FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said he feels a lot better about the team’s offensive line now than he did in spring practice.
“The offensive line would lead the charge,” Bielema said of the Razorbacks’ most improved position in fall camp. “I know Sam [Pittman] is going to poor boy and say we’ve got to get better and all that goes into it, but he’s really done a nice job of bringing along our depth.
“We need to be more complete, I think, from tackle to tackle, but that group has really jumped out.”
Pittman, the offensive line coach, wasn’t about to argue with Bielema’s assessment.
“Well, he’s the head coach,” Pittman said. “You obviously feel good if the head coach thinks your group’s improved the most. But I think the biggest thing about it is, we’ve got a long way to go.
“I know that’s a coaching cliche and all that, but we really do. We’ll get there, because our kids work. We’ve got enough talent.”
Coaches have shuffled some linemen around during camp, but the starting five remains the same as it did when spring practice ended with center Travis Swanson, guards Brey Cook and Mitch Smothers and tackles David Hurd and Grady Ollison.
“We’re really getting that physical mentality that we’re going to need to win in this league,” said Smothers, a redshirt sophomore.
Swanson and Hurd are fifth-year seniors and returning starters. Swanson, going into his fourth year as a starter, is a preseason first-team All-SEC pick by the coaches and media.
“When you have a center like Swanson who is a good, dominant football player, it sure makes things better,” offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said. “He’s the glue who puts them all together.”
At Swanson’s suggestion, the offensive linemen got Mohawk haircuts for camp as a sign of unity.
“It’s very comforting knowing that Travis is there in the middle,” said Cook, a junior who moved to guard in the spring after making six starts at tackle last season. “He definitely leads this O-line. You can feel his presence.”
Coaches also feel good about the offensive line’s improvement in camp because of true freshman tackles Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper, who have been getting consistent second-team reps and also got some first-team workin last Saturday’s scrimmage.
After Hurd and Ollison had offsides penalties, Kirkland and Skipper played on the first-team offense when it had a 14-play touchdown drive against the second-team defense.
“It’s a great feeling knowing you can go in there and play with the big guys,” Skipper said. “We’re always one snap away from someone going down. That’s just how football works, and I’m glad I’m getting the reps now versus just getting thrown into the fire later.”
Kirkland said being able to play offensive tackle as a true freshman is about being mature.
“You just have to grow up and be a man,” he said. “It’s not high school anymore. It’s not little kids. It’s grown men, and you just have got to grow up and get tough.”
Pittman said Kirkland and Skipper looked good working with the starters.
“They’re pretty special people, and pretty special players, for guys that are 18 years old,” Pittman said.
Kirkland is 6-5 and 345 pounds, down from 360. Skipper is 6-10 and 310 pounds after playing at 295 last season.
“Every day I see those freshman tackles, I’m like, ‘Geez, these are large men,’ and they can barely shave right now,” running backs coach Joel Thomas said. “So it’s a pretty cool deal to know what the future has in store for our offensive line.”
Swanson said he has been impressed by how quickly Kirkland and Skipper have made the adjustment from high school.
“Coach Bielema said he wants to recruit uncommon people,” Swanson said. “Those guys are very uncommon when you look at them.”
Also adding to Arkansas’ depth has been the play of junior Luke Charpentier at backup center. He started the first scrimmage - when Swanson sat out because of a groin injury - and didn’t have snapping problems with quarterback Brandon Allen.
Redshirt freshman Cordale Boyd has worked at second-team guard and center, and sophomore Austin Beck and junior Johnathan McClure also have received second-team work at guard. Junior Chris Stringer has worked some at guard, but Pittman said he considers Stringer more of a tackle.
“I have all the confidence in all the guys we have up front,” Swanson said. “Coach Pittman, Coach B and Coach Chaney do a great job in preparing us for anything that gets thrown at us.”
Coaches and players have credited strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert with helping transform the offensive linemen physically since the spring.
Cook, a junior, said he is now able to bench press 225 pounds 41 times after doing 27 previously. Ollison, a redshirt sophomore, added 30 pounds to get up to 304 but hasn’t lost any quickness according to Pittman.
“You definitely can see the difference in how the linemen look physically,” tailback Jonathan Williams said. “You can see it in their body language as well. They feel more confident on the field and feel they can do things that maybe they weren’t able to do in the spring.”
Chaney has seen the difference, too.
“They seem a little more choreographed,” Chaney said. “You’d expect them to be bigger and stronger, and they are, and they understand their roles a lot better. They’re more familiar with the plays. The nuances and the details start showing up.”
Thomas said the linemen understand the answer to a movement by the defensive line and have confidence in what Pittman has taught them.
“I think they have the best offensive line coach in the country,” Thomas said. “It’s starting to show out there on the field now.”
Pittman said the linemen showed “big-time” improvement last week and have continued to make strides this week.
“We’ve put in the work,” Cook said. “We really focused in on the specifics, the things that really help you go from good to great.”
Position Glance: Offensive Line
KEY LOSSES G Alvin Bailey, G Tyler Deacon, T Jason Peacock
RETURNING STARTERS C Travis Swanson, T David Hurd, G Brey Cook
WHO’S BACK G Mitch Smothers, T Grady Ollison, C Luke Charpentier, G Austin Beck, G/C Cordale Boyd, T Chris Stringer, G Marcus Danenhauer
WHO’S NEW T Denver Kirkland, T Dan Skipper, G Johnathan McClure, G Reeve Koehler
WALK-ONS Ray Gervasi, Adam Deacon, Ben Benton, Ray Gray
ANALYSIS Coaches are excited about the improvement the line has made since the spring, both in the weight room over the summer and on the field in fall camp. The line has to be physical for the Razorbacks’ power-running offensive philosophy to take hold this season. Swanson, a senior and preseason first-team All-SEC pick, anchors the middle. Hurd also is a returning senior starter. Cook, a junior, has made the transition to guard from tackle, where he started six games last season. Smothers, who earned some starts at tackle as a true freshman in 2011, redshirted last year and seems to have found a home at guard, too. Ollison, a sophomore who moved from guard to tackle in the spring, has added 30 pounds and looks like an SEC lineman now. Kirkland and Skipper are big-time recruits who figure to play key roles as true freshmen. Charpentier, a junior, and Boyd, a redshirt freshman, add depth and versatility as both can play center and guard.
Sports, Pages 19 on 08/23/2013