LITTLE ROCK — When Johnny Majors was the head coach at Tennessee, he always tried to have his weakest opponents scheduled for November.
Closing a season with victories helps job security.
Or, as the saying goes, they remember November, which would be a great motto for Darren McFadden as he and the Razorbacks start the stretch drive that could end in the Cotton Bowl or at home.
Going into the final month of the regular season last year, DMac wasn't even a blip on the Heisman radar.
He was having a good year, and so were the Hogs. They came out of the thumping by Southern Cal to win seven consecutive games.
At this time last season, McFadden had carried 142 times for 719 yards.
Granted, he had only nine carries against USC, but the next week, he bounced back with 20.
All the Heisman voters knew about him was that he was talented enough to get tough yards, break long runs and run the Wildcat offense.
Last November, he carried 102 times for 666 yards and went from nowhere on the Heisman ballot to runner-up in New York.
After eight games this season, he has carried 188 times - 46 more than a year ago at this time - for 993 yards.
He was averaging 5.06 yards per carry a year ago; this year, he's at 5.28.
To no one's surprise, McFadden has slipped off the Heisman radar, not because of the overall rushing stats, but in part because he's not fulfilling the unrealistic expectations that go with being the favorite.
It doesn't help that the Razorbacks have not won seven in a row.
Look, this is not a slam on anyone, but the Hogs are a runoriented team.
That is no secret, and when you have two great ones like McFadden and Felix Jones, teams are going to stack the line to stop them.
Between D-Mac and The Cat, they have carried a total of 77 more times (31 for Jones) than they did last year at this time.
McFadden has taken a beating up the middle, and if you wonder just how much focus opponents have on him, consider the story this week that Jones is averaging 17.5 yards on his first carry.
That means when McFadden doesn't carry the ball, defenses relax.
Mostly, what has knocked McFadden off the Heisman radar is he has been hurt and struggled in two of the past four games.
It was predicted here, to the dismay of a few, that so many runs up the middle were goingto take a toll on the best running back in the country.
And they did.
Monday, though, McFadden said he was OK.
That the bruised ribs were painful, but he was OK.
That he is ready to get on the field and run hard.
Hopefully, he is better, but everyone associated with McFadden knows he will play with pain because he'll play with an injury.
And not tell anyone he was hurt.
His freshman season he played the last few games with knee problems but didn't reveal that until after the season, and then he had to have his knee scoped.
McFadden is that tough.
This observer hopes McFadden bounces back and has thesame kind of November he had a year ago, but the past few weeks, he has seemed limited.
Not as fast or able to make those great cuts at full speed.
However, if No. 5 in your program is improved, then he could be No. 1 and make a trip to New York to pick up his Heisman Trophy.
With three of the last four games on television, McFadden has the opportunity to prove to the nation - again - that he is the best running back in the country.
He has the right attitude, too. Monday, he said he wasn't worrying about the Heisman, and that's the best way for him to be thinking right now.
If Darren McFadden is ready, everyone will remember November.
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/31/2007