Hogs offense will remain well-grounded, Nutt says

ROB KEYS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Let's see, Arkansas loses all-everything tailback Cedric Cobbs to a shoulder injury, and his backup, Fred Talley, to a broken hand.
That leaves Arkansas with third-stringer Alvin Ray, who has 51 carries in two-plus seasons, and two true freshmen, Brandon Holmes and Radale Pearson, to carry the Razorbacks' rushing load.
Arkansas (3-0, 1-0 SEC) also is operating with a first-year starter at quarterback in Robby Hampton, although he does have the luxury of throwing to a talented group of receivers led by Boo Williams (10 catches, 288 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Richard Smith (15 catches, 146 yards).
So, even though No. 25 Georgia (2-1, 0-1) will bring the nation's second-ranked pass defense (93.7 yards per game) and seventh-best scoring defense (9.3 points per game) into Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday, Arkansas' best bet likely will be to spread the field and let Hampton air it out. Right?
Not exactly.
"We're not going to try to change," said Coach Houston Nutt, whose offense has used a 58-42 run-pass mix through three games. "We're going to try to keep it going just the way we've been doing it. We may give Robby some more, (but) we've been trying to give him more each week, anyway."
Nutt can be expected to give such a stock answer, not wanting to tip his hand, with so many injuries to players on offense and special teams.
So, how does offensive line coach Mike Markuson expect Arkansas' game plan against Georgia to vary from the plans the Razorbacks used to beat Southwest Missouri State, Boise State and Alabama?
He doesn't.
"It just means that it gives another running back a shot to go in there and show what he's got," Markuson said.
What about receivers coach Fitz Hill? Surely he sees more opportunities for his players with Arkansas' top two backs sidelined.
Again, not exactly.
"We'll still be a balanced football team," Hill said. "We won't abort the run at all."
Even the Razorbacks players are keeping tight-lipped when it comes to how this week's game plan might be altered.
"I don't really know how much we'll change, if we'll change at all," said Hampton, who added that execution is more critical than personnel.
"I don't care who's in the game, every week your mistakes are going to hurt you more and more, so you just try to cut down on those."
One thing the Arkansas coaches and players can't deny, however, is that the loss of Cobbs, in particular, means the loss of a player who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
"Now, obviously, there are some things that (Cedric) can do as a pure athlete that aren't by design sometimes," Marksuon said. "That's what you're really going to miss, because that's what that guy brings to the table."
Hill said the absence of Cobbs could put more importance on the play-making ability of players such as Williams and Smith.
"Maybe a catch that we didn't make before, we'll have to make that catch," Hill said. "We may have to produce two or three more plays that Cedric could get on his own God-given abilities. But we're expected to make plays, anyway, so if we're given more opportunities, then I expect us to make more."
Other than that, the coaching staff insists, nothing much will change.

This article was published on Thursday, September 28, 2000

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