Hogs' priority: Get back on line

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Their weekly review of the game video hadn't even finished when Arkansas assistant coach Mike Markuson left the room and told the offensive linemen they could stay and watch the rest if they wanted.
Everybody stayed, and before they broke they calmly talked out their frustrations.
"We don't want to lose like that again," junior guard Kenny Sandlin said of the 38-7 whipping the Razorbacks took Saturday from Georgia. "We rededicated the season. We're not going to let that happen again, not if we can help it."
Self-inflicted problems, misfortune and bad luck have intersected at the offensive line, a projected strength before the season because four starters returned and the depth had improved.
Whether the blocking improves after a dreadful outing against Georgia depends on how much Arkansas can advance in the areas it can control without being set back further by forces out of its control.
Playing outmanned Louisiana-Monroe (1-4) Saturday should help the Razorbacks (3-1) regain their balance before being tested again the next week at South Carolina.
Correctable problems in their control: three holding penalties against Georgia, assignment busts and a lack of emotion.
Problems they can't control: injuries that have thinned the depth and sidelined starting left tackle Shannon Money for at least a week, the inexperience of Money's replacement and injuries to the top two tailbacks.
After a surprisingly ineffective start against Southwest Missouri State, the line improved against Boise State and Alabama, Markuson said.
The blockers cleared the way for 151 yards rushing and did not allow a sack in the 28-21 victory over the Tide. But they also played a significant role the next week against the Bulldogs when Arkansas rushed for 52 yards, the lowest output in Coach Houston Nutt's three seasons.
Arkansas struggled to execute its primary running plays, and even though quarterback Robby Hampton wasn't sacked, he routinely was chased out of the pocket. The pressure short-circuited the midrange and deep passing game.
"Saturday was frustrating for all of us," Markuson said. "I'm still pleased with them. I think they're trying. But losing probably would be easier to swallow if you knew you made it a game and you fought to the end. But losing the way we did left a bad taste."
The players didn't like the flavor of the loss, either
In their Sunday meeting, they agreed to put in extra effort, Sandlin said. That could mean spending an extra 20 minutes watching game tapes or practicing through a minor injury instead of taking off a day or even going to bed earlier to be better rested.
It's unlikely that those preparations would have prevented what happened Saturday.
Money left after the second play after aggravating a sprained ankle that he first injured Sept. 16 against Boise State. Left guard La'Zerius White moved to tackle and John Geitner played guard until he injured his shoulder. White returned to guard and redshirt freshman Mark Bokermann finished the game at left tackle.
Chemistry, already disrupted because Money had missed some practices, took another hit.
Bokermann did what he could. He showed some encouraging signs, Markuson and Nutt said. But he lacks experience and strength, and he was working against veteran defensive linemen, two of whom are All-SEC candidates. Nathan Ball will get the start Saturday.
"We blocked the same kind of guys [last season] at Texas and we blocked the same kind of guys against Mississippi State, so I don't want those guys using that as an excuse," Markuson said. "We played an Alabama team that had the same kind of guys."
Losing tailbacks Cedric Cobbs and Fred Talley compounded the line's problems. Their replacements, Alvin Ray and Brandon Holmes, didn't hit the holes quite as quickly as Cobbs and Talley, and they didn't always see the holes.
Without Cobbs and Talley, it's more difficult to run the sweep because the backups aren't as fast. If the running game can't get outside, then it becomes one-dimensional between the tackles.
Asked what the bread-and-butter plays are now, Nutt said, "That's a good question."
Nutt placed part of the blame on himself. He said after playing such a late game against Alabama that he might have pushed the team too hard in preparing for the Georgia game, which had a morning kickoff.
Perhaps the events of Aug. 11 were an indication that the line was headed for a rocky start. Money and right tackle Gary Hobbs failed the conditioning test, which is run by players who did not make all of their summer workouts.
Money pulled a hamstring during the sprints and said he would have been able to finish otherwise. Hobbs couldn't complete all of the sprints because he was out of shape and his conditioning has caught up since then.
Several other things have affected the shape of the line since then:

Money missing time with the pulled hamstring and the more recent sprained ankle.

Reserve tackle Marcus Clavelle aborting his comeback attempt.

Fifth-year senior Brett Shockley, who was penciled in to start at right tackle, spraining a foot arch that he hasn't recovered from.

Reserve guard Jim Peters spraining his knee.

Then Cobbs and Talley going down.
On top of those problems, Geitner is questionable this week, and even center Josh Melton is slowed a bit with a sore arch.
Nobody could have predicted such losses two months ago when it looked like the offensive line would be one of the team's strengths.
"That's football, it's a great life lesson," Sandlin said. "There are going to be things you can control and there are going to be things you can't control.
"There will be times when you're sick and you still have to go to work. There will be times when your son or brother get hurt and you have to carry on. When things don't always go your way, how are you going to respond?"
Melton predicted that the line will respond like the sound unit it became in the second half of last season.
"It's way too early," Melton said. "We've got some things to work on, but we'll be a force."

This article was published on Wednesday, October 4, 2000

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