 after the first quarter, and then Tulsa kicked it into gear in the second quarter. So the two games since then against Arkansas and Texas Tech, they didn't score against Arkansas and Texas Tech, they didn't score till the fourth quarter. So you're kind of thinking it could be one of those kind of games.

Maybe the fact that they'll have already played a game. Maybe they can come out and hit a bomb first play or something and try to get some points early. But it might be one of those. It could be one of those things. Best-case scenario where you have a good start, make them sweat just a little bit.

I'm sure Missouri's depth, especially up front, is going to really take its toll as the game goes on. I would love to see a game that's in doubt for a little while. But you know how it is in these games. You don't hold your breath for that. You just hope that everyone gets through injury-free and equips themselves well and gives a performance that they can keep their head held high afterward.