Commentary

Collins caps all-time great year

Arkansas running back Alex Collins plunges into the end zone for a score on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, during the first quarter against Missouri at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

— In any other year, Alex Collins would probably be considered one of the nation's elite running backs.

Unfortunately for the Arkansas junior, he plays in a division with a couple of greats at the same position. Alabama's Derrick Henry and LSU's Leonard Fournette are favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, and Georgia's Nick Chubb received more preseason notoriety before going down midway through the year.

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Maybe that's the reason Collins' season has been so under-appreciated. With one game remaining, he has 1,392 yards and 17 touchdowns - numbers that rank among the all-time greatest campaigns ever at Arkansas, a school that has had its share of top running backs.

Collins' yard total is third in a single-season for the Razorbacks behind Darren McFadden's sophomore and junior seasons. His touchdown total is two off of Bill Burnett's 46-year-old school record.

He added plenty to both categories Friday, rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the Razorbacks' 28-3 win over Missouri.

The 100-yard performance was the ninth this season for Collins, one behind McFadden's school record of 10 in 2007.

"Alex is a really gifted back," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "He had family in from out of town and I knew he would play very well."

When analyzing Collins' season, you must consider how important he was to the Razorbacks. This was a team that had three top backs - Jonathan Williams, Rawleigh Williams and Kody Walker - miss a combined 21 games in the regular season because of injuries.

Brandon Allen received most of the headlines for the offensive turnaround, but his record stats may have not been possible without a viable run game. Collins provided that.

As Collins went, so usually went the Razorbacks. His three worst performances were against Toledo, Alabama and Mississippi State - all Arkansas losses.

The Razorbacks were 7-2 in games in which he rushed for 100 yards or more.

He had big plays in all of Arkansas' road wins. He set up a couple of touchdowns with long runs at Tennessee, had the game-saving play on the lateral at Ole Miss and helped set the tone with an 80-yard touchdown run early at LSU.

Running hurt, he had 105 yards and a touchdown in a four-overtime win over Auburn. Against an overmatched defense, he rushed for five touchdowns in the Homecoming win against Tennessee-Martin, finishing one shy of the school record for scores in a single game.

Arkansas honored 17 seniors prior to kickoff Friday, but Collins may have also been playing his final game at Razorback Stadium. CBSSports.com ranks Collins as the seventh-best draft-eligible running back and a top 100 prospect overall.

Not surprisingly, Collins will submit paperwork to the NFL Draft advisory board before deciding whether he will make the early jump.

"I'll visit with him tomorrow and send his (draft) paperwork Monday," Bielema said. "He was a little emotional before the game. He felt the vibe of this may be his last game."

If Collins were to return, he would challenge every record in the Arkansas book. That seems unlikely, though, especially in light of what happened when Jonathan Williams opted to turn down pro football after his junior season.

Collins hasn't always done everything right off the field. He was often at odds with Bielema over things like punctuality and missed playing time as a result.

But on the field, the blue-chip recruit from Florida has been as advertised. He, McFadden and Herschel Walker are the only SEC players to ever rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

Because of the talent within his own division, Collins won't win a positional award or even earn first-team all-conference as a junior. That shouldn't detract from what he did accomplish.

On Friday, he capped one of the greatest regular seasons the Razorbacks have ever seen.