By Tom Murphy
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fayetteville - The Arkansas Razorbacks' 3-3 record at the halfway point of the
season isn't impressive on the surface, but the Hogs seem to be on an upswing
heading into the second half of the year despite losing at BCS No. 1 Florida on
Saturday.
The Razorbacks weren't able to notch a third consecutive victory over an
unbeaten opponent last week at Florida, but they led much of the way - even
without top offensive stars Michael Smith and Joe Adams - and drew national
sympathy for their handling by the SEC officiating crew in a 23-20 loss at the
Swamp.
Many viewed Arkansas' six-week span from the Georgia game in Week 2
through the Ole Miss game this Saturday as a run through some of the most
treacherous terrain in college
football.
While the Razorbacks are 2-3 during that difficult stretch, they appear
to be improving in most areas and are in strong spirits after pushing Florida to
the edge of an upset.
"We came out playing against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation,"
receiver Greg Childs said. "Many had us losing by countless touchdowns and
saying we weren't even going to have a chance to play with them. But then we
stepped on the field Saturday and showed the whole world we do have a great team
and we can play with anybody we step on the field with." So, while the
Razorbacks look to be out of contention in the SEC West behind unbeaten Alabama,
the incentive is still there to contend for a quality postseason berth.
"You can take and build confidence from it, understand you were right
there, playing the No. 1 team in the country and you're there and had an
opportunity to win the game," second-year Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said.
The following is a position-by-position look at how the Razorbacks have
fared at the halfway point of the season:
QUARTERBACK
Ryan Mallett's strong arm and the Bobby Petrino offensive system have
been a nice marriage, though Mallett's completion percentage should be better
than its current .551. Mallett's efficiency rating is 150.5, second-best in the
SEC and No. 23 in the nation.
Petrino pointed out that Mallett makes two or three throws a game that
few quarterbacks in the country can pull off, such as his 75-yard pass to Greg
Childs at Florida and a 46-yarder to Childs earlier in the game.
Mallett still has periods of inaccuracy, but he's thrown only three
interceptions in 187 attempts. The 6-7 sophomore has 14 touchdowns and 1,646
passing yards, and his 274.3 passing yards per game is 12th in the country.
Mallett struggled with completion percentage against top-rated defenses
Alabama and Florida, but against the Gators, he still found ways to make huge
plays.
"He got hit and completed passes," Petrino said. "He wants to complete
every single pass, but when you're going against a great defense, it's just as
important to take care of the ball and not turn the ball over, and he did that
very, very well for us. ... He gave us a great opportunity to win the game."
RUNNING BACK
There have been games when it seemed the full power of the Hogs' big
corps of backs would be unleashed, but the occasions have been rare, and they
came after the first three games when the running attack was underutilized.
Michael Smith's hamstring injury would have been a critical blow early
last year, but Dennis Johnson had a 107-yard performance in Smith's place last
week. Smith (325 yards, 2 TDs) had one breakout game, 145 yards vs. Auburn, and
is questionable this week against Ole Miss.
Broderick Green (114 yards, 4 TDs) is running tougher in short yardage
and helping in the passing game. Ronnie Wingo (174 yards, 1 TD) had a flash of
brilliance with his 62-yard touchdown against Texas A&M.
This group also has 245 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns
combined and has blocked pretty well.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Through six games last season, the Hogs had allowed 22 sacks on their way
to 46. This year, Arkansas has given up just 12 for 73 yards at the halfway
point.
Pass protection is significantly better, and now that the Razorbacks have
made more of a commitment to the running game, the blocking in that department
is showing much more consistency. Seth Oxner has been a solid first year starter
at center, while the return of guard Mitch Petrus, paired with DeMarcus Love on
the strong side, has been critical for the front.
Tight end D.J. Williams isn't getting the number of catches he had last
season, but his blocking has been more than commendable.
False starts and holding calls were killers against Georgia and Alabama,
but the linemen have cleaned up their performance in that area in recent weeks.
