FAYETTEVILLE — A four-game losing streak as unexpected as Coach Bobby Petrino’s April 1 fiasco and subsequent firing was the big story of the first half of the football season for Arkansas.
Analysts might have made Arkansas an underdog before the season for its home game against No. 1 Alabama and a road date at Texas A&M, but virtually no one saw home losses to Louisiana-Monroe and Rutgers in their crystal balls when the Razorbacks’ 2012 season opened.
The Razorbacks took a 3-4 record, and a 2-2 mark in SEC play, into their bye week. Arkansas will recommence its season Saturday with its Little Rock finale against Ole Miss.
Injuries and inexperience have certainly factored into the Razorbacks’ fortunes. Season-ending injuries to top fullbacks Kiero Small and Kody Walker and defensive captains Alonzo Highsmith and Tenarius Wright, and lengthy absences by tight end Chris Gragg, cornerbacks Tevin Mitchell and Kaelon Kelleybrew and safety Eric Bennett have weakened a roster already thin in spots.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson missed a game and a half with a concussion, and his absence was critical in a second-half meltdown loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The Razorbacks were simply noncompetitive without him against No. 1 Alabama.
Rain and lightning have been constant companions, impacting Arkansas’ ball security in lopsided losses against Alabama and Texas A&M. They eventually ended its 49-7 victory against Kentucky with 5:08 left in the third quarter.
But the Razorbacks have outscored their past two opponents 73-14, and the defense has gotten markedly better with improved play by youngsters thrust into key roles, along with the gradual return to health of some veterans.
A position-by-position analyis and grades for the Razorbacks at their “halfway” point: OFFENSE Quarterback Total reliance on Wilson
Tyler Wilson’s value became painfully evident in the second half of a Week 2 loss to Louisiana-Monroe, which looms as the Hogs’ single biggest impediment to bowl eligibility.
Wilson has carried an extra burden of leadership since the departure of Bobby Petrino, which led to him making an emotional address to media after he was forced to sit out the 52-0 loss to Alabama with a concussion.
Wilson has completed 60.5 percent of his passes (124 of 205), a figure most projected to be higher. His efficiency rating is 158.34, an improvement from 2011 that ranks No. 20 in the nation and No. 5 in the SEC.
Wilson, a senior, leads the SEC and ranks No. 7 nationally with 326.2 passing yards per game.
Redshirt freshman Brandon Allen led a touchdown drive on his first series against Louisiana-Monroe, but he is 20 of 48 passing (.417) with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions since then.
The Razorbacks showed option ability with Brandon Mitchell at the helm against Alabama, which will give the 2013 coaching staff something to consider. One of his two completions for the season was a key 26-yard touchdown pass to Javontee Herndon off a reverse in the victory at Auburn.
GRADE B-plus
RUNNING BACK
Production picking up
Arkansas does not have a 100-yard rushing game from an individual, and its best team performance in terms of yards per carry was cut short by weather when the Razorbacks managed 161 yards on 27 carries against Kentucky on Oct. 13.
Knile Davis leads Dennis Johnson 337-328 in net rushing yards, but Davis has carried it 42 more times than Johnson, who has more touchdowns (5-2). Plus, Johnson has lost only 5 yards, 58 fewer than Davis.
The Razorbacks rank No. 100 in rushing in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but just as it did during Bobby Petrino’s four seasons, the running game appears to be picking up.
Remember, Davis had 470 rushing yards on 66 carries through 7 games in 2010 before gaining 852 yards in the final 6 games.
Could we see more of freshman Jonathan Williams the last half of the year? Williams did not get a carry against Kentucky, but he flashed his open-field prowess by taking two receptions on wheel routes to the end zone and finishing with 150 receiving yards.
Morgan Linton has somewhat stabilized the fullback position, though the Hogs desperately miss Kiero Small and Kody Walker.
Fumbling has been a big problem, particularly for Davis.
GRADE C
Wide receiver Hamilton’s stock soars
An ESPN Insider poll during the summer listed receiver Cobi Hamilton as one of the most overrated players in college football. But Hamilton has disproved the poll, with 46 catches for 754 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hamilton, a senior from Texarkana, Texas, leads the SEC with 107.7 receiving yards per game, is second with 6.6 receptions per game and is the only Arkansas player to make ESPN.com’s midseason All-SEC team.
Hamilton had a 10-catch, 303-yard, 3-touchdown game against Rutgers that broke the SEC single-game record for yardage and was the 14thbest in FBS history. Hamilton is on pace for a 1,292-yard season, which would break Jarius Wright’s school record of 1,117 receiving yards set last season.
