2007 Arkansas Razorbacks

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Houston Nutt has created a tremendous amount of turmoil around the football program this past offseason, which has overwhelmed the surprisingly successful '06 campaign. He ran off the national Offensive Coordinator of the Year, Gus Malzahn. He ran off the local golden boy quarterback who was Gatorade's, USA Today's, and Parade Magazine's National Player of the Year, and who just happened to go 8-0 as a starter as a true freshman. His name: Mitch Mustain. He also ran off freshman wide receiver Damian Williams who was a high school All-American. Both Mustain and Williams transferred to Southern Cal.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

But the world turns, and the Hogs will play again with Houston Nutt still the head coach. He loves the black kids.

QB Casey Dick
FB (and punt returner) Peyton Hillis - the best "fullback" in the country has measured faster, bigger, and stronger than former Auburn tailback, and top 5 NFL pick, Ronnie Brown but has served primarily as a blocker in the nation's most explosive backfield
TE Andrew Davie
LG Mitch Petrus (was a back-up fullback last season)

C Jonathan Luigs - a first team All-America candidate
RT Nate Garner

MLB Weston Dacus

That's it.

There are several "curious" decisions about Nutt's depth chart, but I will stick with the most blatant. Dacus is going to be a light bulb on an otherwise black-as-night defense. The only other white athlete who has a chance to see the field on defense this season is back-up strong safety Matt Harris, who, by most reports, was the most dominant defensive player on the field this spring. Harris' father was former Dallas Cowboy All-Pro Cliff Harris.

Those are the only two white cats on the defensive two-deep going into fall ball.

Ben Cleveland, who emerged as a pleasant surprise in the passing game last season as a true freshman, was a Jay Novacek type hybrid receiver. Now he has been asked to bulk up to block. He once was a white version of the team's top receiver, Markus Monk (6-4, 220, 4.58 to 4.7 depending on where you look). But instead of working on speed and agility to create mismatches in the passing game like Monk has done, Cleveland was forced to bulk up and now weighs an unnatural 250 pounds. He will be used as a back-up tight end and fullback.



White wide receiver Andrew Norman, who was first team all-State as a junior and senior along with former teammate Damian Williams and ranked as the #49 receiver nationally even by the racist morons at Rivals, is buried as the 6<SUP>th</SUP> string flanker. WTF?!? He is 6-2 and runs a 4.50 40.


Some of the guys in front of himinclude a former QB who was the slowest footed among all thequarterbacks on campus, Robert Johnson, and a 5-7, 156-pound punt returner who has dropped more punts than he has caught.


Seriously, what the hell is going on at Arkansas?

 

[mrjohnnynofear]

They say winning cures everything. They better pray that it continues or else all hell WILL break lose. They have tremendous in-state talent that is just now starting to beshown but if they start losingthe recruiting wars and losing games, Houston will be out.Casey Dick will be alot better this year. Giving credit when credit is due, both Darren McFaddenand Felix Jones are excellent RB's and both will be starting for NFL teams when they are drafted. However Peyton Hillis is also an excellent back and can do what they do without a drop in production, and should also get a fair share of carries and should be in the backfield AS A RB and should be drafted AS A RB AND START in the NFL if it were fair. That 3 headed monster would be the scariest backfield in the nation. We will see what this soap opera produces this year....GIVE PEYTON HIS CARRIES!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

theissue with Peyton Hillis this year is two-fold.


1) he is in the same backfield asa pre-season favorite to win theHeisman Trophy (Darren McFadden) and another tailback who would start for probably any other school in the SEC. that being said, ifHillis were black, he would start at tailback for probably any other school in the SEC.

even negro-phile head coach Houston Nutt admitted thatPeyton was faster, bigger, stronger, and had better hands than Ronnie Brown, the former Top 5 pick in the NFL. i mean he's the best punt returner on the team, and he's listed as a "fullback!" how odd is that?


