QB has UA 'going bonkers for a minute'

FAYETTEVILLE — No one expected the leading rusher in Arkansas' 58-10 victory against Florida International to be a quarterback.

Golden Panthers quarterback Wayne Younger led all rushers with 14 carries for 124 yards. He repeatedly hurt Arkansas in the first half, rushing for 110 yards on planned quarterback draws or run-for-your-life scrambles.

Younger, a redshirt freshman from Cocoa, Fla., entered the game as his team's leading rusher with 245 yards on 78 carries. He more than doubled the output of Darren McFadden, who had just 61 yards, and outrushed Felix Jones, who finished with 89 yards.

"I see that more as a fan thing," Younger said about outrushing Arkansas' star tailbacks. "The main thing is we lost and we're going to get ready for next week."

Younger's game was not without flaws. He completed just 9 of 26 passes for 93 yards and threw 5 interceptions. In the first half, though, Younger's running was the Golden Panthers' only offensive weapon.

"He can certainly hurt people with his feet," Florida International Coach Mario Cristobal said. "When he's on point, he's pretty deadly with his arm. We haveto continue to work with him to make him a better decision maker, a quicker decision maker."

Younger set up Florida International's first score with a 61-yard run that was shortened to 25 yards because of a holding penalty. He threw a 33-yard touchdown to Greg Ellingson on fourth-and-10 for the Golden Panthers' lone touchdown.

"He's what I said he was," Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring said. "He's a great athlete that if we didn't come toplay, he'd make our life miserable, and he pretty much did.

"It was pretty embarrassing the fact that we had him sacked several times [and didn't sack him], or the fact we couldn't get him down in space."

Younger, 6-3, 178 pounds, said he knew there would be some running lanes open on the quarterback draws because of the Razorbacks' aggressiveness. He said that also meant some plays could be made after escaping rushes.

"They play a lot of man, andthey blitz a lot," Younger said. "Once you get past [the] d-linemen there's a lot of room to run.

"Arkansas brings a lot of pressure. Coach said if I don't have any time, get out there as quick as I can. "

Arkansas led 31-10 at halftime and adjusted its defense to counteract Younger's running ability. The score also forced the Golden Panthers to pass more in the second half in an attempt to make a game of it.

"He had us going bonkers for a minute," Arkansas safety Matt Hewitt said. "We had to switch up our scheme a little bit and try to make him stay in the pocket."

Many young players might be in danger of falling apart after throwing five interceptions, which set a school record. Cristobal said Younger is a cool customer who will only get better by learning from his mistakes.

A year ago, Younger was the Golden Panthers' scout team quarterback as a true freshman. He is still learning Cristobal's offensive system.

"He has taken hit after hit after hit. He was sacked. He threw a bad ball," Cristobal said. "He's not afraid. Nothing fazes him."

Even outrushing the reigning Doak Walker winner.