Franklin force for UA defense

FAYETTEVILLE — Jerry Franklin’s value to the Arkansas defense was most vividly portrayed by the low point of his college career.

Franklin was ejected after pushing two offensive linemen out of his face and bumping an official, just after an Arkansas takeaway, with the Razorbacks leading Georgia 21-10 in their second game this year.

The Bulldogs capitalized on the sophomore linebacker’s absence and rallied for a 52-41 victory at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Franklin issued a public apology the following week. His teammates have since recognized what Franklin’s absence meant that day.

“Jerry is just a great player. There’s no other way to put it,” defensive end and classmate Jake Bequette said. “You saw in the Georgia game when we lost him, how different of a team we were against the run and the pass. He’s in on a lot of plays.”

A highly decorated two way player out of Marion, Franklin, who will lead the Razorbacks into the Liberty Bowl against East Carolina on Jan. 2, is on the verge of leading Arkansas in tackles each of his first two years on the varsity.

“Jerry’s had a good season,” Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said. “I think I’ve seen him grow tremendously in his knowledge of the game and his understanding of what offenses are going to do.”

The instinctive linebacker, a former safety in high school, also has emerged as one of the nation’s best at forcing turnovers. Franklin has eight takeaways - four interceptions and four fumble recoveries - in his 24 games as a collegian.

And he can get much better, Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said.

“Jerry still hasn’t quite reached his potential,” Robinson said. “There are some inconsistencies about his game, but there is nothing that he can’t improve on.

“He’s building for next year. But you look at our stat board, he’s at the very top of the board. The production - it speaks for itself.”

Two weeks after his Georgia incident, Franklin made one of the biggest plays of Arkansas’ season.

Trailing the Razorbacks 14-10, Texas A&M was on the move inside the Arkansas 10 midway through the second quarter when Arkansas end Tenarius Wright stripped quarterback Jerrod Johnson and sent the football to the turf at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Franklin scooped the ball up in stride and raced 85 yards for a game-changing touchdown in a 47-19 Arkansas victory. The Razorbacks’ 27 takeaways, four by Franklin, have been a premium since Arkansas has allowed big yardage and big-play touchdowns.

“Oh, it’s been a big part,” Franklin said. “Last year, we didn’t force a lot of turnovers, and this year, we kept helping set up scores for the offense, put them in good position, got ourselves off the field.

“Any given moment, we know anybody can make a play or force a turnover.”

Many times, Franklin is the man making that play. He stopped Ole Miss bigback Brandon Bolden twice on back-to-back runs from the Arkansas 1-yard line. He snuffed a Florida drive with a fumble recovery inside the 10-yard line.

Franklin picked off Troy quarterback Levi Brown to set up a first-half Arkansas touchdown. And he snagged a Jordan Jefferson overthrow and returned it 29 yards to set up a touchdown and spark Arkansas’ second-half comeback at LSU.

“You can tell he played safety back in the day,” said Bequette, who described Franklin as a field general. “He knows how to break on the ball, and he’s extremely athletic.”

Franklin, who has a teamhigh 84 tackles after making 87 a year ago, said the key to his success this season has been playing assignment football.

“I’m sure I could have made a lot more tackles but for a couple of bad plays here and there,” he said.

Petrino said Frankin’s football IQ will only continue to rise.

“He has a better understanding of what tips are, offensive line splits, running back depth,” Petrino said. “He’s really become a much better student of the game, and that allows his physical attributes to show up better.”Jerry Franklin glance BIRTHDATE Jan. 10, 1988 POSITION Weakside linebacker CLASS Sophomore HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-1, 241 pounds HOMETOWN Marion BIO Versatile playmaker earned Class 6A offensive player of the year honors as a receiver and running back as a senior, and was the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s defensive player of the year for all classifications as a junior. Had 7 interceptions, 3 for touchdowns, as a junior. Ranked No. 7 prospect in the state by Scout, and was No. 38 safety in the nation and No. 8 prospect in Arkansas by Rivals. Chose Hogs over Ole Miss, Illinois, Miami and Tennessee.

STATISTICS Leads Arkansas with 84 tackles and four takeaways. Returned fumble 85 yards for a touchdown vs. Texas A&M. Also has 5 tackles for loss, 1 1/2 sacks and 3 pass breakups. Led Razorbacks as a freshman with 87 tackles, 54 solos, and also produced 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.