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2008 Arkansas Razorbacks Preview

Brock Murphy |Jul 21,2008

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2008 Arkansas Razorbacks Preview

The Razorbacks' offensive dichotomy last season was evidenced by their combination of the nation's fourth-ranked rushing attack with its 113th-ranked passing game.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
HEAD COACH- BOBBY PETRINO
2007 Record- 8-5 (4-4 SEC)

2007 REVIEW
The Razorbacks' offensive dichotomy last season was evidenced by their combination of the nation's fourth-ranked rushing attack with its 113th-ranked passing game. Arkansas breezed through a non-conference schedule which included Troy, UT-Chattanooga and North Texas but stumbled to a 1-3 start in-conference. A 21-point loss to Tennessee was an enormous set-back but Arkansas bounced back with a win over Mississippi State followed be a thrilling triple-overtime win over LSU (50-48) to end the regular season. The momentum of the season put the 'Hogs in the Cotton Bowl and, more specifically, the cross-hairs of a very-good Missouri team that was bitter about not playing in a BSC bowl match-up

TEAM MVP
Quarterback Casey Dick (6-2, 215; Sr.) went from the nation's 62nd-ranked passer at the end of 2007 who passed for a mere 1,695 yards and 18 scores to a player who threw for 404 yards and two scores in the first spring game of the Petrino era. Since Ryan Mallet's NCAA-appeal for immediate eligibility was denied, it is likely the Razorbacks will go as Casey goes in 2008.

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Seeking a passing attack to better fit his skills, Ryan Mallet transferred from Rich Rodriguez's Michigan system to Bobby Petrino's passing scheme. Citing a system change that was beyond his control, Mallet and Arkansas appealed to the NCAA to let him play without sitting a year.

Mallett's appeal failed. However, the threat he posed seemed to inspire Casey Dick, who came alive this spring under Petrino's supervision.

Curiously, with Mallett out of the picture this season, Casey's chief competition becomes his younger brother, Nathan (6-4, 217; RFr.). Nathan had measured success this spring but is clearly chasing his older brother as fall rolls around.

Running Back
The good news is that Petrino's scheme does not rely on a dominating ground game. The bad news is that Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis took their games to the NFL and brought 3,339 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns from last season with them.

The leading returning rusher is Michael Smith (5-7, 173; Jr.), who gained 303 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 3 scores last season. However, it seems a foregone conclusion that incoming freshman De'Anthony Curtis (5-10, 211) will be the starter following a senior year at Arkansas 5A state-champion, Camden High School which resulted in Curtis being named Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas and earning Under-Armour All-American honors. Curtis scored 26 times last season after accounting for nearly 2,600 all-purpose yards.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Testament to Arkansas' a) lack of a vertical passing game; and, b) nearly complete reliance on the triple-headed monster of McFadden, Jones and Hillis, the team's leading receivers last season were: 1) Hillis (49-537; 5 TD's); 2) Robert Johnson (12-203; 4 TD's); 3) Jones (16-176); and, 4) McFadden (21-164; 1 TD). In other words, the only receiver in the top-four was Johnson and he hauled in a mere twelve passes at that.

Much was expected from receiver Marcus Monk before last season began. However, injuries restricted his performance last year and his finished with only sixteen catches for 144 yards (and three scores).

Johnson and Monk graduated leaving Arkansas without the services of five of their top seven receivers.

Petrino signed five receivers in 2007 and four of them were very highly-regarded. Given the state of the receiving corps, any of the five could make an instant impact; particularly, Joe Adams (6-0, 175). Two of the other recent signees, Cruz Williams (6-4, 206) and Greg Childs (6-5, 200), bring tall frames with them.

Offensive Line
Petrino could do worse than to build his new system behind the anchor of last year's Rimington Award winner, Jonathan Luigs (6-4, 315; Sr.). Obviously, much is expected of Luigs this season.

Seniors Mitch Petrus (6-4, 305) and Jose Valdez (6-5, 313) join Luigs as returning starters. The journey was rocky for Valdez, who was demoted this spring while he struggled spring grasping the new play-book. By the end of spring, he worked his way back into the starting lineup but it was at right tackle instead of the left spot he occupied for ten starts in 2007.

