Clark closes in on more time, despite setbacks

WALLY HALL
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

The prediction was simple but bold.
"Zak Clark will start at quarterback for the Razorbacks before Gary Brashears does," Robert Yates said almost two years ago.
Yates, who has been our main guy on high schools (as well as Oaklawn and part of the team that covers the Razorbacks) for the last 14 years, doesn't make many predictions. But when he does, they are based on facts and logic.
That's not to say that Clark will get the start against Auburn on the 28th of this month, but with Brashears now at Tulsa, you really have to like Yates' chance of being right.
Clark and Brashears' senior seasons in high school coincided with Daniel Lunney and Ronnie Floyd and others, but when it came time to pick the top college quarterback prospect in the state, Yates named Clark No. 1.
There is no disputing Brashears has one of the finest throwing arms in the country, but there is much more to being a quarterback in the SEC than passing.
Clark demonstrated that against South Carolina.
Judging by the 23 snaps Clark played Saturday, Yates' prediction may come true sooner than later regardless of who is the competition.
With Clark at quarterback, the Razorbacks averaged 5.39 yards per play.
Take those plays out of the equation and the Hogs averaged 2.30 yards per play the rest of the game.
"We put Zak in a tough spot, down 13, on the road, and he responded very well," Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt said. "His poise was unbelievable."
Clark eventually had to leave the game with a sprained ankle -- is it the Razorbacks' shoes or what that has caused this rash of sprains -- and Jared McBride was downed by a serious knee injury, so Hampton had to return.
Some of it may have been against the second team South Carolina defense, but Hampton looked a little sharper than he had early in the game and in the final period he averaged 4.75 yards per play. Competition is a good thing.
Quarterbacks coach Joe Ferguson has pushed Hampton as the starter and McBride as the backup because this Razorbacks team is young.
Make no mistake, both are great young men.
Both want nothing more than to help the Hogs win.
So the fact that Clark played the best has nothing to do with the reputation or image of either Hampton or McBride.
In fact, the way Arkansas' season is going, it might take a miracle for either Clark or Hampton to finish the season (McBride is lost with an ACL tear).
Definitely, each brings something different to the field.
At 24, Hampton has the well-documented maturity as well as knowledge of the system. He has a tendency, though, to hold the ball too long and to be tentative about taking a risk.
Clark brings a better arm and what appears to be a natural ability to make snap decisions. He drilled a 17-yard pass to Michael Snowden between two defenders that told a huge story of his overall quarterbacking skills.
No one can ever question Clark about being a team player. He took one for the team last year when he gave up his scholarship because of too many commitments, (Hampton is cut from that mold too; last season he offered to help at tight end).
It should also be pointed out that though lost for the season, McBride had persevered for four seasons, refusing to give up on his dream of quarterbacking the Hogs.
Nutt is naturally cautious at this stage about who will start against Auburn.
Hampton is nursing a sprained thumb, strained neck and shoulder as well as a bruised knee.
Clark has a high ankle sprain.
However, Nutt has always known Clark has potential. That's why he wanted to redshirt him this season, but that's out the window now.
Just don't confuse the competition at quarterback as a controversy.
Both Hampton and Clark will play.
LSU, Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, LSU and now Georgia have also learned that you have to have two quarterbacks to survive in the SEC.

This article was published on Tuesday, October 17, 2000

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