Mac Smack

Moderated by Arkansas Online Staff

Before Kentucky

Posted September 24, 2007

QUOTEBOOK

Before arkansas’ 41-29 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 22

“I’ve been in this game a long time, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen two backs in the same backfield like McFadden and Jones. I know it’s early in his career, but I think when you start talking about the all-time great backs that have played college football, McFadden’s name has got to be in that discussion. ...

"It isn't like you can just line up and prepare for him in the dotted-I (formation) like an I-back would be. He's going to be different places, and he's going to give you different problems."

— Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks

“You know he’s going to get the ball on just about every play. If you’re not aware of it, if he throws the ball, and you’re biting up on the run, he can kill you there with his arm. If you’re playing pass when he’s at quarterback and he takes off running, now you’ve got to try and play catch-up with a guy who runs a 4.2, 4.3 [40-yard-dash]. It’s not going to happen.”

— Kentucky linebacker Braxton Kelley

“We feel if they want to throw the ball against us, that would be easier than defending him. Playing a Heisman candidate always raises your level of play because when you stop him, the whole nation sees that you stopped him. He’s a strong runner. He doesn’t go down on initial contact. He likes to bring the contact to players. He has a great line. He also has a nice complement in the other running back. He’s a hard guy to stop, but we think we’ll have success.”

— Kentucky defensive end Dominic Lewis

"They line him up at running back, quarterback, everywhere. You just have to understand where he is all the time and understand what they like to do with him."

— Kentucky linebacker Wesley Woodyard

"Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders he's a great, great back. If there's one greater, I want to see him. He does so much with and without the ball. He's a blocker, he can catch it, he can throw it, he can run over you, he can outrun you. I don't see that many people that look like him, run like him, throw like him.”

— Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt

"He's big, he's fast, he's strong, he's powerful. He runs harder than anybody I've ever seen."

— Kentucky defensive tackle Corey Peters

"He may be one of the best backs I've ever seen, not only in college, but in pro football. The most important thing is that you've got to see where he's aligned. Most important, we want to stop him from running the ball."

— Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown

“You can’t fix a guy like McFadden, just man-handling you. But self-inflicted wounds you can fix those.”

— Alabama defensive end Wallace Gilberry

HEISMAN HYPE

m One man’s early ballot for the Heisman: 1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas; 2. Tim Tebow, Florida; 3. Matt Ryan, Boston College — Gary Shelton, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times

m The Rocky Mountain News of Denver has been doing a weekly Heisman poll for years. The newspaper polls 10 Heisman voters in different parts of the country.

Early results look good for McFadden. Six of the 10 voters had the Arkansas back on top.

Voters: Wendell Barnhouse (Fort Worth Star-Telegram); Kirk Bohls (Austin American-Statesman); Dennis Dodd (CBSSports.com); Vahe Gregorian (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Mike Griffith (Knoxville News-Sentinel); Randy Holtz (Rocky Mountain News); Michael Lewis (Salt Lake Tribune); Tom Luicci (The [Newark] Star-Ledger); Dana O’Neil (Philadelphia Daily News); and John Rohde (The Oklahoman).

m McFadden didn’t fare as well in a Heisman poll on the CBS Sports Web site. Only one of the experts polled, SPIN columnist Clay Travis, had McFadden atop his list, and the total of the votes had McFadden fourth. Three of those polled — CBS producer J. Darin Darst, senior writer Dennis Dodd and editor Johnny Rosenstein — had McFadden fifth of five Heisman hopefuls. Adam Caparell of CSTV.com picked McFadden fourth.

THIS AND THAT

Paul Gattis of the Huntsville (Ala.) Times wrote about Felix Jones, McFadden’s sidekick, before last week’s Alabama game.

Who did Gattis talk to for the story?

McFadden, of course, who is Jones’ biggest fan.

“Sometimes he may get overlooked,” McFadden said, “which is why I try to give him as much credit as I can.”

In Lonnie White’s Los Angeles Times “Behind The Lines” column, he took note of the Heisman Trophy race:

“Three weeks into the college football season and the Heisman Trophy race is heating up, with Arkansas running back Darren McFadden holding down the top spot as favorite. According to this week’s updated list at Sportbet.com, McFadden -— a runner-up for the award last season — is at +150 to become the Razorbacks’ first Heisman winner. Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm and West Virginia running back Steve Slaton are next at +350 with Southern Cal quarterback John David Booty listed at No. 4 at +400.

The darkhorse in the hunt? Florida quarterback Tim Tebow at +900.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked this question of Alabama defensive Lorenzo Washington this week:

QUESTION: You tackled Arkansas running back Darren McFadden twice last week. I guess he’s overrated?

answer: No way. He’s definitely everything he’s made out to be and more. I’ve never played against a back as good as him. He cut back into me on a couple plays, and I got him. But he got me on the goal line, put a move on me and was gone.

If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, enlist the Pitt Panthers as fans of the Razorbacks and McFadden.

USA Today reported that Pitt unveiled its “Arkansas Package” last week against Michigan State with freshman running back LeSean McCoy taking direct snaps for more than a dozen plays.

