Arkansas Football: Midseason Report Card for the Razorbacks

Although the Arkansas Razorback football team has reached the halfway point of the season with its best record under fourth-year coach Bobby Petrino, Hog fans probably have to do a double-take when they see the 5-1 record and the ninth-place BCS ranking. 

The early season has felt like anything but smooth sailing.  Injuries to Knile Davis, Jake Bequette, Tenarius Wright, Darius Winston, Dennis Johnson, Isaac Madison and Robert Thomas, to name just a few, and an early season beatdown from Alabama have made for a tough first half of the season, but on the strength of a furious second-half comeback against Texas A&M, the Razorbacks seem poised to make another late-season run. 

Before turning our attention to the second half of the season, let's look at position grades for the first half of the season.

Quarterback Play: A-

Five years ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find any Arkansas fan who expected good quarterback play from their beloved Razorbacks.  Things were so bad at times, that Matt Jones was considered a stud quarterback by Arkansas standards.  Nowadays, Matt Jones would find himself competing for third-string quarterback. 

With Ryan Mallett residing in New England, it is Tyler Wilson's show to run and he has mostly lived up to expectations.  The fourth-year junior has shown he can take a hit and continue to stand strong in the pocket.  Wilson has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,779 yards, 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions.  Wilson still needs to improve on his pre-snap reads and he has under-thrown several passes that might have otherwise been touchdowns, but overall he has been impressive.  

Another plus for Arkansas is that the quarterback talent doesn't stop with Wilson.  In early season mop-up duty, Brandon Mitchell has looked ready if he should be called upon to fill in for Wilson at any point in time.

Running Backs: C

Midway through the season, the Hogs are still trying to establish a running game to go with its potent passing offense.  Many forget, but the Hogs were in the same position at this point in time last season.  It wasn't until Week 7 against Ole Miss that Knile Davis began to act like the freak that he is. 

This season, this unit has faced questions about level of talent and well as being seriously challenged with a lack of depth.  When Knile Davis was lost for the season, it was believed that it would be up to Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Dennis Johnson to pick up the slack.  Both have missed at least one game with injury, causing the Razorbacks to rely on freshman Kody Walker and former defensive back Deanthony Curtis to fill in the gaps. 

Walker too is now lost to injury.  Wingo and Johnson are both healthy now for the home stretch and fifth-year senior Broderick Green has miraculously returned from an injury that was expected to keep him out for the year. 

The running game has only averaged 129 yards per game and ranks 82nd in the nation.  In order for Bobby Petrino to really gain his stride as a play-caller, Arkansas needs to improve this facet of their game.

Wide Receivers: A

Like the rest of the team, this unit has been plagued by injuries with Jarius Wright and Joe Adams both missing time and Greg Childs still trying to recover from offseason surgery.  Yet, the Razorbacks boast the eighth-best passing offensive in the nation and seem to keep on clicking on all cylinders regardless of who is catching passes. 

Jarius Wright has emerged as the most steady performer of this group, while Joe Adams is the most dangerous.  Greg Childs looked better last week versus Auburn than he has at any time since last October, and if opposing defenses manage to cover those three, here comes Cobi Hamilton who may just be the best all around of the bunch.  The only proven way to stop these guys is to keep Tyler Wilson on his back, which Alabama did.  If Wilson has time, these guys will pick a defense apart.

Offensive Line: C-

This unit deserves to shoulder at least some of the blame for the lackluster running game.  While many fans have been quick to criticize Ronnie Wingo Jr. in his effort to fill in for the injured Knile Davis, I haven't seen many holes that even Davis could run through. 

The pass protection hasn't been much better.  Tyler Wilson is lucky to still be playing after the shots he took against Alabama and in the first half of the Texas A&M game.  By most accounts, the newcomers to the offensive line possess a lot of talent, but Arkansas is replacing three starters from a year ago and offensive line is one of the more difficult positions to learn in college. 

The offensive line seemed to improve against Texas A&M and Auburn, but it remains to be seen if that can translate to a quality SEC defense such as South Carolina or LSU.

Defensive Line: C

With returning players such as Jake Bequette, Byron Jones, D.D. Jones and Tenarius Wright among others, this unit was thought to be the strength of the team.  Not just the defense, but the entire team! 

Up to this point it has been anything but.  The Arkansas defense ranks 95th in the nation against the run and 105th in sacks with only six on the season.  In fairness, this unit has been one of the hardest hit by injuries, but all excuses aside, this group needs to improve quickly if Arkansas is going to make another late-season run to the BCS.

Linebackers: B+

The newcomer of the year for the Razorbacks has without a doubt been linebacker Alonzo Highsmith.  He is second on the team with 41 tackles and leads the Hogs in tackles for loss with seven-and-a-half.  

Along with returning starters Jerry Franklin and Jericho Nelson, Highsmith helps to make up a unit that is the strength of the Arkansas defense.

Defensive Backs: B

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this unit has struggled with injuries at cornerback and inconsistency at safety but in the end, the product hasn't been too bad and the Hogs may have found some depth in the process. 

Isaac Madison and Darius Winston have both missed time with injuries but Greg Gatson and true freshman Tevin Mitchel have filled in admirably.  Tramain Thomas, who was supposed to be a star at safety before being benched in the Alabama game, seems to have regained some of his swagger with two interceptions in last week's game against Auburn. 

The Arkansas defense ranks 33rd against the pass nationally with hopes of improving that ranking as they go against some mediocre pass offenses and get some players back from injury.

Special Teams: B

With Dennis Johnson, Marquel Wade and Joe Adams returning kicks, the Razorbacks are a threat to take one to the house at any time.  In fact, Joe Adams has two returns for touchdowns and Wade has one.  Zack Hocker and Dylan Breeding have both been solid in the kicking game.  The one area in need of improvement has been kick coverage. 

Overall, the Razorbacks have come a long way in terms of how they view special teams as one of three critical phases of the game instead of just an afterthought.

Coaching Staff: A-

From this time last season, Arkansas have for all intents and purposes lost either to graduation or injury three offensive linemen, their quarterback, leading rusher, leading receiver and leader in sacks, yet they sit at 5-1. 

At no point in the last 30 years has an Arkansas football team overcome so many injuries and still been in the hunt for a conference championship.  It is a testimony to the depth this coaching staff has brought to Fayetteville for the Hogs to still be in the hunt for a BCS bowl berth.  It is also a testimony to the expectations of fans, that a 5-1 start has been taken in stride up to this point by the fanbase. 

Considering where this program is and what they have overcome, it's hard to give the staff anything but an A-.  If they can find a way to compete against Alabama, they can have an A+.