FAYETTEVILLE — What in the WildHog is happening to the Arkansas offense ?

The college football universe knew the Razorbacks would be suspect in the passing game this season, and even more so after Marcus Monk, Ben Cleveland and emerging freshman Crosby Tuck went down with long-term injuries.

The statistics reflect that reality. Arkansas’ 162 passing yards per game heading into Saturday’s SEC West game at Ole Miss ranks No. 110 out of 119 Bowl Championship Subdivision schools.

But who would have thought the Arkansas rushing game, regarded as one of the nation’s finest, would hit a stumbling block at the midway point of the season ?

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You say it’s just a one-game aberration, Arkansas’ 25 carries for 67 yards against the lean, mean Auburn defense last Saturday ?

Not exactly.

The Razorbacks’ 257 rushing yards in an erratic performance against Tennessee-Chattanooga was 101 yards fewer than their season average entering that game two weeks ago.

Go back to the second half of Arkansas’ 42-29 loss to Kentucky and the seeds of a more pedestrian running game can be found. The Razorbacks managed only 83 yards on 19 carries after halftime against the Wildcats.

“We can’t just go out there and say we’re not being productive, we have to execute more,” said tailback Darren McFadden, who is averaging 3. 4 yards per carry in his past six quarters against SEC teams.

“We had a long spell where nobody really stopped us offensively, so [a 193-yard game against Auburn ] was bound to happen sooner or later,” fullback Peyton Hillis said. “We just have to come out and rebound from it. They can’t hold Darren and Felix [Jones ] for too long.”

Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt has frequently stressed the impact the loss of Monk has had on the team’s offensive capabilities.

“That’s why I was so sick to my stomach during two-a-days because I knew what that 962 yards worth of passing would do,” Nutt said.

With no Monk, opposing defenses have been able to get away with man coverage on the wideouts and concentrate manpower inside the tackle box to attack the run.

Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron pointed out Auburn didn’t blitz much and tackled well.

“I don’t think they were very threatened by the passing game,” he said.

The poor passing has slowly begun to detract from Arkansas’ running attack, which still ranks third nationally with 293. 2 yards per game, but has lost 65 yards off its average in two weeks.

In its past six quarters against SEC competition, Arkansas has rushed 44 times for 150 yards, an average of 3. 4 yards per carry, and no touchdowns.

McFadden’s numbers in those six quarters are a pretty tame 29 carries for 95 yards. Jones has rushed 11 times for 66 yards in that same span, with 27 yards coming on his last two attempts during the Razorbacks’ late touchdown drive against Auburn. Hillis has not carried the ball against an SEC opponent since the first half of the Kentucky game, and on the year he has two carries for 7 yards in league play.

Compare the run production in the past six quarters to the Razorbacks’ first six quarters against SEC opponents: 85 carries for 556 yards, an average of 6. 5 yards per carry, and 3 touchdowns.

The team’s total offense is also reflective of a downturn. The Hogs had 833 total yards and 6 touchdowns and averaged 6. 7 yards per play in the first six quarters against SEC competition. In the past six, the offense has posted 305 total yards, 1 touchdown and 3. 6 yards per play.

As for the passing game, Monk said he wants to play this season, and might be nearing game shape after playing one snap against Auburn. Otherwise, all the Razorbacks can do is keep plugging away.

“We’re going to try and get some things going that hopefully will help our football team in the passing-game area,” Nutt said. “What’s tough is the people are going to man you up and you’re going to have to go to another level to create that separation.”

Even the Razorbacks’ celebrated WildHog package with McFadden at quarterback has had its struggles. The WildHog, which made its debut in the Ole Miss game last year as the “Wildcat” formation, has had its moments this season — like McFadden’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Tuck in the opener and a 56-yard touchdown run against Kentucky — but on the whole it has not been the dangerous weapon it was last year.

“Those are the key words — last year,” Jones said. “We showed some new things last year and they really didn’t know how to defend it.”

Now it seems to be a different story.

“They’ve caught up with it a little bit,” Nutt said.

“There’s no doubt after the damage that was done from the WildHog last year that [opponents ] cut it up and looked at it,” Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee said. “The element of surprise is so big in football, and that was a surprise thing last year.

“ Nobody had research on it last year. Everybody researched it this past off-season so it’s not as effective as we’d like.”

Is there hope for an Arkansas offensive revival ?

For starters, it’s hard to think defenses will be as successful at shedding blocks and clogging running lanes as Auburn was last week. The Razorbacks also are hinting at some tweaks in their plan.

“We’re going to put some wrinkles and things in there,” said Dick, who has completed 8 of 28 passes (. 286 ) for 104 yards on third down against SEC competition.

Also, Arkansas fans will recall Dick’s second game as a starter in 2005. In that game at Ole Miss, Dick completed 17 of 24 passes for 175 yards with 1 interception and 3 touchdown passes for one of the best games of his career.

“Boy, he did a great job,” Nutt said. “Completing about 12 straight passes there on third down is what I remember. He’s excited and ready to go.”