2) last year Peyton tried to play through the nastiest bone bruise the well-respected trainer for the Razorbacks has ever seen (he's been a trainer for over 20 years). i don't know if any of you have ever suffered from one of those, but i have and they are incredibly painful. and mine was fairly mild, i am told.


Hillissuffered a brutal hit on the thigh that resulted ina calcified deposit in his quadricep the size of a chicken egg. every time he ran, it lacerated muscle tissue from the inside, and by the last few weeks of the season he could no longer gut it out enough to play. it has been suggested that he will not be able to fully regain his flexibility and speed. it remains to be seen if he will be the same explosive player he was as a sophomore.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

meet Crosby Tuck.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=ac11KvXqBEU


a true freshman, Crosby, who will likely red-shirt this fall,is listed as 6-1, 180 pounds, and runs an official 4.43 40. he is the third white wide receiver to be given a scholarship by Houston Nutt.


the other twohave yet toset foot on the field.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I have been waiting to hear about what he will be doing this year and I think it is good that Crosby is redshirting. He may have a much better chance to start after this season, and he'll have plenty of eligibilty left. Both of UA's starting receivers are Seniors, plus one of the 2nd teamers is a Junior. This could open up a spot for Crosby to potentially start next year, that is if the man who recruited him decides to actually let him play.

 

[Liverlips]

With 7 white starters that is better than Alabama (4) and Georgia (5).

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yeah, I guess that is just relative deprivation compared to the rest of the country. In the SEC, Arkansas is above average in the number of whites they start. Only Vanderbilt and LSU have more white starters this year (8), which is pathetic!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Andrew Norman has decided to transfer to Tulsa.


Norman, who was one of the "Springdale 5" a group of the top five football players in the state that took Springdale to an un-defeated season and a state championhsip, is heading to the Golden Hurricane to re-unite with his old head coach (and former Arkansas Razorback offensive coordinator) Gus Malzahn.


his departure means that of the four members of the Springdale 5 that signed with Arkansas (the o-lineman went to Notre Dame) last year, only Ben Cleveland is left on the roster.


Cleveland is the re-incarnation of Jay Novacek,butinstead of being a tall wide receiving threat much like Marcus Monk (the team's acknowledged best receiver), he has been forced to bulk up to be a traditional tight end, and now is being moved to fullback... so i expect him to leave before long, too.


Norman, who is very fast and tall with great hands but skinny, was screwed from the day he set foot on campus. never earning a shot at playing time despite being one of the best high school receivers in the nation.


he was only the second white receiver to ever be recruited and signed by Houston Nutt... and neither of them saw one single snap on the field.

Crosby Tuck should read the tea leaves...

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Sad news, JC. Nutt will suffer for it, one way or the other.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i think Nutt will leave after this season, no matter what happens. there is simply too much turmoil surrounding the program for him to stay.


if he struggles he is gone for sure, but he has a cake schedule to get 10 wins. and i think he will try to parley that into a job somewhere else.


either way, i think he'll leave.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

in Saturday's Razorback scrimmage, true freshman wide receiver Crosby Tuck led all players in receiving and was the star of the scrimmage...

As a 6-1, 185-pound true freshman instead of a 6-6, 220-pound preseason senior, Crosby Tuck is no Marcus Monk.


But Tuck apparently may have to do for now. The split end from Shiloh Christian just might do right well, particularly if he can replace the injured Monk in Arkansas' Sept. 1 season opener against Troy like did in the Razorbacks' final preseason scrimmage Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.


A native of Springdale, Tuck led all receivers last Saturday night with 4 catches for 97 yards. He closed the scrimmage on successive plays catching a 23-yard pass and a 37-yard TD from first-team junior quarterback Casey Dick.


" I thought we found a split end tonight, " Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee said. " You saw the same scrimmage I did. I thought he was pretty impressive. That's a really good feeling after what we lost two or three weeks ago in Marcus Monk. "


Senior split end Monk of Lepanto, 50 catches last year including 11 touchdowns, will miss the season opener after recent arthroscopic knee surgery.


Head coach Houston Nutt and receivers coach Alex Wood also lauded Tuck, a seemingly unflappable freshman unfazed by his rapid ascent.


