Bielema wants 3 1,000 rushers

FAYETTEVILLE -- Jonathan Williams pushed past the 1,000-yard mark on a big run in the fourth quarter of Arkansas' 30-0 victory over No. 8 Ole Miss last week.

Fellow tailback Alex Collins is right on his heels with 965 rushing yards heading into Friday's regular-season finale at Missouri.

Tandem 1,000-yard seasons are a rarity in college football, but it has a chance to be the new norm at Arkansas in Coach Bret Bielema's system that is coordinated by Jim Chaney.

If Collins can compile 35 yards against Missouri or in a bowl game, Arkansas will have two 1,000-yard running backs for the first time since Darren McFadden and Felix Jones did it for the second year in a row in 2007.

"We just talk about how it's pretty cool that we're going to have two 1,000-yard rushers this year," Williams said.

In the seven seasons since McFadden (1,830 yards) and Jones (1,113) powered the Razorbacks attack, only one other pair of SEC running backs have achieved the feat: Alabama's Eddie Lacy (1,322) and T.J. Yeldon (1,108) in 2012.

Bielema's teams have traditionally featured a stout run game, and this year's version is improved from last year, when Collins rushed for 1,026 yards as a true freshman and Williams ran for 900 as a sophomore.

"I think they've played good football all year long," Chaney said. "I'm happy for Jonathan getting over that milestone. He's battled injuries all year long. He's a tough young man, and I was tickled to see that take place."

Williams, who is expected to check his draft stock before deciding whether to return for a senior season, spread the credit around last Saturday.

"I'm just grateful," said Williams, who has fought through a shoulder injury since the opener and tweaked a knee. "I thank the Lord for blessing me to stay healthy and get through every game. I thank my offensive linemen, the receivers, quarterbacks, tight ends, everybody. It's definitely not one person. I'm the one that got the 1,000 yards but it's not a one-person achievement."

Bielema and Chaney said that Williams and Collins had perhaps their best rushing games last week, even though they topped out at 81 and 79 yards, respectively.

"That was the best that our two running backs have ever played," Bielema said, pointing out their contributions in pass protection and Collins' volunteering to step in as a kickoff returner in Korliss Marshall's absence.

Williams agreed with his coach.

"When you watch the film, you turn it on and you can watch the way we're pass protecting, watch the way we're getting yards after contact, things like that," Williams said. "I feel like we both played pretty well."

The numbers for Williams and Collins are strikingly similar. Williams has 175 carries for 1,013 yards, with 11 touchdowns and an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Collins has 173 carries for 965 yards with 12 touchdowns and an average of 5.6 yards per carry. Williams has led the team in rushing in six games, while Collins has done it five times.

Collins was not made available for media interviews Tuesday.

Wisconsin had a 1,000-yard rusher in all of Bielema's seven years as head coach from 2006-2012, but the Badgers had two 1,000-yard rushers only once, when they nearly had three. James White went for 1,052 yards and John Clay ran for 1,012 yards in 2010. Each player rushed for 14 touchdowns, and sophomore Montee Ball added 996 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns that season.

"My goal is three," Bielema said. "I think two's good, but three would be better because you can win a lot of games.

"But in this conference, to have two over 1,000, especially where we're at in our program right now, says a lot. Not just about them, but about everybody around them."

Sports on 11/27/2014