Ernest Mitchell’s knee injury completes Razorback freshman Zach Stadther morphing from four thteamer to starting defensive tackle against Florida.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino announced Wednesday that Mitchell, a fifth-year senior, three-year letterman and returning starter, has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined indefinitely.

“ At this time, it is uncertain how long he will be sidelined, ” Petrino said. “ We are still hopeful that he could return at some point this season. I know that Ernest will work hard to rehabilitate his injury with our training staff in an effort to get back on the field with his teammates. ”

Mitchell is Arkansas’ most experienced starting D-lineman. He has contributed 16 tackles for 2-2 Hogs with four quarterback hurries.

So in Saturday’s 11: 30 a. m. Raycom-televised SEC game in Fayetteville against 12 th-ranked Florida, it’s on Stadther to join junior Malcolm Sheppard as the starting defensive tackles.

The 6-1, 290-pound recruiting afterthought from North Little Rock will start after already surprising playing all four games as a backup and compiling seven tackles.

Not bad for a rookie everybody, including him, expected to redshirt.

So “ yes, sir, ” he acknowledged, this much this soon is beyond his wildest dreams.

Stadther thinks he’s ready. He played over half the game against Texas when Mitchell ailed and rotated quite a bit the previous three games even with Mitchell healthy.

“ Yeah, I think the Texas game got me prepared, ” Stadther said. “ I think I’m ready. I had 30 plays against Texas. ”

What did that teach him ?

“ College ball is tough, ” Stadther said. “ Guys 6-5, 330 pounds are tough. I’m only 6-1, 290, so it’s pretty tough. ”

Yeah, but he proved tougher than Texas at times even with Arkansas losing 52-10 in Austin.

The game was very much on the line when Stadther, brought in for short-yardage, stopped Texas running back Vondrell McGree for a third and 2 loss at the Arkansas 17 on Texas’ first possession.

It forced the Longhorns to settle for a field goal and gave Stadther a play to remember.

“ Oh, yeah, ” Stadther said. “ That really boosted confidence. A stop in the backfield, big play, too on third down. That fired me up. ”

It fired up the coaching staff, too.

“ That was a great stop, ” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said after Wednesday’s practice. “ It was him and Shep [junior defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard ]. Shep really got penetration and Stadther did his job and finished it off. It was huge on that kid’s part. In Texas Stadium to have the ability to do that against an offensive formation that very few people have been able to stop, that says a lot. ”

Robinson said Stadther’s ability quickly to use his hands and play with low pad level has made him a precocious freshman, even if his dream of being a Razorback once was clouded by a common freshman malady: Homesickness.

“ There was one time he was going to walk away from this, ” Robinson said, noting the persuasion of defensive line coaches Bobby Allen and Kirk Botkin. “ He got homesick. Coach Allen talked to him and Coach Botkin talked to him and had him stay and he’s thankful obviously that he did do that. ”

So are the coaches.

“ He’s done a great job, ” Robinson said. “ He really has. ”

When Danny Ford coached the Razorbacks, he periodically referred to “ some of our older younger players and some of our younger younger players. ”

Now we realize what he meant. Stadther joins safeties Elton Ford and Jerico Nelson as the third true freshman on defense listed to start against Florida.

That makes “ older younger players” out of middle linebacker Jerry Franklin of Marion and defensive end Jake Bequette of Little Rock Catholic, redshirt freshmen quickly aging to veterans.

“ As a unit, we’ve had to grow up in a hurry, especially me, ” Bequette said. “ I can’t be a redshirt freshman anymore. I’ve got to start acting and playing like a veteran. ”

What it’s mean to lose Mitchell and what it’s mean for Stadther to step in while Camden freshman Lavunce Askew and senior Cord Gray of Wynne back up the tackles ?

“ Ernest is an excellent player, ” Bequette said. “ He’s a cog in the middle there. He’s really going to be missed, but that’ s football. We’ve got find a way to replace him and move on. Zach is going to do a great job. He really had a great game against Texas. If he continues to step up like that, we’ll be fine. ”

Junior linebacker Wendel Davis, seven tackles the last two games after missing the first two joins Franklin and senior Elston Forte as eitheror starters for the two inside ‘ backer spots, Willy Robinson said.

Sophomore Freddy Burton will start again at outside Sam ‘ backer, Robinson said.