" I really didn't have too many expectations coming in, " Tuck said. " Just come out here and play and see where I fall. We've got a lot of good receivers. It's up to Coach [Houston ] Nutt, Coach [Alex ] Wood and Coach Lee where we line up. I'm OK with whatever they decide is best. "

Meanwhile, Shiloh Christian standout Crosby Tuck made enough impressive catches during the scrimmage that Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee said afterward that he believes he's found a starting wide receiver in the freshman.

"I think we found a split end tonight. I haven't talked to Coach Nutt yet, but I thought Crosby Tuck was exceptionally impressive tonight," Lee said. "And that's a real good feeling after what we lost two weeks ago in Marcus Monk."

Over the first two weeks of practice, Tuck has impressed coaches with his ability to get off the line of scrimmage, create separation from defenders and make tough catches.

while this is all great news, here's a little info to bring everyone back to earth... the same praise was given to the other two talented white receivers Nutt has signed in his 9-year tenure (the only other two white receivers, actually), but neither of them played aSINGLE snap in an actual game.


also, the same praise was given to Peyton Hillis as both a freshman and a sophomore TAILBACK, and we have seen what happened with him. Ben Cleveland, the only Springdale player left from last year's team, who was praised for his speed and hands as a tight end a year ago, is now being forced to bulk up and become more of a blocker at FULLBACK! that's like making Jay Novacek become Mike Karney.

Crosby Tuck is talented, no doubt. but i'm not holding my breath waiting on a white athlete to start at a taboo position under Houston Nutt.

 

[Riddlewire]

Their phrasing was that Tuck will be playing opposite Marcus Monk</span>. That leaves Houston plenty of plausible deniability when Tuck never actually gets in the game. In the first two games, since Monk will be out, then Tuck won't be on the field either. Once Monk returns from his surgery, they'll claim to need to go back to the old gameplan. I'm not sure it matters much, anyway. David Lee is no big proponent of a high powered passing game. And we all know that Houston certainly isn't. I'm pretty sure Houston thinks the forward pass is an illegal play.
I'm counting on 75% WildHog this year. Even Casey Dick won't get on the field much. And when he does, he'll be handing off to McFadden or throwing flat to somebody out of the backfield.
Every year it gets harder and harder to be excited about Razorbacks football. Hopefully, this will be Houston's last year.

 

[Riddlewire]

Good ol' Nutt.
He just couldn't bring himself to start a white guy at receiver.
Official depth chart released this afternoon and Tuck is now behind London 'Bad Attitude' Crawford. My guess is that Tuck will see one token pass thrown to him all season long.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Riddlewire, you shouldn't be surprised. Nutt loves nothing more than his negroes.

in other recent Razorbacks news...


senior starting defensive end, Marcus Harrison was busted for driving while black.

oh, and he also had two marijuana cigars (cigarettes are apparently so last season!

), one of which he was smoking,anda pill of Ecstasy on him. he was pulled over for speeding.


some additional chargesinclude driving with a restricted license, and failure to appear for a previous court date.


link: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7155288?MSNHPHMA


Nutt has expressed "disappointment" and suspended him for one whole game.

 

[Riddlewire]

You can expect Rick Schaeffer to start up the preseason excuses early on Monday. Gotta protect Nutt.
"It's not Houston's fault if the team only wins 6 games this year. His players let him down."

Maybe if they'd stop recruiting from central Arkansas, they could get some players who remained eligible all season long.

 

[whiteCB]

Riddlewire, you shouldn't be surprised. Nutt loves nothing more than his negroes.

 in other recent Razorbacks news...


senior starting defensive end, Marcus Harrison was busted for driving while black.

 oh, and he also had two marijuana cigars (cigarettes are apparently so last season!

 ), one of which he was smoking, and a pill of Ecstasy on him. he was pulled over for speeding.


some additional charges include driving with a restricted license, and failure to appear for a previous court date.


link: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7155288?MSNHPHMA 


Nutt has expressed "disappointment" and suspended him for one whole game.

