FAYETTEVILLE - The departure of standout talent the past two seasons will have its impact on the Arkansas offense in 2013.
Throw in an overhaul of the Razorbacks’ offensive system under Coach Bret Bielema and coordinator Jim Chaney and the transition this spring takes is even more dramatic.
Arkansas’ course correction to a more physical brand of running game will not happen overnight, the coaches understand, and the steps toward creating a productive offensive unit can be painstaking.
“It is a process,” Bielema said earlier this spring. “I don’t think you can tap someone on the head to make them go play physical. You have to teach them on a daily basis what that means.”
Nearly four weeks into spring drills, Chaney assessed the unit’s progress on Tuesday, saying “we’re a long way behind … in the passing game,” and “the kids are buying into being more physical.”
Tailback Jonathan Williams and combo back Kiero Small combined for three short-yardage touchdown runs in Saturday’s scrimmage to emphasize the Hogs’ commitment to the power run. Williams ran for 87 yards on 16 carries, including 47 yards after contact.
Chaney lamented the lack of “explosive plays,” which by his definition are passes of 16-plus yards and runs of 12-plus yards, in the last scrimmage, though he shouldered some of the weight by saying he didn’t call for many deeper pass routes.
The “explosives” were two 20-yard catches by Demetrius Wilson, a 16-yard catch by Mekale McKay and a 14-yard run by Williams.
Chaney said he was encouraged by fewer pre-snap penalties and alignment mistakes and the establishment of a more powerful, efficient running game, he didn’t like the lack of driving ability in the full-field portion of the scrimmage.
“When coach moved the ball back and made us go a long distance, we were unable to get the ball down there,” Chaney said. “When you’re going 4 or 5 yards at a time, you’ve got to put a lot of plays together successfully to get there obviously.
“We can do the math. And doing that without mistakes right now is tough on us. So we’re still having some execution errors and still working through some wrinkles within the offense, but for the most part I thought the scrimmage went about the way we thought it would. Coach put a few more reps on them, and we competed hard.”
Wilson said the offense has shown signs of advancement through the spring.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re not far off,” he said. “We’re definitely getting there. We’re getting a lot better with our assignments, our alignments.”
The scheme’s successful operation will require precise work at quarterback where sophomore Brandon Allen and senior Brandon Mitchell know there are still five practice days remaining in the spring session, followed by more immersing in the offense this summer and during fall camp.
“I’d say we’re definitely not where we need to be, in midseason form or anything,” said Allen, who has completed 20 of 32 passes (.625) for 234 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the two scrimmages. “But it’s coming along. I think we’re making strides in the right direction. … You’ve got to be balanced, and that’s what we’re trying to work on.”
Mitchell has completed 14 of 30 passes (.467) for 179 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The offense has had more drops with Mitchell behind center , such as a sure touchdown on a play-action throw from the 4-yard line to fullback Morgan Linton last week.
Mitchell said the offense must improve on executing the rest of spring.
“I think we need to improve that tremendously,” Mitchell said. “Taking things when they’re open and then hitting them. We had a couple balls we could have had and moved the offense down the field and scored, and we just didn’t. We missed a lot of throws, and that comes with having the footwork and being consistent in our drops.”
Said Allen, “There’s balls that I should have hit that I didn’t hit, then there’s plays that we made that were positive. So there’s always positives and negatives to the scrimmage.”
Chaney and Bielema have given Allen a slight edge in the early going, the quarterback competition will last through the summer and into the fall.
“We’re still pushing each other in the best way possible,” Allen said. “I’m out there trying to do my best and make sure that I’m doing my part in the competition. I’m not trying to be second-string anymore, and I know he’s not trying to be second-string anymore. Each of us are pushing ourselves to be No. 1.”
McKay, a sophomore, said the positives outweigh the negatives in the quarterback competition .
“I’m starting to see good that they’re learning how to read the defenses and getting us the ball on time so we don’t have to really wait,” McKay said. “They’re doing a great job with that and they’re really learning, so the more they learn the more we can learn.”
Williams said he saw advancement from Allen in the off season as a leader, both vocally and by example.
“He’s definitely stepping up to the plate, as well as Brandon Mitchell,” Williams said. “They’re both great quarterbacks and it’s going to be a battle to the end, because they’re not going to stop fighting until that quarterback is named. They’re both guys that are going to compete.”
Allen threw a deep-ball interception during Saturday’s scrimmage to safety Eric Bennett in the end zone from the 37-yard line on a play that Chaney said Allen was late getting the ball released.
“I didn’t really see the safety coming back across and he went and made a good play,” Allen said.
Mitchell’s interception on Saturday came on a fade pass down the left sideline for D’Arthur Cowan on which cornerback Carroll Washington timed his jump and came down with the ball.
Sports, Pages 17 on 04/11/2013