ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

It takes two: Arkansas tailbacks Williams, Whaley evolve as tandem

Arkansas running back Devwah Whaley carries the ball during a game against LSU on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas tailbacks Rawleigh Williams and Devwah Whaley have played pretty well all season, but it's not a stretch to say the Razorbacks' running game is lagging behind Coach Bret Bielema's historical standards.

Williams, a sophomore, hit the 1,000-yard mark in last week's 38-10 loss to LSU to extend Bielema's streak of having at least one 1,000-yard rusher in all of his 11 seasons as a head coach. Williams has 1,004 rushing yards and seven touchdowns with two regular-season games and a bowl game remaining.

Whaley, a true freshman, has emerged as a strong complement to Williams with 435 rushing yards, and his 5.6 yards per carry tops Williams' 5.2, mostly thanks to a 75-yard touchdown run against Alcorn State.

So Bielema's streak of producing 1,000-yard rushers will live on, with Williams -- who underwent surgery for a broken neck in October 2015 -- becoming the seventh running back to hit that mark.

"Rawleigh has an incredible resolve. Not just physically, but mentally, too," Bielema said. "He's a pretty strong-minded kid.

"Mom and dad have obviously put it in him and engrained it in him. There wasn't any doubt in my mind that he'd be our starting tailback, and he would have some success."

Williams, Alex Collins, Jonathan Williams, Montee Ball, John Clay, James White and P.J. Hill have combined for 13 1,000-yard seasons during Bielema's years as a head coach at Arkansas and Wisconsin.

Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos said this week that he understands how quality running games -- and by extension, 1,000-yard rushers -- play into the Bielema formula.

"Our formula is that we run the ball, we control the clock, and we do those things," Enos said. "Part of that, the benefit, is to have 1,000-yard rushers. Certainly that should be an opportunity for us to recruit some of the top running backs in the country every year, which is something we talk about quite a bit in recruiting. It's quite an accomplishment for Rawleigh."

Even with Williams and Whaley excelling, this team is on the brink of becoming Bielema's lowest-rated rushing offense and possibly his least productive.

Arkansas ranks No. 82 in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 158.7 rushing yards per game. Bielema's first team at Wisconsin in 2006 -- which went 12-1, beat Arkansas 17-14 in the Capital One Bowl and finished No. 7 in the final Associated Press poll -- ranked No. 37 in rushing with 161.7 yards per game.

No other Bielema team has finished lower than No. 37 in rushing, and only one other team -- the 2015 Razorbacks, who averaged 197.3 rushing yards per game -- averaged fewer than 200 rushing yards.

Arkansas' offensive staff understood there would be challenges in the run game this season because of personnel losses and the defensive fronts emerging in the SEC.

The Razorbacks also lost three offensive line starters -- current NFL players Denver Kirkland and Sebastian Tretola, plus center Mitch Smothers -- as well as quarterback Brandon Allen, tight end Hunter Henry and 1,577-yard rusher Collins and injured tailback Jonathan Williams, a 1,190-yard rusher in 2014.

It didn't help when sixth-year back Kody Walker, a strong backup for Collins last year with 394 rushing yards and six touchdowns, was lost for the season after Week 6 against Alabama.

Arkansas (6-4, 2-4 SEC) has rushed for 722 yards in six SEC games, an average of 120.3 yards per game. The Razorbacks have hit the 200-yard rushing mark only twice in conference play, with 200 against Ole Miss and 223 against Florida.

While the Razorbacks' season average is 4.0 yards per carry, their average in six SEC games is 3.13. Arkansas has five rushing touchdowns in conference games and 13 on the year.

Enos said the Razorbacks got away from their offensive formula against LSU's staunch defensive front when they rushed a season-low 24 times for 81 yards last week. Part of that was due to Arkansas' 21-point deficit early in the second quarter, the third time that has happened to the Hogs in the past five games.

"It has a big effect," Enos said about the three-touchdown deficit. "We're a much better team, obviously ... when we have a lead.

"We've got to stay on the field. We've got to run the football. We've got to control the clock, do those things. When we're not able to do that, our formula is not good, especially against some of these teams. If you become one-dimensional against LSU, against some of these teams and they know you're going to throw, they make it even more difficult to protect and to do things because of the athletes they have."

Bielema thinks the combination of Williams and Whaley will continue to grow together.

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Bielema ball

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema has had seven running backs account for 13 1,000-yard seasons during his 11-year head coaching career

Season;Player;Rushing yards

2016;Rawleigh Williams;1,004

2015;Alex Collins;1,577

2014;Jonathan Williams;1,190

2014;Alex Collins;1,100

2013;Alex Collins;1,026

2012;Montee Ball;1,830

2011;Montee Ball;1,923

2010;James White;1,052

2010;John Clay;1,012

2009;John Clay;1,517

2008;P.J. Hill;1,161

2007;P.J. Hill;1,212

2006;P.J. Hill;1,569

Charting the run

Arkansas is ranked No. 82 in rushing with 158.7 yards per game and is on track to have the lowest rushing production and lowest ranking for a Bret Bielema offense in his 11 seasons at Arkansas (2013-16) and Wisconsin (2006-12)

Season;Rush-Yds;TD;YPC;Avg.;NCAA rank

2016;396-1587;13;4.01;158.7;82

2015;512-2565;31;5.01;197.3;34

2014;557-2834;31;5.09;218.0;24

2013;474-2504;14;5.28;208.7;21

2012;635-3309;38;5.21;236.4;13

2011;609-3298;48;5.42;235.6;11

2010;584-3194;48;5.47;245.7;12

2009;581-2650;33;4.56;203.9;15

2008;567-2745;31;4.84;211.5;14

2007;587-2610;29;4.45;200.8;21

2006;536-2102;24;3.92;161.7;37

"Devwah is an exciting player," Bielema said. "I think him and Rawleigh together could be a very formidable tandem here, not just for these next two games and the bowl game, but for another year for sure. If Rawleigh has the development that he continues to have, I'm sure we'll have a junior conversation about entering the NFL.

"We'll continue to get better up front and run the ball effectively and throw play-action passes. Of all the running backs I've had, they're probably more of a complement in the passing game."

Williams has 13 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown, while Whaley has three catches for 92 yards, all in the past two games.

"They've both got really good hands," Bielema said. "They've got a great feel in the screen game and that's a little something that can bring a whole other level of our offense to the table."

Sports on 11/16/2016