The Razorbacks drew an amazing, estimated crowd of 4, 100 for their scrimmage last Saturday night.

Drawing 4, 100 without pre-scrimmage fanfare is nice, but what amazed me is the amazing 4, 100 occupied maybe 10, 000 parking places.

At least it seemed so to a reporter whose cutting it too close arrival found him walking back from a parking just north of Greenland.

Well, just north of Fayetteville suburb Greenland is a writer's hyperbole - but you get the idea. If you are attending any of Arkansas' six games in Fayetteville, starting with the Sept. 1 season opener versus Troy, and or two Little Rock games, arrive plenty early.

Despite the Razorbacks'offseason multifaceted soap opera that besieged coach Houston Nutt and has been way too repeatedly documented to require further amplification here, interest runs high on the Hogs and Heisman frontrunner Darren McFadden. High enough to turn a preseason scrimmage into a long walk from the park.

Running back McFadden put in a cameo Saturday night, including quarterbacking the WildHog formation still actually called the " Wildcat" by the Razorbacks when it's called for, but the scrimmage night really belonged to fellow running back Michael Smith and a couple of Springdale native freshmen, placekicker Alex Tejada of Springdale High and wide receiver Crosby Tuck of Shiloh Christian.

Like McFadden, All-American running back Felix Jones and starting quarterback Casey Dick, Smith wore a caution jersey to keep from getting hit like ace split end Marcus Monk did the first day the Hogs went in pads.

Monk will miss the Troy game and maybe more as he rehabs from arthroscopic knee surgery repairing extensive cartilage damage.

Anyhow, Smith didn't need the caution jersey for his untouched 50-yard touchdown run as he cut away from the flow to score untouched.

Smith could provide a fourth-quarter fresh pair of legs against defenses weary of chasing McFadden and Jones, though quick as Smith is, it's hard to see him getting the ball that much at tailback with McFadden and Jones available.

That's why it's nice for him, and fullback Peyton Hillis, too, since Hillis was injured on a punt return last year and has hamstring miseries now, to see Smith now in punt return tandem with flanker Reggie Fish.

At a mutually listed 5-7, which seems almost the stretch of calling diminutive actor Dudley Moore, 6-4, Smith and Fish may the shortest punt return duo in the country.

" It will be, " Smith said, " but hopefully it will be the most dynamic, too. "

Fish has worked hard fielding returns since his misjudged fumble in last December's SEC championship game. Third-year sophomore Smith works hard at it too.

" Every day I'm a little more comfortable, " Smith said of catching punts. " If Reggie and I keep communicating and doing what we're supposed to do, we'll be it. "

Tejada thrilled the crowd kicking a 55-yard field goal.

Just hope future crowds are fair to the freshman, though. Kicking a 55-yarder in a scrimmage doesn't guarantee a 30-yarder in a game. It just doesn't work that way.

Tuck's four catches for 97 yards, including a 37-yard TD from starting quarterback Casey Dick, had offensive coordinator David Lee saying, " I thought we found a split end tonight. "

That's great news - especially with Monk out. But let's temper it a bit in fairness to great expectations suddenly thrust upon a rookie receiver.

Tuck has done a better job than recent Razorback freshman receivers of getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. But let's remember those past rookies were trying to get off the line pressed by Chris Houston, the cornerback with the strength of an offensive lineman now gone a year early to the NFL.

Also, as Lee noted, except for young first-teamers like sophomore cornerback Jerrell Norton and redshirt freshman outside linebacker Ryan Powers, defensive coordinator Reggie Herring kept his starters out of the scrimmage.

Herring withholding starters underscores Nutt's decision to take the two out of two-a-days during what has been a sweltering August heat wave.

Coaches don't come any more old school these days than hard-nosed Herring, but the NCAA adding more games to scholarship reduced rosters makes the old preseason blood-lettings passé.

" We held our starters out, " Herring said, " because it's our job to have them ready