So-so homecoming for bruised McFadden

LITTLE ROCK — Forget the record. Arkansas needed Darren McFadden for the victory.

There was a common question among the golf-course tailgaters before what was expected to be a blowout victory for Arkansas over Tennessee-Chattanooga on Saturday night.

Will McFadden play long enough to set Arkansas' career rushing record?

Well, McFadden played into the fourth quarter, but it wasn't because he was close to breaking Ben Cowins' record of 3,570 yards.

McFadden ran for 122 yards in a 34-15 victory, his fifth consecutive game with more than 100 yards, but worked a lot harder than expected to do it and fumbled twice. He is still 32 yards shy of setting the career record after a game that fell well short of what is expected by McFadden's high standards.

So Arkansas got the victory, but this wasn't the homecoming McFadden was expecting. A bruised and battered McFadden said he was upset with the way the Hogs played.

"It's not disappointing [at not getting the record] because I'm not out there playing for myself," McFadden said. " I'm playing for my team. I wasn't going out here to get a record. I'm just out here playing."

He played into the fourth quarter, when he came out after a hard run to the Chattanooga 1-yard line.

Soon after came a sight more frightening than the relatively close score late in the Razorbacks' game against Tennessee-Chattanooga - McFadden walking gingerly to the locker room with trainer Dean Weber with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter of a nonconference game that most thought would be in hand in thefirst quarter.

Forget the record, and the game. What was wrong with McFadden?

"I'm feeling all right," he said. "My ribs are a little sore, but other than that I'm all right."

Weber said McFadden has had bruised ribs for a couple of weeks and has been wearing a special pad designed to protect them.

McFadden said he didn't remember a particular hit that aggravated the ribs, but it was clear he was sore after the game, when he carried 25 times.

"I think he's concerned about [the ribs]," Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt said. "He'll bounce back."

It was a painful night all around for McFadden. He fumbled twice in the first half and twice was denied a first down on third-and-1 plays.

There were a couple of highlights. He ran for 64 first-quarter yards, including a 2-yard touchdown, and appeared well on his way to the record.

The replay of McFadden's 10-yard run in the first quarter, which ended with him running over and through helpless Chattanooga defensive back Brandon Golder, elicited oohs and aahs each of the several times it was shown.

Later, McFadden flipped linebacker Stephen Mills head over heels on a block in pass protection.

But other than those plays, it was a half to forget for McFadden and Arkansas.

McFadden lost two fumbles and had eight runs of 3 or fewer yards.

He appeared to simply drop the first fumble in the middle of an 8-yard run. The second fumble came the one time Arkansas lined up in the WildHog formation. McFadden was ready for the snap and reached for it, but missed it as it sailed past.

Nutt said the first fumble came because McFadden wasn't keeping the ball tight against him because of the sore ribs.

"I wasn't taking care of the ball. I wasn't protecting like I'm supposed to," McFadden said.

"He's not a fumbler," Nutt said. "Every time he fumbled it was away from his rib cage. He's got to keep that ball protected, locked up, and he knows that. We'll get that corrected."

McFadden took a big hit on his 25th carry of the game and was brief in his comments after the game.

So it was Nutt who said McFadden is probable for Saturday's game against Auburn, which means it's probable he'll break Cowins' record against the Tigers.