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September 8, 2009

Post Missouri St
By: Eric W. Bolin

That was a success by any stretch of the imagination.
The Razorbacks used both Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson to rip Missouri State apart through the air on the way to 447 yards passing. Michael Smith received plenty of rest as the Hogs used seven different running backs, with only one – Broderick Green – hitting double-digits in carries.
It all looks great on paper, but what was truly learned against an FCS opponent?
Well, a lot actually, especially considering the Razorbacks struggled to get a win last year against FCS competition.
• Mallet and the passing offense are the real deal. Heck, Mallett didn’t even have to do much, but he looked sharp when he had to going 17-for-22 for 309 yards and a touchdown. Wilson showed he was a safe bet as the backup, too, throwing 13-for-19 for 138 yards and two scores.
• No shortage of weapons. Thirteen – count ‘em – thirteen different receivers caught a pass on Saturday. Eight different players registered a rushing attempt. Now, obviously that won’t keep up all season. But wide receiver is deep. Really deep. And that’s including the loss of senior London Crawford who is out 4-6 weeks after suffering a collarbone injury. Oh, and fellow senior Lucas Miller didn’t play either.
• The running game might not be ready just yet. We all know that Michael Smith is one of the most dangerous backs in the country when he’s healthy. And Saturday was a good step to making sure he stays that way. He only carried the ball four times for 43 yards as most of the depth chart – all the way down to Brandon Barnett – saw a touch. But 30 carries for 144 yards as a unit? That’s OK, I suppose, but considering how well the passing game was clicking, you’d hope for just a bit more. But I’ll attribute the average numbers to no one being able to get a rhythm in the running game. Just too many guys touching the ball.
• The defense is much, much better. You can’t put a whole lot of stock in holding an FCS team to just 10 points regardless, but these Razorbacks looked much more prepared this year than last. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the year gained of experience. It wasn’t a defense filled with freshman this go-around. Three sacks, two interceptions, and eight tackles-for-loss? Those are the kinds of numbers the Hogs will take all season
Arkansas will take a week off before hosting Georgia in Fayetteville on Sept. 19 for a nationally-televised game on my former-employer’s network – ESPN.
The Dawgs looked less-than-great against Oklahoma State, but should be healthier for their contest against Arkansas.
At any rate, stick right here, and I’ll keep you updated on the matchup in the coming weeks.

August 25, 2009

An Arkansas Update
By: Eric W. Bolin

That was a blow the Razorbacks could have done without.

Junior cornerback Isaac Madison was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL last Saturday during the team’s scrimmage. Madison was penciled in as a starting cornerback – and one of the leaders of the defense.
Easily the team’s most consistent player in a defensive backfield that sorely needs leadership, that constant drive to get better will be missed. If there is one bright spot for the Hogs in this, it’s that the secondary is probably the deepest unit on the defense, even if it was the weakest on the team last year.
Coach Bobby Petrino had nothing positive to say about the defense after the team’s most recent Saturday scrimmage.

The Razorbacks defenders couldn’t stop the Arkansas second-team offense from marching down the field, time and again, missing tackles left and right.

The pass was especially vulnerable, as redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Wilson picked apart the secondary.
Sophomore Greg Gatson will get the first chance to start across from Ramon Broadway. But newcomers Darius Winston and David Gordon will also get a crack at the job. Winston is one of the most highly touted recruits in recent memory.

Offensively, another injury has taken its toll. Again, at least the injury is in a deep unit for Arkansas.
Senior wide receiver Lucas Miller will be out four-to-six weeks after breaking his collarbone in a scrimmage on Thursday. He had successful surgery to repair the damage and should be back by midseason. Miller led the Hogs in receiving yards last year and was going full-speed despite having just recovered from offseason knee surgery.

August 17, 2009

An Arkansas Update
By: Eric W. Bolin

The Arkansas Razorbacks held a scrimmage Saturday, giving a good look at who may jump out and vulture some playing time from the regulars.

On offense, running back Dennis Johnson stood out. Good for him, too, as he has been in the doghouse a bit after being less-than-impressive in the spring.

Running back Broderick Green had the best day on Saturday, running for two touchdowns. He had 45 yards to led the team, but did it on 16 carries. That’s not the best YPC average in the world, but don’t forget, he’s still just getting used to the regular duty.

Returning starting running back Michael Smith played just one series before he yielded to Johnson, Green and freshman Ronnie Wingo Jr. Coaches were impressed by Wingo, too, who made some impressive open field moves. He seems to be the perfect back – big, strong, shifty and fast – all rolled into one.

At quarterback, it appears Ryan Mallett is wasting no time adjusting. He went 29-for-42 with 305 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. There was a bit of whispering that redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson could push for some playing time when the season starts, but if Mallett keeps this up, don’t plan to see that.

The team will return to the practice field on Monday with two workouts scheduled.

We’ll keep you updated here at PhilSteele.com on any big changes.

August 3, 2009

Green to the rescue
By: Eric W.Bolin

All of those problems the Arkansas Razorbacks had in short-yardage situations last year? Yeah, those will probably be forgotten memory now.

That’s mostly thanks to sophomore running back Broderick Green.

Green was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA for this season after he transferred from Southern California. If you’re reading this, you probably know most transfers have to sit out a season under NCAA guidelines.

