Razorbacks Report: Smaller pad to help Talley stay on the run

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Fred Talley is easy to spot across the practice field.
He's the one who looks as if he's wearing a roll of paper towels on his hand, but not for much longer.
The cast and padding that the sophomore tailback has been wearing to protect his broken hand will come off Thursday night and a small pad will be placed on the hand so he can play Saturday against 24th-ranked South Carolina.
Downsizing from the bulky cast that runs halfway up his forearm to a simple pad that will cover just the hand is one of the reasons Talley should be able to contribute after missing the past two games. The other reason is that the healing is coming nicely.
With the big cast on his left hand, Talley can carry the ball in his right hand only. In a game, the defense would know that he either is about to run right or he would be vulnerable to be stripped of the ball running left.
"I can't run with my left hand yet, but on game day I will," Talley said. "A couple of runs against the scout team today if I'd had my left hand I could have used my stiff-arm. I'll be able to do that Saturday."
Brandon Holmes will start at tailback and Talley will come in after him "and hopefully give us a little change of pace," Coach Houston Nutt said. "You just don't know how much. It's hard to pinpoint how many plays, who's going to get what."

INJURED RETURN
Left tackle Shannon Money, fullback Adam Daily and bandit Derrick Johnson, who missed time last week with injuries, practiced Tuesday. None of them is full speed. Each will play Saturday, but how much is unclear, Coach Houston Nutt said. Quinton Caver, who has been slowed by an ankle sprain and a sore knee, was held out Tuesday "but he'll be OK," Nutt said.

TWO-HEADED BACKUP QB
Who would play quarterback if starter Robby Hampton went down with an injury would depend on the situation, Coach Houston Nutt said.
Junior Jared McBride of Nashville is listed as the backup and true freshman Zak Clark of Fayetteville is listed third.
If Arkansas lost Hampton in the middle of a game, McBride probably would take over. His knowledge of the offense is more extensive than Clark's and he might safely shepherd the team through the rest of the game with minimal mistakes.
But if coaches needed to prepare a quarterback to play an entire game or finish the season, then Clark would take over, Nutt said. Clark gives Arkansas a better chance to run all of its offense because of his arm strength.
"Throwing the ball, Zak's probably a little bit ahead but Jared knows more," Nutt said. "You can't just say [Clark] is going to be put in the closet, though."
If Hampton stays healthy, Arkansas will try to petition the NCAA to reclaim this year of eligibility for Clark, who played only a few snaps in the season opener, Nutt said. Clark has a sore shoulder and appears to meet the qualifications to regain the year if he does not compete in another game, associate athletic director Derrick Gragg said.
Even with the sore shoulder, Clark continues to practice and has the strongest arm of the quarterbacks.

RUNNING OR WALKING?
Memories of Arkansas' 48-14 victory over South Carolina last season vary depending on the sideline.
South Carolina linebacker Andre Offing recalled that the Razorbacks scored excessively.
"I think they ran it up on us," Offing told The State of Columbia, S.C. "I don't know if it was something with the coaches or what. But we're going to try not to let that happen again."
Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt said he did not run up the score.
"No way. Absolutely not," Nutt said. "I can't remember exactly, but I know we played everybody on that bench -- and early."
His counterpart might not agree. When asked if he thought Arkansas ran up the score, South Carolina Coach Lou Holtz didn't exactly extinguish the issue. He pointed to a lesson he learned long ago that it's the responsibility of the team you're coaching not to allow an opponent to rack up points.
Even if Nutt didn't intend for the score to balloon, there are South Carolina players who perceive that they were treated unkindly.
"They talked a lot of smack and it was hard taking that abuse," Offing said. "We had a lot of embarrassing moments last year, and that was the worst of them all."

INJURY REPORT
PLAYER POS. INJURY STATUS
Quinton Caver LB Ankle sprain DNP
Adam Daily FB Ankle sprain Practiced
John Geitner OG Shoulder sprain Practiced
Jeremiah Harper BAN Strain neck Practiced
Derrick Johnson BAN Pinched nerve Practiced
Shannon Money OT Ankle sprain Practiced
Jim Ed Reed LB Knee tendinitis DNP
Kenny Sandlin RG Shoulder Practiced
Brett Shockley OT Foot sprain DNP
Fred Talley TB Broken hand Practiced

This article was published on Wednesday, October 11, 2000

RETURN to main page

Copyright and permissions
Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.