Hampton overcomes nerves, settles into passing groove

ROB KEYS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

A lot has been made of Robby Hampton's age and maturity, but both were thrown out the window when Arkansas' 24-year-old quarterback settled in behind center Josh Melton to take the first snap of his first college start.
That's when the butterflies took over.
"Oh yeah, they were definitely there," said Hampton, a sophomore from Mt. Pleasant, Texas. "It wasn't as bad as it has been in the past, but they were there.
"I just felt a little sluggish in the first half. Everything was moving so fast. But I got some water in me at halftime and cooled down. I felt a lot more comfortable when I came out for the second half."
It would have been hard for the 53,946 in attendance at War Memorial Stadium to sense Hampton's early discomfort as he opened the game with nine consecutive completions.
By the time he was pulled at the end of the third quarter, Hampton had completed 17 of 22 passes for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns in Arkansas' 38-0 season-opening victory over Southwest Missouri State.
Most of Hampton's passes were short or intermediate routes, designed to help him get into a rhythm and gain confidence as the game progressed. Arkansas opened with five consecutive running plays before Hampton threw a screen pass to Cedric Cobbs.
"We wanted to run the ball, run the ball and hit them with the short stuff," Hampton said. "That set up a few things later in the game."
One of those things was a 79-yard touchdown connection with Boo Williams in the third quarter, Hampton's second scoring pass of the game. He threw a 4-yarder to tight end Marcellus Poydras in the second quarter.
Hampton also proved he could make plays in the clutch, converting four third-down plays with pass completions.
Williams said it was a promising performance from a player who entered the season with limited experience. While playing in seven games last season, Hampton completed 25 of 45 passes for 267 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
"I could tell Robby had the pregame jitters," Williams said. "We really helped him a lot and gave him a great confidence booster. We have a lot of great backs, and they opened it up for the passing game."
As Hampton walked off the field toward the tunnel leading to the Arkansas locker room, the butterflies were long gone. The age and maturity had returned to take their place.
"It's just good to get this first one under our belt," Hampton said. "But I know I can get a lot better."

This article was published on Sunday, September 3, 2000

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