Nutt explains how he would tackle No. 1

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt coaches from the sidelines during the second half of the 2000 Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Arkansas coach Houston Nutt coaches from the sidelines during the second half of the 2000 Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

The University of Arkansas will travel to No. 1 Alabama on Saturday as a 32-point underdog.

But former Razorbacks coach and current CBS Sports Network analyst Houston Nutt went into coach mode Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club at the DoubleTree Hotel when asked by emcee David Bazzel what he would tell this year's Razorbacks team going into Saturday's game.

"We're an underdog," Nutt said. "Tua Tagovailoa is not playing. We're fixing to see if his new quarterback [Mac Jones] can throw it on time. He better throw with a sense of urgency.

"I know we're going to Alabama. I can live with whatever happens. But I want you to go 100 miles an hour. We can go shock the world. It can happen. That's what I'd tell them."

In Coach Chad Morris' second year, Arkansas is 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the SEC. The Razorbacks lost 51-10 to Auburn on Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Nutt said it's tough playing in the SEC West, which he considers the toughest division in college football. But he has hope that the Razorbacks can turn things around under Morris.

"It's the toughest conference in America," Nutt said. "It's down times. But there's always hope. They need you. You're what makes it happen, the fans.

"I can remember having some bad times when we were winning games. It's tough when you're recruiting young men and you see planes flying over. You had FOI's. You had people coming after me and my family.

"You have to fight your way out of it. It's not easy."

Nutt said one key to being successful at Arkansas is recruiting well in the state.

"You take those guys from this state, and you go get a four- or five-star from Texas, all of a sudden, you've got a 1969-like team that's phenomenal."

During Nutt's speech, his 2007 interview after Arkansas' three-overtime victory at LSU was played for the Touchdown Club crowd. Nutt told CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson that Darren McFadden was a Heisman Trophy candidate.

"You all better put him in the Heisman," Nutt said in the interview. "You better put him up there. I'm tired of him being No. 3, No. 4. Somebody better look at this guy. He's the best football player in the country, and his name is not being mentioned. Lou Holtz, Mark May, No. 5, you better look at him a little closer. He's a football player."

Nutt spoke about the interview Monday.

"I see their top five picks on Saturdays," Nutt said. "No Darren McFadden. But after that interview, coach Holtz, he listened a little bit and had him in there. Mark May is still mad at me."

Nutt was hired to coach the Razorbacks in December 1997. He led Arkansas to two SEC championship games in 2002 and 2006.

As a Little Rock native, Nutt was excited to coach the Razorbacks.

"It was awesome. A dream come true," he said. "It was a place you always wanted to come back to. I was going to be able to lead that team out."

The 1998 team stood out for Nutt. Arkansas finished 9-3 during Nutt's first season with the Razorbacks.

"It was as good as it gets," Nutt said. "Those guys would do anything. They would lay it on the line. They were fighters."

Sports on 10/22/2019

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