I don't think smoking marijuana should be a crime but doing it while driving I don't tolerate. Also just 1 ecstasy pill he had on him. So who gives a flyin hoot; the guy just likes to party. He's not like a dealer with 130 e pills like rookie Browns CB Eric Wright got caught with, now thats pretty heavy. Harrison's actions in no way harmed someone nor did he steal anything. If the drug laws in this country weren't so outlandish none of this would really matter. Also being big and black driving in Arkansas doesn't help either.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i'm not surprised, but i am disappointed by Nutt. he didn't start Crosby Tuck, and he didn't allow Peyton Hillis to return punts.


the results? the passing game was atrocious. the starting QB had only 108 yards on 11-20 passing, and 9 of the 11 completions and 83 of the 109 yards were to his running backs. Hillis led the team with 6 catches.


Tuck's 1 catchwas a 42-yard TD bomb on a terribly under-thrown ballfrom Darren McFadden, although the announcers did brag on Tuck's break-away speed when he accelelrated after having to come to a complete stop and go back to get the ball. he literally outran the defenders from a stand-still start while they were already running. wow!

Peyton led the team in catches, marking the 10th time (i think) that he has had 4 or more catches in a game. he looked very fast, but was only thrown the ball in the flats and had to bowl over 2 or 3 defenders to pick up a few short yards. he may be all the way back... but i'm still waiting to see for sure.


as far as punt returns go, with the "real" afaletes handling the duty instead of Hillis, the Hogs averaged NEGATIVE 2.5 yards per return, not to mention two muffs and a fumble. ouch!


Peyton should be back there next game, as should Tuck in the receiver spot. but we'll have to wait and see what Nutt-job will do.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

after all the mouthing Nutt did about starting Crosby Tuck in the season opener, he of course didn't start the white freshman wideout. he didn't start him in game two, either.


however, Tuck has caught two balls despite playing only a handful of snaps... those two catches have gone for a 42-yard touchdown and a 40-yard touchdown!

two catches, 82 yards! that isleading the Razorbacks in receiving yards after two games.

also, Peyton Hillis leads the team in catches with 9 for 73 yards and 1 touchdown. you know Nutt HATES the fact that his two most deadly weapons in the passing game are white men.

also, sophomore Lucas Miller is a regular in the receiving rotation. he has great size (6-3, 195) and is reputed to have good hands, but so far he has only been asked to block.

 

[Daimon]

I really believe this will be Nutt's last year at Arkansas.KATV channel seven out of Little Rock is running an informal poll on whether or not Nutt should leave. At present some 3000 people want him to leave and only about 139 want him to stay.The Kentucky game may be the final nail in his coffin. Plus, if McFadden doesn't not win the Heisman then the anti-Nutt hysteria will reach fever peach. Most people in Arkansas really expected the Hogs to go 10 and 1.

 

[Daimon]

Im not a Nutt hater,but looking at this thing on a rational basis I do think it is time for him to leave. Check out his win percentage against ONLY SEC teams.
Look at his post season bowl record. Look at his record verse ranked opposition. And most pitiful of all, look at some of the discipline,or lack thereof, among players.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

a story ran last week in Northwest Arkansas about Peyton Hillis and how disappointed he has been with his career as a Razorback... some key excerpts:

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas fullback Peyton Hillis doesn't need anyone else to give him constructive criticism.

The self-deprecating senior does more than enough of that on his own.

For example, Hillis doesn't think he's a good athlete despite being one of Arkansas' most versatile players. He figures he's little more than a blocker for tailbacks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. And, with his college career winding down, Hillis believes his chances of landing in the NFL are slim.

"Since I've been up here, my confidence has really shot downhill," Hillis said...

"He can run every single route that a receiver can, so that makes him even more valuable," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "He's been a real plus for us in our offense and a guy that we've had to rely on." (inserted opinion: then why the hell don't you give him the ball more?

)...

