Burned by a $50 bettor decades ago, “inside info” at the racetrack is viewed with a great deal of skepticism — an attitude still in play when Bret Bielema touted some of his football players to the media 10 days prior to the season opener.
The subject came up prior to Bielema’s Little Rock Touchdown Club appearance when the Arkansas coach was asked why fans should turn out to see the Razorbacks in Little Rock against an inferior Florida A&M. In response, Bielema said the game could be the start of a “very, very special year,” adding there were some little known players likely to “jump out” in the season opener.
An old codger in the media asked Bielema to name names.
Without hesitation, he listed linebackers De’Jon Harris and Randy Ramsey, running back Chase Hayden, wide receivers De’Vion Warren, Koilan Jackson and Jarrod Barnes, and tight ends Cheyenne O’Grady and Jeremy Patton.
Before reviewing their performances in Arkansas’ 49-7 victory over the Rattlers, a brief history of the sour outlook concerning touts. Back in the day, when $2 win, $2 place, and $2 show tickets were sold at individual mutuel windows, a co-worker and I would occasionally head to Oaklawn Park with a joint bankroll just shy of $50.
One day, somebody pointed out a Little Rock doctor who was supposedly in the know, a man who backed up his info with wagers at the $50 window. We hung out near the window, trying to catch the number of the horse he was backing. Four worthless $6 combination tickets later, we concluded that he wasn’t necessarily smarter than us, that he just had a bigger bankroll.
Fast-forward 40-something years to Bielema and his expertise in the area of players likely to spark conversation among fans.
More than once during August, Bielema delivered a not-so-subtle message to experienced players who had failed to secure starting jobs, warning them that the new players were talented and a legitimate threat to displace them. In fact, the showing of some youngsters vs. the Rattlers could be a snapshot of things to come during the next 11 games.
When he identified those to watch, it was disconcerting that Harris and Ramsey were the only two from the defense. However, they came through on cue, making tackles in the first quarter. Ramsey, who started only three games last year, impressed when a FAMU running back cut him on a pass play. The junior put his hands on the ground, regained his balanced, and sacked the passer.
Harris, a back-up last year, led the team with five tackles.
On Bielema’s list, freshman running back Hayden compiled the most statistics and made it clear that 1c could replace South Carolina transfer David Williams as 1b.
Hayden’s 120 yards on 14 carries included runs of 17, 14, 13, and 10 yards — each with a dash of dazzle.
“As you can see, he makes a lot of things happen in a short amount of space,” Bielema said after the game, adding the descriptive “very dynamic” to his critique.
Despite the deserved adjectives for Hayden, it was disconcerting that he lost the ball momentarily on his 5-yard touchdown run that bumped the score to 35-0.
Bielema explained that Hayden had more carries than starter Devwah Whaley (12) and Williams (7) because both of those athletes had SEC experience. That background might be the reason Whaley stepped up and took care of a blitzing opponent on Austin Allen’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Deon Stewart, but don’t confuse FAMU with LSU or Alabama or any other Arkansas opponent from the SEC.
Continuing the documentation of Bielema’s tout service, Barnes only caught two passes but the one that was worth a 26-yard gain illustrated why long-time Cabot High School coach Mike Malham Jr. has raved about the freshman’s skills. O’Grady turned a bad Austin Allen pass into a nice gain and his other reception produced an easy touchdown.
Warren, Jackson and Patton did not record any stats although the idea of seeing the vaunted arm of No. 2 quarterback Cole Kelley kept me in front of the television past 10 p.m.
Reaction to the 6-foot-7, 268-pound redshirt freshman Kelley was mixed, mostly through no fault of his own.
Rarely did Arkansas throw downfield all night — maybe that reflects doubt about the offensive line or questions about the developing receivers or was simply a cover-up with TCU on the horizon — and, so, Kelley never had the opportunity for one of those anticipated bombs.
With Kelley taking the snaps, the first two plays were runs, but the second one netted a first down and another chance. The first time he dropped back, he lost seven yards, but the difficulty in getting him down was obvious. His dump pass to Williams for a 37-yard gain did not provide any clue about arm strength, but his enthusiasm for contact was obvious when he lowered his shoulder on a defensive back inside the FAMU 10.
Few of the details of the victory are worth recounting. Arkansas led 14-2 in first downs, 210-49 in total offense, and 21-0 at half. Those who said the Razorbacks would be in for a long year if they didn’t lead 35-0 at the half are off base; there are few solid conclusions to be gleaned from the result.
Personally, there was applause for FAMU for wearing illegal jerseys. After all, that cost them timeouts and shortened the game.
One thing is obvious — Arkansas’ offensive line is still in flux.
A preferred walk-on, true freshman Ty Clary started at right guard, and former walk-on Johnny Gibson moved from right guard to right tackle. Bumped out of the starting lineup was Brian Wallace, who started the final 10 games of 2016 at right tackle. Last year, Wallace replaced Colton Jackson, who started at left tackle against FAMU and struggled at times.
Forget the Rattlers; Horned Frogs will begin to shape Arkansas’ season.