RECEIVERS
Remember that vow by sophomores Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright
to lead Arkansas in becoming the best receiving corps in the nation?
They are on the fast track in that regard, though the indefinite loss of
Adams (mild stroke) is a harsh blow. Childs (25 catches, 480 yards, 5 TDs) is
rapidly putting together a body of work that will catch the eye of NFL scouts,
while Wright (19-358, 2) has slowed after a fast start.
Seniors London Crawford and Lucas Miller returned from broken collarbones
just as Adams went down, so they've contributed, though not at the game-breaking
pace of Adams. Williams needs a couple of more touches per game. Freshman Cobi
Hamilton has had flashes, much like last year's freshmen did, but he's been up
and down.
DEFENSIVE LINE
It took a few games for this group to crank up the pocket-collapsing, but
they have been excellent the past three weeks.
Jake Bequette and D.D. Jones had two sacks each of Tim Tebow last week,
Malcolm Sheppard is the team leader with eight tackles for loss, and Adrian
Davis tops the sack count with three. Zach Stadther is playing well, and he's
been the designated fumble recoverer the past two weeks.
This unit's gap control also has been much stronger in recent games, and
it looks like the Razorbacks are steadily becoming a decent run-stopping team.
LINEBACKERS
Wendel Davis is playing with the speed and strength of a confident
veteran in a familiar system. Davis has a team-high 40 tackles at middle
linebacker and has been involved in three takeaways. Jerry Franklin made a
costly mistake in being ejected against Georgia, but the sophomore has responded
with several big outings. Franklin (34 tackles) has a pair of fumble recoveries,
one for an 85-yard score, and he joined the sack parade on Tim Tebow last week.
Jerico Nelson (32 tackles) had a massive performance against Auburn,
including a sack and forced fumble, but he wasn't much of a factor last week.
Freddy Burton has lost some reps against Spread teams in recent games, but he
has 21 tackles and he's been a steady force on special teams.
SECONDARY
A few weeks after back-to-back disappointing showings against Georgia and
Alabama, this unit has battled back.
Coverage by cornerbacks Rudell Crim, Andru Stewart, Ramon Broadway and
David Gordon has been much better, even with a few questionable pass
interference calls thrown in. Stewart's emergence has been critical, much like
Elton Ford's return to the safety rotation. Ford's tackling is the best of the
bunch.
Tramain Thomas loves to hit, and he has a nose (and a foot) for
turnovers, but he must run through his tackles better. Matt Harris has been
playing smart as usual, and he's improved his play against the running game
while the coaches try to get Anthony Leon more game ready.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The highlight has been Dennis Johnson's rise in becoming one of the
country's best kick returners.
Johnson was critical in the victory over Auburn, and he outperformed
Florida's more-hyped Brandon James last week. His average of 31.4 yards per
return is eighth in the NCAA.
Arkansas' coverage teams have been solid virtually all season. The same
could not be said of the punt return unit, which ranks 113th with a minuscule
3.2-yard average. Punting is below average, with true freshman Dylan Breeding at
75th nationally with an average of 39.2 yards. The team's net punting (33.8) is
91st.
It looked like the coaches did everything possible to help Alex Tejada's
confidence, with only midrange and short field goals through five games. But
when he was really needed last week, Tejada reverted to his punching style and
misfired from 40 and 38 yards.
COACHING
Make no mistake, this is an intense group that exerts so much mental
pressure and physical conditioning demands on its players that game day feels
like a reward.
Arkansas is clearly becoming a stronger team, literally and emotionally,
and the Razorbacks appear ready to challenge and contend with any comers. This
attitude is a direct outgrowth of the coaching style of Petrino and his staff.
The offensive staff seemed overly enamored with the pass the first month,
but they have balanced things nicely the past three weeks.
The defensive plans - even against Alabama - have looked sound, making
the Georgia debacle seem more like an aberration and a product of losing
linebacker Jerry Franklin than the norm. The defensive personnel looks to be
playing fast and physical and forcing turnovers, all good signs.
