2002 Statistics

NEWS AND NOTES

FB Mark Pierce has left the team for the time being and it is unknown whether he will return this year. Pierce had been experiencing personal troubles with the loss of his father and needed to take time off to get squared away.

written by Collin Mickle

Woody Hayes would have loved last season's Arkansas offense. The Razorbacks were the quintessential "three yards and a cloud of dust" team - leading the SEC in rushing offense. The offensive strategy is unlikely to change this season, despite the graduation of tailback Fred Talley.

Tailback Cedric Cobb has returned to full health and should be more than ready to step back into the starting job, which he lost after an injury in the Hogs' fourth game. Cobb's career has not been smooth - he had problems with the law earlier in his stay in Fayetteville - but as long as he can stay in good health and in head coach Houston Nutt's good graces, he will be one of the conference's top runners.

If Cobbs does have success in 2003, plenty of the credit should be heaped on the sizeable shoulders of the Razorbacks' offensive line. The unit, by far the best group in Nutt's six years at Arkansas, will start four seniors and a junior, all of whom started last season. The unit averages 6-4, 307 pounds, and is a fearsome match up in the run game.

Other than Cobb, the rest of the offense is based largely on the outstanding physical ability of junior quarterback Matt Jones. At 6-5, 225, Jones has prototypical size, and his ability to contribute both as a passer (1,592 yards and 16 touchdowns) and a runner in the option attack (614 yards rushing, second on the team) gives the Razorbacks a big-play threat from anywhere on the field. In his first year as a starter, Jones suffered some growing pains, but his role in the biggest play of the season - the miraculous touchdown pass that capped Arkansas' 21-20 comeback victory over LSU - showed his potential. Despite its dominance on the ground, Arkansas was hopeless through the air, averaging just over 134 yards passing per game. Part of the difficulty lay with the offensive line. One thing is for sure, OT Shawn Andrews is most likely the best OT in college football...and could easily be the first lineman taken in next year's NFL draft should he decide to leave early.

Still, expect Jones to build upon those flashes in 2003. The Razorbacks are counting on him to do just that. Sophomore Tarvaris Jackson had an opportunity to push Jones as a redshirted 2002 freshman, but eventually appeared lost in his rare game appearances and ended up transferring. Unless senior Ryan Sorahan shows considerable improvement, Jones will be Nutt's only real option under center.

Jones' receiving corps returns en masse. Ten Razorbacks caught more than one pass last season, and nine of them will be returning to Fayetteville. The ground game will remain the primary focus, with Cobb and Jones running the option, but the opportunities for the passing attack will present themselves. It is imperative that these opportunities not be squandered so the field can be legitimately stretched even before the first snap is taken. A constant threat of the deeper routes will back corners off so the option can succeed more as the season grinds forward..

Flanker Richard Smith and split end George Wilson will be Jones' main target(s). The two combined for more than half of Arkansas' catches, yards, and touchdowns in 2002. Junior Decori Birmingham, the co-hero with Jones of the LSU win, came on late in the season and should continue his improvement. Junior tight end Jason Peters is the only player likely to catch more than three or four passes. Someone has to step up, or else defenses will be able to take these two guys out and make stopping the Razorbacks an easily solved, one-dimensional puzzle.

Pass protection was a problem, when the Hogs gave up a sack every ten passing attempts and struggled against speed rushers on the edge. Another year of experience may be the answer. If the line can get its pass-blocking problems ironed out, Arkansas' offense automatically becomes a much more dangerous weapon. But Jones was sacked also due to his own mental wares.

Although Jones appears to have great potential both as a passer and as a runner in the option, he must improve his drop-back passing and play-faking ability. Other than the miraculous ending of the LSU game, the Razorbacks struggled to pick up yards through the air, making it difficult to mount comebacks. He may not have the subtle ability to know, as option QBs must, when to run and when to pass if the option is presented. He may know the other tough ability - of when to take it himself or when to pitch - but this passing/running choice is what keeps this option-team grounded while others use the option optimally to put defenses on their heels and set up the pass.

TB Cedric Cobbs

written by Collin Mickle

Although Arkansas has been a physical, grind-it-out team on both offense and defense throughout the Houston Nutt-era, the 2002 Hogs allowed more than 25 points per game in five SEC games. Arkansas lost four of those five. The Razorbacks were plagued by defensive inconsistency. They ranked second in the conference in rushing defense, surrendering just over 113 yards-per-game, but were dead last (48th in I-A) in pass efficiency defense. The departure of defensive coordinator John Thompson to take the same post at Florida was part of the problem. Quality opponents were able to take advantage of the Hogs' secondary, which, despite a surfeit of talent, was mostly unimpressive.

The strength of the 2003 defense will be in the middle unit. Arkansas returns one of the conference's top linebacking corps. Bua is the standout, recording 131 tackles, four sacks, and a pair of interceptions as a junior in 2002. A do-everything player from the weakside linebacker position, Bua terrorizes opposing offenses in much the same way as former Razorback Quinton Caver, lining up at various positions on the field and using his remarkable athletic ability to wreak havoc.

Miller, Bua's running mate on the strong side, matched him essentially stat for stat. Both players are seniors who will be starting opposite one another for the third year in a row, so the glue has been set for their symbiotic nature to hold together well, making one plus one equal much more than two.

Junior Arrion Dixon returns as the starting noseguard. Dixon will be the key to Arkansas' rush defense. Senior defensive end Justin Scott, a key 2002 reserve, will be counted on to replace Gavin Walls' output at one defensive end position. He won't be the same force, but should hold his own nicely. At the other end, junior Elliot Harris returns for his second season in the starting lineup. Harris is a big, strong player with a great deal of natural ability - a good candidate for a breakout season. Look for Harris to play inside or outside. The entire front-seven inherits numbers of allowing just 3.15 yards-per-run and 11 TDs all year. Look for these to drop slightly, with similar actual results. Opponents will have to go to the air on this squad for success.

The struggling defensive backfield, which lost its leader and best player when free safety Ken Hamlin declared for the NFL draft, will be under a great deal of pressure. Corners Lawrence Richardson and Ahmad Carroll return - good work by Richardson was offset by Carroll's less-spirited 2002 performance. Both will need to be improved. Senior strong safety Jimmy Beasley has a good nose for the ball. A second year of using the new coverage schemes and knowing each other's tendencies will vastly, yet still only marginally, improve this unit's performance.

LB Tony Bua