ROGERS — Even when he’s vacationing, Trojans preoccupy Houston Nutt’s thoughts.

Not the USC Trojans who beat Arkansas by a combined 89 points the past two Septembers, but the Troy University Trojans whom Arkansas has a date with for the season opener Sept. 1 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Though they lack the mystique of the Trojans who hail from Southern California, Nutt is just as wary of the men of Troy, Ala., and their penchant for early season upsets.

The Trojans upended Missouri, 24-14, in 2004. Last year they led Florida State 17-10 early in the fourth quarter before the Seminoles summoned a late rally to win the game, 24-17. Being turned back by Florida State didn’t dispirit the Trojans. They won seven of their last eight games to finish the year 8-5, culminating the season with a 41-17 thrashing of Rice in the New Orleans Bowl.

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“ You better go check Troy, ” Nutt said Friday during the AAO Houston Nutt Classic golf tournament at Shadow Valley Country Club. “ You better go check to see what they do. They just about beat Florida State last year. They’ve beaten Missouri. They’ve got good athletes now. The arenas of 70, 000 plus will not intimidate them at all. ”

Nutt, who just returned from a family vacation in Gulf Shores, Ala., said many are underestimating the strength of Arkansas’ schedule because it lacks a marquee nonconference opponent. From 2003 to 2006, either Texas or USC had highlighted the non-conference slate.

“ It’s harder than what people tend to think, ” Nutt said of the schedule while navigating his golf cart around the hilly Shadow Valley layout. “ Because you’re not playing USC and you’re not playing Texas, people have a tendency to say, ‘ well that’s a terrible schedule. ’ ”

“ When you go to Baton Rouge and you go to Knoxville, you go to Alabama, you go to Ole Miss, I don’t see how you can say that’s a bad schedule. I think it’s very tough. ”

Nutt said for the first time since Matt Jones’ senior year in 2004, the Razorbacks will convene for preseason camp without being embroiled in a quarterback controversy. Junior Casey Dick is firmly entrenched atop the depth chart after compiling a 4-5 record as the starting quarterback the last two years.

A back injury idled Dick for much of last year’s camp. He starts two-a-days this year with a clean bill of health and job security.

“ The first thing is he’s going to be healthy going into two-a-days, ” Nutt said. “ The next thing is he won’t have to worry about who’s one, who’s two, who’s going to play, who’s going to get this many reps. That’s just one little added pressure off of him. ”

Nutt said Dick’s improved health and undisputed status as the starter should help Arkansas achieve more equilibrium in its run / pass ratio. That relationship was skewed heavily toward the run last year, when Arkansas ran the ball on 65 percent of its offensive plays.

While Nutt aims to put more air in the Arkansas offense, he’s tasked Dick with managing games — not winning them.

“ You don’t have to be Superman, ” Nutt said. “ You don’t have to be Superman every play. You’ve got a lot of good teammates, use them. Just take care of the ball and the clock for us. ”

Jeb Huckeba played in the group ahead of Nutt. Like Dick, injuries limited the former Razorback defensive end (2001-2004 ) last year. The Seattle Seahawks selected Huckeba in the fifth round of the 2005 draft but stress fractures in both of his feet kept him inactive for his entire rookie season.

The Seahawks released Huckeba before the start of last season after he failed his physical. Since then he’s been trying to catch on with another team.

“ The Seahawks released me before I was healthy, ” Huckeba said. “ I had an opportunity with the Cowboys but wasn’t ready for it. So that didn’t work out well. ”

Huckeba tried out as an outside linebacker for the New York Jets but said he couldn’t grasp the nuances of the position.

“ I honestly wanted to try the 3-4 outside linebacker position, ” Huckeba said. “ It’s so much more to know and learn with coverages and formations, just a lot more responsibility. Right now I think my best chance is as a 4-3 defensive end. You either have your gap on the run or you rush the passer. ”

Huckeba said he’s on several teams ’ emergency list. If team loses a player to injury in training camp or wants to make a change, Huckeba is on the short list of replacements.

“ I probably won’t hear anything before training camp, ” Huckeba said. “ Hopefully it won’t be too long before I get a call. I feel great. I feel as good as I did before I got hurt, so we’ll see what happens. ”

Huckeba will make his home in Northwest Arkansas while he waits for an NFL team to avail itself of his services. The proximity to his alma mater gives him a close vantage point to watch the upcoming season unfold.

“ I think the whole nation is kind of pumped up to see what the Razorbacks will do this year, ” Huckeba said. “ I kind of want to see what they’ll do coming off a good season last year. They have a lot of guys coming back, so I’m excited about it. ”