The Panthers know a bit about the Razorbacks’ way of doing things since Pitt coaches visited Arkansas last spring and were briefed on the scheme.

“We heard what they were doing with McFadden, and we thought it might be a thing we would be able to use with the personnel we have,” said Panthers offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. “You want get the ball in your best athletes’ hands, and it kind of keeps the defense on their heels.”

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

Snippets from the writings of three newspaper columnists before Arkansas’ loss to Kentucky on Sept. 22:

Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free-Press:

“When Alabama beat Arkansas with a late touchdown, the cameras immediately turned to Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.

“The newest Southern football saint crinkled a smile that probably had Miami Dolphins fans throwing their tanning oil at the television.

“But it was the next focused shot, on Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden, that was more telling.

“He looked helpless and disappointed after the 41-38 loss Saturday night, realizing he could do nothing, even after a night where he had done nearly everything.

“McFadden rolled up 195 rushing yards (260 all-purpose) and two touchdowns on a career-high 33 carries.

“But his final carry came with 9:26 remaining in the game. He then left with a concussion and did not return. (Unlike Lions quarterback Jon Kitna, McFadden did not experience a ‘miracle’ recovery from his injury.)

“Arkansas had trailed by 21 points in the second half, yet riding McFadden’s monstrous evening, the Razorbacks scored four straight touchdowns to take the lead.

“Unfortunately, they didn’t have their Heisman Trophy front-runner to run out the clock because of the concussion and leg cramps.

“None of this can diminish the stunning abilities of McFadden, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior.”

John Clay of Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader:

“Not only did McFadden win the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best back, he compiled the most rushing yards gained by a conference back since Auburn’s Bo Jackson gained 1,786 yards in 1987. Pretty heady company.

“His stiff-arm maneuver is now to the point where on ESPN’s GameDay last week, former Heisman winner Desmond Howard was giving demonstrations on just how D-Mac does it.

“That would be great if that’s all McFadden does. He does more. Much more. When Nutt breaks out his WildHog formation, McFadden stands in the shotgun at quarterback, takes a direct snap and (a) runs, (b) throws, (c) hands off or (d) anything else that might twist the opponents into a pretzel.

“‘I was around Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders, and he’s in that same category,’ said Nutt. ‘He gets better as the game goes on, stronger as the game goes on. The 30-31 carries, that’s rare these days. But he’s dishing out some of that, too.’

“In fact, many believe the Razorbacks would have protected their four-point lead over Bama had McFadden been able to participate in the final drive, in which after one first down Arkansas had to give up possession with 2:13 remaining.

“Alabama scored with eight ticks left to win the game.

“‘He’s a player who can put a team on his back,’ said Nutt. ‘But when the doctors say he has dizziness and headaches and he can’t go in, then you can’t put him in.’

“D-Mac will be back Saturday.”

Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham (Ala.) News:

“It’s a blatant violation of Saban’s 24-hour rule, but three days before Georgia, it’s important to look back one more time at Arkansas. In the rearview mirror, that game is bigger than it appeared.

“Alabama won’t meet a better team until LSU.

“Or face a worse matchup.

“Going into the game, and going downhill as it went along, the collision of the stout Arkansas running game with the thin Alabama defensive front looked like a confrontation between the Peterbilt convoy and the traffic cones.

“Resistance was futile, not to mention painful.

“Georgia has good tailbacks, but it would have to fire up the wayback machine to bring back a vintage Herschel Walker and Garrison Hearst to unleash show dogs as good as McFadden and Jones.

“Or, as Saban called them, 5 and 25. As in, did you get the number of the trucks that left tracks on the lawn?

“It was a mammoth mismatch. Arkansas ran for 301 yards. The Hogs were a few carries short of having McFadden straight-arm his way to 200 yards and Jones flash-dance for 100 himself.

“McFadden’s mild concussion, which sidelined him late, may have been the difference in Alabama 41, Arkansas 38, but it makes no difference now. It’s not easy to be the last man standing after getting run over, but somehow, Alabama managed

TONY DOBIES of the ATHENAEUM (W.V.)

Most of the publicity Darren McFadden has received has been glowing in praise, but Tony Dobies of The Daily Athenaeum at West Virginia University is not sold.

“He is fast and he combines his speed with some nice toughness, but he runs too upright and he has a chance to get knocked out in any play. Arkansas’ offense uses McFadden to the best of his ability. They put him in a play-making position, quarterback, at times and in others he will be the running back and do his thing back there.

“But that is just it. McFadden shouldn’t need all of these gadget-like plays to get his yards. He should be able to go up and run the ball behind his offensive line 25 times and rack up a decent amount of yards.

“Add in the fact he is from Arkansas, and there is no way he will win the Heisman. Despite the fact that he might be outplaying all other Heisman contenders, how many people actually have him on the top of their list? Not many.

“They don’t want to give it to somebody like that. There is no star with the award.”

Here’s some advice to young Dobies. You are not welcome in Arkansas.

Back to: Mac Smack