FAYETTEVILLE — Many Arkansas football games played out like open-field offensive clinics in 2009.
Conjure the images: Greg Childs running free for a 75-yard touchdown at Florida;
Joe Adams tearing up the middle against Texas A&M and Eastern Michigan; Jarius Wright getting deep against Texas A&M, East Carolina and others; Cobi Hamilton breaking loose for a pair of big-play scores against Mississippi State.
The three juniors in the bunch - Adams, Childs and Wright - sounded precocious when they arrived on campus in 2008, vowing to become the best receiving corps in the nation. Entering the third year of their careers, it’d be hard to identify a more prodigious group in the land.They didn’t sit on their laurels during fall camp, coaches said.
“I think Joe and Jarius and Greg really did a nice job of pushing each others, of pushing themselves to improve: To improve on their routes,improve on their technique catching the ball and being more physical running with the ball after the catch,” Coach Bobby Petrino said.
The combination of Petrino’s sophisticated schemes, the strong arm of quarterback Ryan Mallett and the blend of talents from the Hogs’ receiving corps, including speed, strength, tackle-breaking ability and good hands, has made the Arkansas passing attack one of the most feared in the land.
“I definitely believe we’ve made strides,” said Childs, whose 48 catches for 894 yards led the bunch last season. “We are a better receiving corps than last year.”
Childs, Wright, Adams and Hamilton had a combined 137 catches for 2,490 yards last season for a robust 18.2 yards
Wide receivers at a glance
RETURNING STARTERS Junior Joe Adams (14 career starts, 7 in 2009), junior Greg Childs (9-8), junior Jarius Wright (19-12), sophomore Cobi Hamilton (1-1) KEY LOSSES London Crawford, Lucas Miller SUDDEN IMPACT Junior De’Anthony Curtis, redshirt freshman Lance Ray, true freshman Maudrecus Humphrey PLUSES Big-time game experience, versatility, speed, tackle-breaking MINUSES Occasional drops, lapse in focus SUMMARY First-year position coach Kris Cinkovich walked into a gold mine of talent some consider the finest corps in the nation. Juniors Adams, Childs and Wright are in full bloom in BobbyPetrino’s offensive system, and they are above-average blockers. If not for periodic drops of Ryan Mallett’s fastballs and some offsides penalties, this group would enter 2010 with an A-plus rating. Three true freshmen - the ThreeH Club of Humphrey, Javontee Herndon and Julian Horton - have a shot at playing time this year, but regardless, they constitute the next wave of Razorbacks wideouts.
per catch. First-year receivers coach Kris Cinkovich, who inherited the receivers from departed offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, feels the unit can flex its big-play muscles to an even greater extent this fall.
“We should be a year better,” Cinkovich said. “I’m confident we are. ... We’re working on catching the shorts and intermediates and being able to run out of tackles and get additional yardage that way.
“We should be able to throw the ball deep, but we should be able to make plays on that [shallower] stuff. These guys have done a good job in the weight room, and I expect that will contribute to breaking out of tackles.”
The Razorbacks’ receivers are also playing with inner fires borne from a perceived lack of respect. Not one receiver from the SEC’s best passing team in 2009, which returned virtually intact, was chosen by the league’s coaches or media for first- or second-team All-SEC. More than one preseason publication listed the Razorbacks as having the best receiving unit in the land.
“Seeing that we weren’t picked, and seeing that we are the best group in the nation, it’s just motivation to us,” said Adams, whose 19.6 yards per catch led the SEC. “We’re looking at the big picture, so we’re really not worried about individual things.
“I just want to make the most out of every catch. I just have a thing: Once I catch the ball, don’t let one guy tackle me.”
Childs had an outrageous performance in the Hogs’ second scrimmage of camp, catching 5 passes for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns, and racing past backup cornerbacks like it was last year’s Georgia game.
Wright has been as steady as ever in camp.
“Jarius Wright brings a great energy, a great motor every snap,” Cinkovich said. “He’s a tremendous post runner for us and makes big plays down the field.”
Hamilton wasn’t as prolific as the big three in 2009, but he’s aiming to run with his mentors.
“He’s getting off press a lot better, and of course he’s got great top-end speed,” Cinkovich said. “We’re working with him on being a great intermediate runner, things like curls. I think he’s taking that to heart.”
Behind the established veterans comes converted running back De’Anthony Curtis, redshirt freshman Lance Ray and true freshmen Javontee Herndon, Julian Horton and Maudrecus Humphrey.
Cinkovich has predicted a breakout year for Curtis, while Humphrey has been consistently impressive in camp.
“We’ve been impressed that Humphrey’s fast,” Cinkovich said Thursday. “We all knew that coming in, but his speed endurance is everyday fast.”
How many of the true freshmen take off the redshirt this season is still in question, and if any of them do, they’ll be running with a most-impressive pack.
Sports, Pages 13 on 08/30/2010