Arkansas hoping to hand FIU 20th loss in a row

By The Associated Press

Arkansas plays its final nonconference game of the regular season Saturday in Fayetteville against an FIU team that has lost 19 straight games.

The Razorbacks (4-3) have already beaten Troy, North Texas and Chattanooga in 2007 — not exactly a murderers’ row of non-SEC teams. This weekend, the only suspense might involve Darren McFadden’s chase for a third straight 1,000-yard season. Last year’s Heisman Trophy runner-up has run for 932 yards this season, and Felix Jones is right behind him at 774.

“Arkansas presents a tremendous challenge and not just because they have possibly the best running back tandem in the country,” FIU coach Mario Cristobal said. “Their offensive line is very aggressive and physical. Their defense swarms to the football and their size and strength have put them in great situations this season.”

The Razorbacks’ last nonconference game was against Chattanooga, a dull 34-15 victory in Little Rock earlier this month. That sloppy performance might be a motivating factor for Arkansas against another heavy underdog.

“We played down to their level,” defensive lineman Adrian Davis said. “We should play at our level, like we’re supposed to play.”

Davis’ development has been a positive sign for Arkansas. In fact, the entire defensive line is improving, with backups and younger players complementing veterans Marcus Harrison, Antwain Robinson and Ernest Mitchell.

“Probably the most pleasant thing is you’re not afraid to let (Fred) Bledsoe, (Marcus) Shavers and Adrian Davis get 25-30 snaps,” Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. “You probably couldn’t say that three or four weeks ago. Those guys are really allowing Mitchell and Marcus Harrison to catch their breath and come in to give us some good snaps.”

On offense, Jones has been giving McFadden occasional breathers since the two arrived as freshmen in 2005. Lately, Jones has been every bit as impressive as his more celebrated teammate, outrushing him 416-413 over the last four games.

“Felix is playing good football,” Nutt said. “He looks very, very fast, much faster than this time last year, so I’m really excited about that going down the home stretch.”

McFadden and Jones both went over 100 yards last weekend when Arkansas beat Ole Miss 44-8 for its first Southeastern Conference win. The previous week, the Razorbacks’ vaunted running game was held to 67 yards in a loss to Auburn.

“Auburn was the one game that you wish you could have back as far as offensive line play,” Nutt said.

FIU (0-7) is in a rebuilding mode, relying mostly on young players in Cristobal’s first season. The Golden Panthers lost 28-14 last weekend to Louisiana-Monroe but trailed by only a touchdown before the Warhawks scored late for the final margin.

Of the 69 Golden Panthers who have played this year, 44 are freshmen or sophomores.

“We’re inching there,” Cristobal said. “We’re getting closer and closer.”

FIU’s quarterback, the appropriately named Wayne Younger, has thrown for 954 yards and has rushed for a team-high 245. He is a redshirt freshman.

Next week, Arkansas hosts South Carolina, the start of a four-game SEC stretch to finish the regular season. The Razorbacks also face Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU.

This article was published Friday, October 26, 2007.