FAYETTEVILLE -- If they lived in Great Britain these Arkansas Razorbacks must ride the bus.
For it seems they wouldn't drive far exclusively on the road's left side.
At right guard and right tackle the Razorbacks return mammoth senior starters heralded by their coaches for reporting in the by far best condition of their careers.
At left guard and left tackle going into Saturday's season opener against Eastern Illinois they start two redshirt freshmen without a collegiate down between them.
Their left side backups include a true freshman tackle and a junior guard with two letters but as a defensive tackle.
As former Arkansas coach and malaprop king Danny Ford would say, "It don't take no scientific rocket" to figure upon which side that new Arkansas coach Chad Morris and new offensive coordinator Joe Craddock must most rely.
Aside from senior center Hjalte Froholdt, senior right guard Johnny Gibson of Dumas, slimmed to 319 from the 348 he weighed in January, and senior right tackle Brian Wallace, 6-6, 320 of Florissant, Mo. with 5 percent less body fat than last spring, are the offensive linemen most bragged upon by Morris, Craddock and offensive line coach Dustin Fry.
"They definitely feed off each other on that right side," Craddock said Monday. "Those two have played a lot of ball and are more experienced. I'm really happy to have those guys."
Gibson and Wallace have practiced their every preseason practice at the positions they play.
Even Froholdt can't say that. The great Dane, Froholdt is a native of Denmark, first came to Arkansas as a defensive lineman and has started the last two years at left offensive guard. He moved to center during this preseason but already has taken charge, Craddock said.
"He's making the calls and getting us in the right direction," Craddock said.
The left side needs directions like lost tourists.
In flux ever since junior returning starting left tackle Colton Jackson required July back surgery that still sidelines him, the left side currently starts tackle Shane Clenin and guard Kirby Adcock. Clenin previously practiced at center and guard.
Adcock, ill during the winter, has had to eat practically round the clock to reach 280, light these days for an offensive guard.
Junior ex-defensive tackle Austin Capps moved just weeks ago to left guard.
True freshman Noah Gatlin of Jonesboro is the backup left tackle.
So the left side's experience looks greener than a St. Patrick's Day parade.
Yet Morris and Craddock, coaching together at Clemson as offensive coordinator and grad assistant then as head coach and offensive coordinator at SMU, insist they'll operate like always.
"We're gonna do what we do," Craddock said. "We're not just gonna try to run the ball to one side or just pass protect to that side. We've got to do what we do. I'm very proud and happy for those guys (Adcock, Clenin, Capps and Gatlin) to the point that they've done a really good job coming along with their technique and learning the system."
Sports on 08/29/2018