Petrino's post-spring depth chart listed sophomore Ray Dominguez (6-4, 315) as Valdez's replacement at left tackle. While not completely green, Dominguez has never started a game for the 'Hogs.

Fellow sophomore, DeMarcus Love (6-5, 302), is expected to fill in for the graduated Robert Felton at right guard. Love filled in for Felton at the end of last season claiming the last three starts of the season at the position he is now expected to take over for 2008.

DEFENSE

Defensive Line
Three starters with 43 career starts return to Arkansas' defensive line for 2008. Marcus Harrison is the lone lost starter and while his 1.5 sacks are replaceable, it is not likely his replacement will top Harrison's ten broken-up passes.

Malcolm Sheppard (6-3, 277; Jr.) and Ernest Mitchell (6-2, 305; Sr.) will return to control the interior this season. Sheppard was an end last season and Mitchell missed spring practice while recovering from a knee injury. They will have three players behind them who have seen the field, including sophomore Patrick Jones (6-2, 297), who recorded 11 tackles last year as a true freshman.

Redshirt freshman Jake Bequette (6-5, 265) enters the fall listed atop the depth chart at Harrison's abandoned end-spot. Adrian Davis returns to the other end-position after starting nine games last season and will be pushed all season by Antwain Robinson (6-2, 258; Sr.) who has struggled

Linebackers
After tallying 20 career starts, it was hoped that junior strongside linebacker, Freddie Fairchild (6-3, 210), could be a team-leader. Unfortunately, Fairchild was arrested last March for a domestic issue and was dismissed from the team in June.

Senior Elston Forte (6-0, 219), who started most of last year's games on the weakside, was listed in Fairchild's strongside position at the end of spring. Plugging Forte's hole will likely be sophomore Ryan Powers (6-1, 207). Powers was a high-school sprinter who battled with Forte for weakside snaps last year. He started two of the first few games and saw action in twelve games.

Wendel Davis (6-1, 224; Jr.) was expected to start at middle linebacker this season but was arrested on criminal mischief charges which arose after a fellow-student collided with Davis' scooter. Details have emerged which suggest the other student intentionally struck Davis' scooter but the latter's charges arose when he retaliated by striking and kicking the student's car following the contact.

Fortunately, for the current depth chart, Davis took no snaps this spring because he was recovering from a knee injury. Redshirt freshman Jerry Franklin (6-2, 229) is currently listed atop the depth chart in the middle spot. He will be pushed by sophomore Jermaine Love (5-11, 226).

Secondary
Every one of the Razorbacks' primary starters is gone this season, including leading tackler, strong-safety Matt Hewitt (118 tackles; 2 interceptions).

Senior Jamar Love (6-1, 197) and sophomore Isaac Madison (6-0, 181) are the projected starters at cornerback. Love has played in 33 career games and started three. Last season Love made 25 tackles and broke-up three passes but, testament to his speed and last year's aggressive scheme, his limited playing time at corner produced three sacks and two quarterback-hurries.

Matt Harris (6-2, 192; Jr.) and Dallas Washington (6-0, 210; Sr.) had outstanding springs at free and strong-safety, respectively. Washington has tallied 47 career tackles in three years. Rashaad Johnson (6-1, 191) will probably rotate in which Harris at free-safety this season, ensuring quality depth at that position this season.

Special Teams
Sophomore kicker Alex Tejada and senior punter Jeremy Davis return for 2008. However, Tejada dislocated his left knee at the end of May and it is currently unknown whether the injury will affect his performance this fall. Felix Jones was the nation's fourth-ranked kickoff-returner (29.6 yards per return) and will obviously have to be replaced.

2008 Outlook
Arkansas' defense is not completely green but loses so much experience at linebacker and in the defensive-backfield that it seems likely the unit will struggle at times this season. Fortunately, Air Petrino gets off to an easy start with home games against Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe. However, they take to the road to play former Southwest Conference rival, Texas, in week three and then play a typically-tough SEC schedule which includes Florida and road trips to Kentucky and South Carolina from the East. A late-season match-up with potential C-USA champion, Tulsa, in November, was not the easy homecoming game they had in mind when it was scheduled. It is very unlikely that Arkansas will duplicate last year's 8-5 record. They will be lucky to be bowl-eligible when 2008 draws to a close.

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