Razorbacks Report: Hogs won't have Hobbs against Tigers

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Sophomore lineman Gary Hobbs of Fort Smith has been suspended for the Auburn game Saturday, Coach Houston Nutt said Tuesday.
Nutt would not disclose the specific reason why he suspended Hobbs, who has started every game at right tackle this season.
"We're going to suspend Gary Hobbs for this ballgame for breaking team rules and leave it at that," Nutt said.
Hobbs spent most of practice Tuesday with his pads off having to do a series of strange agility drills and running. One drill was a bear crawl where he walked on his hands and feet from sideline to sideline. In another, he rolled across the ground as if his clothes were on fire, doing it in slow motion for so long that the back of his T-shirt was stained green from the grass.
If Hobbs' indiscretion was academic in nature, then it was hard to tell by the punishment. Players who are disciplined for academic problems, such as skipping class, usually have to run extra after practice. Hobbs had to do his drills in the middle of practice in full view of his teammates and visitors to the workout.
Nathan Ball will start in Hobbs' place. Ball started the last two games at left tackle for the injured Shannon Money. Money has returned and will start at left tackle.

ANKLE PUTS CLARK BEHIND
Sophomore quarterback Robby Hampton will start Saturday against Auburn and true freshman Zak Clark probably won't play unless his ankle heals considerably, Coach Houston Nutt said Tuesday.
Hampton has started every game this season but was replaced in the second half of the South Carolina game after spraining his thumb. Clark gave the passing game new life but sprained his ankle. Last week, Nutt said he would wait until this week to name a starter but would play both if they were healthy.
Clark has been trying to work through the injury. Typically, he'll start practice moving around all right but the ankle becomes more painful the longer he practices on it.
Walk-on sophomore Chris Link ended up taking the majority of the No. 2 snaps behind Hampton onTuesday.
Nutt said he would have to weigh the quarterbacks' health and performance against Auburn before considering how the position might play out in the final four games.

NO CHANGES INSIDE
After tinkering with idea of using right guard Kenny Sandlin at center, offensive line coach Mike Markuson said Tuesday he will not shake up the interior line.
Sandlin will stay at guard, and Josh Melton will start at center.
"When you work different combinations, you're getting ready to maybe do something," Markuson said. "But, shoot, [Melton] gives us 100 percent. He bleeds that sticker on that helmet and if we misled anybody to the effect that he wasn't doing that, then we we're wrong. He's going to start."

LAST PLEASANT OUTING
That SEC road losing streak that has grown to seven games hadn't started the last time Arkansas played at Auburn, which was the last time the Razorbacks won a conference road game.
The Razorbacks won that game 24-21 in Coach Houston Nutt's first season to improve to 7-0. Since then, it's been rough going on the road, and the subject comes up each time the team leaves home.
"I think it's going to be there until you win one on the road," Nutt said.

ISOLATING ON: SHANNON MONEY
POSITION LT
HT-WT 6-4, 310
CLASS Junior
HOMETOWN Conway
BETWEEN THE HASH MARKS He started the first four games, playing through an ankle sprain after the first two. Nathan Ball filled in for Money so well in the Louisiana-Monroe game that he kept the job against South Carolina. Now Money returns to the starting spot with Ball moving to right tackle against Auburn. Money started all 12 games at left tackle in 1999 after being moved in the preseason from guard, which he considers his natural position. As a high school senior, Money made the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas team and was named Conway's offensive player of the year.
MAJOR Vocational education

This article was published on Wednesday, October 25, 2000

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