But Green appealed his case to the usually no-nonsense, strong-willed NCAA, stating the primary reason for his transfer was to return closer to home because of his grandmother’s failing health. Green is a graduate of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark.

Caught in the perpetual logjam that is the USC backfield, Green was overshadowed as a redshirt freshman last year. He picked up 168 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans, but wasn’t about to find himself in the regular rotation in that stable.

So it’s off to Fayetteville – a mere three-hour drive from Little Rock – where he’ll provide the dominating power-running style the Hogs so sorely lacked last year.

At 6-2, 248 pounds, Green is by far the biggest back on the team. It’s a team full of scatbacks and slashers. And while Michael Smith, the Hogs returning starter in the backfield, is probably the second-best running back in the SEC, a battering ram he is not. The Razorbacks struggled to score when deep in the red zone and found themselves struggling on third-and-short time and again.

That has Hogs fans’ mouths watering. An in-state player with the credentials to play at USC? Arkansas hasn’t had one of those in…nevermind.

But Green was less than thrilled with his spring practices. According to coach Bobby Petrino, Green met with the head man after camp dispersed and chatted about what he felt was his lack of production. Petrino’s response? Don’t worry about it. Green’s touches were limited in the spring because of his status was still up in the air.
Don’t expect that to be the case when fall practice gets under way on Thursday, August 6.

July 28, 2009

An Arkansas Offseason Report
By: Eric W. Bolin

Finally! An offseason without drama. The last three summers have been awful in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks have had transfers, coaching changes, players getting kicked off the team – pretty much anything that could go wrong did.

I’m Eric Bolin, blogger for the Arkansas Razorbacks (and Tulsa Golden Hurricane) here at PhilSteele.com.
Fortunately it was a pretty quiet summer in the Ozarks. Former linebacker Khiry Battle was arrested for a DUI and booted from the team, however. Battle was expected to be a backup, seeing a little time on passing downs.
After what seems like forever, Arkansas’ prodigal son – no, not Mitch Mustain – finally will head the offense. Ryan Mallett has been eyeing this day since he decided to leave Big Blue in Ann Arbor for his home state Hogs. I’d be lying if I didn’t say ALL of the focus is on Mallett during fall practice. He busted his right hand in offseason accident in the weight room and couldn’t throw for a few weeks. But no one really expects it to bother him now.

He has a stable of wide receivers, when healthy, may form one of the better groups in the SEC. Senior WR Lucas Miller was at the bottom of the WR depth chart, but he has been fighting a knee injury since the spring. Big and fast, Miller has struggled with dropped balls in seasons past, but had his best year in 2008.
Beyond that, there weren’t many surprises when the post-spring depth chart was released. About the only thing that raised my eyebrow was the inclusion of sophomore RB De’Anthony Curtis as the No. 2 man behind Senior Michael Smith. I believed sophomore Broderick Green would be vulturing a few carries from Smith, the team’s best running back. Curtis didn’t make very much of his limited chances last year, but he did come in as VHT.

Even with all eyes on Mallett and the offense, the Hogs have to get better on special teams. This is a team that could have won at least two more games last year had special teams been improved. Instead, it was arguably the worst in the SEC. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the biggest question heading into fall.

Question: Will special teams be any better?

Answer: You HAVE to think so. Junior K Alex Tejada went from up-and-comer as a freshman to scapegoat last year. He made only 4-of-9 on FG and didn’t make a single kick longer than 39 yards. He lost his job to virtual unknown Shay Haddock last year. There’s no safety net this time around. He must be better. He did look legit in the spring, however.

P Jeremy Davis has graduated, too, leaving incoming JUCO transfer Briton Forester as the man in waiting. He’ll have to succeed. If he doesn’t, the punting will be left Mallett. That’s not something this team needs. Forester is more of a directional punter, not a strong-legged one. Whatever works with this team.
The biggest reason for the proposed improvement comes in the coaching staff. John L. Smith was hired by HC Bobby Petrino to coordinate the special teams. Smith has a wealth of experience, having been the HC at Utah State, Michigan State and Louisville. In fact, Petrino was on his staff at both Utah State and Louisville.
The Hogs had to use 14 true freshmen on special teams last year. That’s not a formula for success. But with nearly everyone returning, at least they have experience in their duties. That extra year under their belts, coupled with the addition of Smith to the coaching staff makes me believe this will be one of the most improved ST units in the country.

Notes:
• The Razorbacks landed three players on the All-SEC preseason teams. Junior TE D.J. Williams and RB Smith made the first-team offense, while SR DT Malcolm Sheppard was on the second-team defense.
• Petrino is really down on SO RB Dennis Johnson. Johnson took over for the injured Smith in the team’s final game against LSU last year and played extremely well (18 car., 127 yards, TD), then proceeded to run the team’s fastest 40-yard-dash in the spring. His stock has dropped since the opening drills of the spring, though. He was battling a foot injury at that time, but with addition of Green, freshmen RBs Knile Davis and Ronnie Wingo, and the improvement of Curtis, don’t count on Johnson to be much more than a KR.
• Technically Green isn’t eligible yet. He’s supposed to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. But he’s appealing the NCAA on account of his transfer was brought forth by “family illness.” There’s been no official word, but whispers abound that he’ll be granted eligibility.
• SO FS Elton Ford is fully recovered from a neck injury that nearly ended his career last year. He sits atop the post-spring depth chart.
• Players report to campus for drills on Aug. 5