Tight end Chris Gragg has missed more time than he’s played, but he is second on the team in receptions (19 for 234 yards), though Brandon Mitchell (15 for 257) has surpassed him in yardage.
Javontee Herndon (9-153) has turned a third of his catches into touchdowns, while Mekale McKay (13-193, 1 TD) and Julian Horton (5-83, 2) have been up and down along with Herndon.
Austin Tate (9-74) picked up some of the slack at tight end during Gragg’s absence.
GRADE B-minus
Line
Protection improving
Issues with run blocking impacted Arkansas’ critical losses against Louisiana-Monroe and Rutgers, but the situation has improved.
Junior center Travis Swanson and junior guard Alvin Bailey lead a group that has improved to No. 29 nationally in sacks allowed per game (1.29), which is a strong number for an offense that passes as much as the Razorbacks.
Former walk-ons David Hurd and Tyler Deacon have done well in the passing game, and OK with the run. Jason Peacock has started the past three games at left tackle after Brey Cook started the first four.
Arkansas is No. 47 in total offense (427.1 ypg), No. 17 in passing (311.4) and No. 70 in scoring (27.0).
GRADE C-minus
DEFENSE Line
Turning up the heat
An eight-sack effort at Auburn got this group headed in the right direction. Ends Chris Smith and Trey Flowers have a combined eight sacks overall. The only other sack from the ends came from freshman Deatrich Wise, who hasn’t played much lately.
The rotation at tackle has been deep, as advertised, with Byran Jones and Alfred Davis leading the way. Robert Thomas, D.D. Jones and Jared Green have made strong contributions. The Razorbacks are No. 42 nationally against the run, allowing 130 yards per game.
GRADE B
Linebacker
Injuries drop captains
Now that unit leader Alonzo Highsmith and converted end Tenarius Wright, both team captains, are done for the year with injuries, this group will have to hang on by a thread the rest of the way.
Senior Terrell Williams has done an admirable job, first stepping into the weak side starter’s role, then taking on the middle linebacker spot. True freshman A.J. Turner, who is now a starter at weak side linebacker, and Otha Peters are in the linebacker rotation, joining Williams and upperclassmen Matt Marshall and Jarrett Lake.
The pass coverage from this unit could be much better, but their run stopping has been OK.
GRADE C-minus
Secondary
Revolving door slows
What a merry-go-round for this crew, between the preseason leg injury for veteran safety Eric Bennett, to the issues that afflicted corners Tevin Mitchel and Kaelon Kelleybrew.
The Razorbacks opened the Auburn game with freshmen Dayvon McKinney and Will Hines at cornerback, freshman Rohan Gaines and sophomore Alan Turner at safety and won on the road.
Versatile Ross Rasner has had a solid season, though his coverage ability has been tested by some opponents.
Coverage was simply not tight enough in the early weeks, but it has gotten better, and the improving health of Mitchel, Bennett and Kelleybrew has helped add more polish to the backfield. Missed tackles hounded the Hogs early in the year, but they have done better in recent game. Gaines, a willing hitter with a good attitude, has taken his knocks, but he should develop into a solid SEC player.
GRADE D
Special teams Breeding booming
The Razorbacks had three special teams touchdowns through Week 7 last year, but have none this season. The new kickoff placement at the 35 has impeded kickoff returns for the SEC’s all-time kick-return yardage leader, Dennis Johnson. Punt returners Nate Holmes and Keante Minor have done much more fair catching than returning, with ball security prevailing as a top priority.
Punter Dylan Breeding ranks No. 7 nationally with a 46.16-yard punting average, and the team’s No. 8 net punting (41.97) ranking is easily the best for Arkansas in a team stat category.
Zach Hocker has been outstanding on kickoffs, but he has not been as automatic on field goals. Being 5 of 9 on field-goal attempts, including a miss from 26 yards on the Hogs’ first possession at Auburn that could have been deflating, is not up to his standards.
GRADE C
COACHING Early error stings
The staff’s inability to find an answer to close out Louisiana-Monroe with a three-touchdown lead was an early black mark. But to the staff’s credit, it rallied the team to stop a four-game slide at Auburn, and the team’s performance against Kentucky was a blowout from the start. Arkansas will face some tough games down the stretch - in fact all of them might be - so achieving a winning record will be a chore. The Hogs must defeat Ole Miss in Little Rock and Tulsa in Fayetteville to reach five victories then would need to beat a team currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 to get bowl eligible. Arkansas will be the road team against two of those ranked teams - South Carolina and Mississippi State. The LSU game is in Fayetteville.
GRADE C-minus
Sports, Pages 36 on 10/21/2012