McFadden: stretch run important

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden knows his Heisman Trophy chances will boil down to how he plays in the next month.

In one of the most muddled Heisman Trophy races in recent memory, a clear frontrunner has not emerged, reflecting the mad chase for Bowl Championship Series positioning.

Though McFadden was deemed to be slipping in recent weeks — an Associated Press straw poll last week had him in sixth place — the junior out of Little Rock isn’t sweating.

“If I go out there and play my game and do my best, everything else will take care of itself,” said McFadden, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner and last year’s Heisman runner-up.

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McFadden, who was slowed by a rib injury for about a month, has rushed for 993 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his 124. 1 rushing yards per game rank first in the SEC and 11 th in the nation.

Asked if he felt he had qualified to be invited to New York City again for the ceremony, McFadden replied, “For me, I’m not just expecting to be there.

“ Me personally, I don’t feel like I’ve done enough to be considered. By them saying I’m slipping, I’m not really concerned about it because I don’t feel like I came onto the Heisman scene until around this time last season.”

Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt said the idea that McFadden is slipping in the Heisman race is unfair.

“If you go by the best player, the players who’s supposed to be the best in the country, he’s got to be up there,” Nutt said. “I’ve seen a lot of these guys play.... I haven’t seen one better.”

McFadden revealed Monday the exact timing of the rib injury that slowed him from week three against Kentucky until recently.

“I hurt them the first [carry ] of the second half of the Kentucky game,” McFadden said.

“I came out after halftime and didn’t have my shoulder pads tightened down all the way. They were still loose on me.”

McFadden was running at quarterback in the WildHog formation on the play on which his injury occurred. McFadden took a hit by Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon and fumbled, with teammate Felix Jones recovering the loose ball. TV twosome

Arkansas’ game Saturday at South Carolina will be televised on ESPN 2, and the Razorbacks’ game next week at Tennessee will be broadcast regionally on Lincoln Financial Sports, it was announced Monday.

The South Carolina game kicks off at 7 p. m. in Columbia, S. C.

The Tennessee game will be the Razorbacks’ first game televised on Lincoln Financial Sports this season. It is scheduled to kick off at 11: 30 a. m. Central in Knoxville, Tenn. Freelancing Casey

Casey Dick’s interception in the first quarter Saturday against Florida International probably resulted more from his zeal to get Marcus Monk a touchdown ball than anything else.

Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee said the coverage should have dictated that Dick change the play to a run.

“I think he wanted to throw it to Marcus worse than he wanted to accept my coaching,” Lee said. Early audition

South Carolina running back Cory Boyd had a big game against Tennessee, rushing 20 times for a career-high 160 yards.

Boyd, a 6-1, 214-pound senior, splits time with junior Mike Davis, but has rushed 127 times for 691 yards (5. 4 yards per carry ) and 5 touchdowns this season.

“Cory did have an outstanding game,” Spurrier said. “He slipped one time down by the goal line, the drive we did not score. That was about the only bad play he had the entire game.

“ He had an excellent game catching, running. He really helped himself, I think, as far as the NFL Draft is concerned.”