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Spring game should pique interest Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Almost every April, there was a legitimate excuse to miss the final scrimmage of spring football practice at Arkansas. Sometimes, it was the horses at Hot Springs. Sometimes, it was the golfers in Augusta, Ga. Sometimes, it was pick 'em. Once in a great while, when the scrimmage did not conflict with the Arkansas Derby or The Masters, I'd kiss it off with a derisive "meaningless" or something similar. If there was time or a demand, the dismissive analysis was ripe with ridicule. That brings us to an embarrassing confession: I'm interested in the April 26 scrimmage and plan to attend, maybe incognito. Oh, the shame. Even worse, I could have invoked the NFL draft as an out, what with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones ticketed for the first round. But, revelation of Bobby Petrino's offense piqued my interest and should do the same for Razorback fans. The second paragraph of a matter-of-fact news release is revealing. "Unlike previous spring finales, Arkansas will stage a true game with only two minor adjustments," it said. The catch is that no kicks will be at full speed and the game clock will not be stopped in the second half. That's OK. Punter Jeremy Davis and field goal kicker Alex Tejada are proven commodities. Besides, fans don't care about the kicking game until the fall. As for the game clock, the first 30 minutes should provide a sense of what to expect as far as alignments, play-calling, etc. Remember the backlash in the spring of 2006 when Houston Nutt begged for a big crowd and then pulled a bait and switch by showing little of Gus Malzahn's offense and putting green jerseys on McFadden, Jones, Peyton Hillis, and Michael Smith? He said later that if he had to do it over again, he would have told everyone that those four guys were not going to be tackled. Last spring, Nutt let it be known that McFadden and Jones would not be tackled to the ground and they barely totaled a dozen totes. This April, the preview is more about schemes than stars. ESPN analyst Bill Curry said previously that Petrino's offense begins with two wideouts, a tight end, and two running backs and evolves into something else. The effect, Curry said, "is that what looks normal in formations becomes quickly different than anything that the defense can anticipate." I want to see such a metamorphosis. Petrino put it this way: "We want to make sure we're balanced ... and utilize different personnels and try to run the same type of plays out of different personnel groups." Arkansas quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee has described it as an NFL-style offense with a heavy burden on the quarterback. The QB, he said, must understand the position, recognize what he sees from the defense, and be able to communicate during the game. At the moment, the logical choice is Casey Dick. A senior-to-be, he might be the only choice. As a junior, he was never asked to do too much, often stepping aside so McFadden could take a direct snap. His bottom line was OK - 57.3 percent completion for 1,685 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions - but he never threw more than 18 passes in any of the Razorbacks last five victories. His 32 attempts in the Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri were a season high. In the spring game, Casey's brother, Nathan, figures to get some snaps. So will Ryan Mallett, the transfer from Michigan who has told the NCAA that he should be given a waiver so he can play immediately. He left Michigan because he didn't believe the offense of new coach Rick Rodriguez would fit with his strength as a drop-back passer. I can't imagine the NCAA acquiescing; such a ruling would open the floodgates for transfers. Still, the idea of a 6-foot-7 quarterback billed as big-time is intriguing and some memorable throws might be enough of a tease to sustain fans through a difficult 2008 season. ------ Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