"I think I've already got as many catches this year as I did all of the year last year," said Hillis, who caught 19 balls in 10 games in 2006 before being sidelined with a thigh injury late in the season. "So that's good. Hopefully that will keep building. I feel like I can contribute in that area of the game."

Hillis also has become a bit of a rarity in the SEC: Arkansas is the only conference team whose leading receiver is a running back...

The Conway native chalks up his own confidence slip to lofty expectations when he arrived on campus in 2004. He has gained more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns in his career, but said unattained 1,000-yard rushing seasons and 100-yard receiving days were in his original plans.

Dick, the player who has counted on Hillis the most this season, said it doesn't diminish his value to the Razorbacks.

"We can always depend on him to make a play, make a catch," Dick said. "He's a big guy. He can run real well. We have to continue to get the ball to him."

interesting that a "fullback" is not only leading the team in EVERY receiving category, but is also the team's best punt returner... yet isn't "athletic" enough to be featured in the offense other than primarily as a blocker and catching dump off passes on third down.

i can't blame this phenomenal tailback talent who has been forced to add on unnatural weight and take a beating to block for other players (black backs who can't/won't block for him) for being so disappointed.

he tested out both bigger AND faster than #2-overall NFL Draft pick Ronnie Brown as a sophomore, yet STILL isn't a good enough athlete for Houston Nutt to let carry the ball.

the entire article here: link

 

[Riddlewire]

In my opinion, there are two factors at work here.
Firstly, Peyton is obviously the victim of Nutt's adherence to the Caste system. He was a proven producer in 2004 and he should've gotten 'first dibs' for the 2005 season. But, during that first game of the season, McFadden and Jones showed off a little bit of 'black speed' and Nutt was influenced by all the media voices around him which demanded to see more of them (nevermind the fact that the team got its ass whooped, despite all that 'speed').
Second, Houston Nutt is just a Horrible Horrible Horrible Coach. The worst one I've ever seen, in fact. He doesn't understand the game of football. He inherited a decent team at Murray State that also played against poor opponents and he sucked in his one year at Boise State. The man has no real coaching credentials. He played quarterback during the wishbone era. That's his only exposure to the game of football. Any average high school coach from Arkansas could've taken the talents of this year's team and been ranked #1 in the country right now. Arkansas hasn't really played any serious competition yet. Kentucky, Alabama, and Auburn should've all been easy victories. Hillis would have the same receptions, plus 250-300 rushing yards and a few touchdowns by now if the Razorbacks only had even a lousy coach. But no. They have the worst coach ever. Period.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

For those of you who haven't seen this yet, its a spoof of the "Real Men of Genius" commercials, and it is about Houston Nutt. Rumors are swirling around Little Rock right now as to whether he is staying or leaving. He was asked earlier tonight and said "its not true, right now."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM-yCyIdOYUEdited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[mrjohnnynofear]

Nice to see what Arkansas can do when the spread the ball around and get Hillis involved. Hillis had 11 carries for 89 yards for 2 TD's. Also had 5 receptions for 62 yds and another 2 TD's for 4 TD's total. Given Hillis the rock made McFadden and Jones even more dangerous and rested. Everyone got a chance to have a big play too. This is what Arkansas should have been doing from the beginning of the year.

 

[Don Wassall]

Wish I would have watched this game because of Hillis' big day.


Versatility Key For Hillis In Arkansas Upset


Hillis showcased an array of skills against the Tigers. He caught 5 passes for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus ran for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries.<BR minmax_bound="true"><BR minmax_bound="true">It was the sort of performance that proved Hillis has the skills and versatility to be playing football beyond this season, his final one at Arkansas. Offensive coordinator David Lee, a former Dallas Cowboys staff member, is certain of that.<BR minmax_bound="true"><BR minmax_bound="true">"Peyton Hillis was out of sight," Lee said. "He was out of sight. He did it all too. He has fantastic hands. He can run routes. He's 240 pounds. I'd like to be his agent."


Rest of article: [url]http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/sports_article.asp?aID=10114 1.92804.113260[/url]<BR minmax_bound="true">