FAYETTEVILLE — When Arkansas tight ends D.J. Williams and Ben Cleveland shifted from the left side of the formation to the right on a third-and-3 at the Georgia 41 last Saturday, pretty much everyone in Sanford Stadium could sense what was coming.
Sometimes an offense, even one as unpredictable as Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino’s, just has to show its intention and challenge a defense to man up, beat blocks and make the stop.
This time, Georgia did.
Ronnie Wingo Jr. took a handoff from Ryan Mallett behind that wall of humanity and was immediately confronted by a Georgia defender and corralled for a 2-yard loss as he tried to bounce wide.
“We had the hats on the hats,” Petrino said. “Their hat won. We actually had them outflanked a little bit, and it really looked like we had a good play. Their player [linebacker Justin Houston] did a nice job, beat our tackle and got penetration in the backfield.”
So, another short-yardage running play was snuffed.
“You’re always concerned when you’re not running as efficient as you want to,” said Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, who emphasized that a quality running game is an 11-man operation. “There’s a lot that goes into it, rather than just we’re not running the ball because our offensive line is not playing well. That’s not the truth at all.”
While the Razorbacks’ aerial attack has shifted into the passing lane behind Mallett again this season, the running game still appears caught in low gear as No. 10 Arkansas prepares for Saturday’s SEC West showdown against No. 1 Alabama.
Arkansas rushed for a season-low 53 yards against Georgia, its lowest total since amassing 45 yards in a 30-17 loss at Ole Miss last season.
First-year offensive line coach Chris Klenakis pointed out the Razorbacks’ running game needs some continuity, and that Georgia’s defensive scheming didn’t allow for it last week.
“They were giving us a lot of things in the throwing game, and you’ve got to take what defenses give you,” Klenakis said. “You want to win games. Whatever it takes to win games.”
The Razorbacks are not hurting in that department with a 3-0 record, and their total offense, at 484 yards per game, is on a strong pace. However, at some point, the Razorbacks understand a dependable ground game will be a must, maybe even Saturday.
“We have to get the running game going, there’s no doubt about that,” Petrino said. “We have to stick with what we know, keep coaching it, keep working at it.”
Arkansas dropped to last in the SEC at 116 rushing yards per game after being held to2.3 yards per carry at Georgia. The Hogs are ranked 98th nationally in rushing, down from their No. 81 ranking (131.8 ypg) of a year ago.
“I think Arkansas certainly has the capability of running the ball,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban said. “They’ve done a good job of that in the past, and they have good runners.
“When you play a team that has a great play-action game like they do, as well as good skill guys outside, I think they use their running game to complement that extremely well.”
Last week, Broderick Green rushed for 41 yards with a pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry, Knile Davis totaled minus-7 yards on 3 attempts, and Wingo managed just 3.0 yards per carry and looked tentative at darting to holes.
To hear the Hogs tell it, their run game - which has averaged 4.2 yards per carry against Tennessee Tech, Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia - is on the verge of breaking free.
“You know, we’re really close to breaking big plays,” senior tackle Ray Dominguez said.
“I mean, it’s really not a concern,” offensive tackle and team captain DeMarcus Love said. “When you can look and know that you can run the football, it’s just ... everything wasn’t as clean as you want.Maybe it’s a scheme they ran that we didn’t quite pick up and the run wasn’t as clean as it could be. It could be something dealing with the backs.
“What we’ve got to do is just come out and play focused and block the scheme the way it’s supposed to be blocked and I think we can establish a good run game, because I do think we have good backs and the O-line can get the ball running.”
Said Klenakis: “We’ve got to get better, and we’re going to work to get better, but we’re definitely not going to hit a panic button or anything.”Key matchup ARKANSAS RECEIVING CORPS VS. ALABAMA SECONDARY The Razorbacks’ receivers have earned their recognition as one of the nation’s best, and they match up against a relatively inexperienced, but still talented, Alabama defensive backfield. Joe Adams (15 catches, 344 yards, 2 TDs) and Greg Childs (19-254, 3) are off to rousing starts and they command attention on the edges and down the middle. Arkansas’ explosiveness at wideout makes it hard to double-team anybody, and frees up senior tight end D.J. Williams (14-173). Alabama cornerbacks DeQuan Menzie and Dre Kirkpatrick are new starters, but they’re a new breed at 6-1 and 6-3, respectively. Safety Mark Barron, a 6-2 junior, is one of the country’s best, and he’s joined by 6-2 free safety Robert Lester. Alabama Coach Nick Saban has schooled his DBs personally, and they’re sound in technique, so Arkansas’ weekly play-action damage might be tougher to rack up.
Sports, Pages 17 on 09/23/2010