Devwah Whaley poised for big second half

NWA Democrat-Gazette/Ben Goff ROOM TO RUN: Arkansas running back Devwah Whaley (21) carries the ball against Ole Miss during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Oct. 15. Whaley finished with 65 yards on 11 carries as the Razorbacks won 34-30.

— Several times, Bret Bielema has described Devwah Whaley as the most talented high school running back he’s seen on film.

Arkansas’ true freshman running back ran for 1,701 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior playing Class 5A football in Texas. He played in the Under Armour All-America game, where he selected the Razorbacks on live TV.

His talent — a combination of physical gifts and natural running instincts — made him a consensus four star. Pass blocking wasn’t a requirement.

“I didn’t at all. It’s different (at Arkansas),” Whaley said with a wry smile.

That made him the No. 3 back for the first month-plus of his college career. Rawleigh Williams and Kody Walker, experienced backs, got the lion’s share of the playing time despite Whaley’s tantalizing ability. Williams is the team’s feature back while Walker was its best pass blocking back.

Walker re-injuring his foot against Alabama ended his Razorback career and thrust Whaley into the backup role. The injury forced the coaching staff’s hand, leaving Whaley the best option to spell Williams, the SEC’s leading rusher. His talent as a runner was on display as he ran for 65 yards on 11 carries, including three runs of 10 or more yards.

But his running ability was never in doubt. Pass protection was the focal point of Whaley’s preparation leading up to the Ole Miss game, his first appearance as the clear-cut No. 2. He responded to the increased reps and role with by far the best pass pro performance of his young career.

He made Austin Allen’s first-quarter touchdown pass to Drew Morgan possible by sliding across the pocket to pick up a blitz. Allen’s fourth-down completion to Keon Hatcher to keep the eventual game-winning drive alive in the fourth quarter happened thanks to another blitz pickup by Whaley, on the field with the game on the line.

“A huge growing moment for him on that fourth down play,” Bielema said. “When Kody was in the mix, Devwah was still only getting a certain number of reps. Obviously when that picture changed, Devwah’s reps really increased and you saw that last week. In our program practice makes a lot of difference.”

Those two pickups in particular showed the marked improvement he made in the span of only a week. Against Alabama, he was benched and didn’t return after allowing a free rusher to get to Allen uninhibited. Getting to this point has been a tedious growing process.

“Each and every week I’m doing overtime with film or just sitting with my position coach and going over the defense and looking at film,” Whaley said.

Arkansas coaches tried to bring him along slowly, resulting in light workloads and only glimpses of his ability early in the season. He only had four carries for six yards his first two games. He broke a 16-yarder against Texas A&M, but the Hogs struggled to run the ball. But each week, sometimes seemingly with each carry, he’s appeared to grow more comfortable picking his holes, knowing when to accelerate and when to set up his blocks.

“He’s progressed a long way,” left tackle Dan Skipper said. “He’s seeing stuff a lot better. He’s been a physical back and we know that, but now that he’s getting game reps, game speed, he’s really picking up the pace. He’s an impressive guy to watch run the ball and it’ll be great to watch grow here.”

Numbers-wise, his best game came against FCS foe Alcorn State thanks to a 75-yard touchdown run, part of an explosive nine-carry, 135-yard performance. The bounce back from Alabama to Ole Miss showcased his growth and set the stage for a potentially big second half of the season, one he waited for patiently despite the slow start.

“My time is going to come,” Whaley said. “I’m still young. I’m only a freshman. I just have to keep learning from Rawleigh and Kody.”