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Razorbacks reportFuture is now for HamiltonSCOTT CAINARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Two scholarship receivers will complete their eligibility this season and there are no juniors, so assistant coach Fitz Hill had to like the glimpse of the future he saw Saturday from sophomore Sparky Hamilton. Hamilton made his first career start and caught four passes for 65 yards in the 21-19 loss to Auburn. After making just two receptions in the first three games, he has totaled 11 for 149 yards in the last four games. "I told him, 'You're my senior-to-be,'" Hill said. "I want him to take a leadership role from this because he's established himself as a guy who makes plays." Boo Williams and Michael Snowden are in their final season. After them, there are five sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and one true freshman. Hamilton has the most game experience of the young group and redshirt freshman Richard Smith is making up ground fast. Against Auburn, Arkansas' final drive of the first half went 80 yards and resulted in a touchdown largely because Hamilton caught three passes for 56 yards. His 35-yard catch down the sideline against man-to-man coverage set up Brandon Holmes' 3-yard touchdown run. Hamilton had lobbied for the fade route because of how closely cornerback Rodney Crayton had been lining up to him. He told quarterback Robby Hampton the play would work if Hampton could throw ball over his outside shoulder, and the pass was "right there," Hamilton said. Hamilton started in place of senior Boo Williams because Williams missed some practice time with a sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder. A couple of the receptions Hamilton made ordinarily would have gone to Williams, who did play but had fewer snaps than usual. Encouraged by Hamilton's emergence, Hill said he probably will start working Hamilton on the side opposite Williams so he can put both of his tall playmakers on the field at the same time. Hamilton is 6-5, Williams 6-4. "Sparky earned that right," Hill said. GENERATION GAP With Boo Williams and Michael Snowden due to complete their eligibility and with no junior receivers on the roster, Arkansas won't have any senior receivers next season. The current underclassmen, number of career games played and started and career statistics:
CRAIG PUSHES AHEAD Down to a bare-bones crew, Arkansas couldn't afford for its backup tight end to contribute sporadically. Consistent help was needed immediately. Senior Tim Craig of Pine Bluff has filled the role well enough that assistant coach James Shibest said he is considering starting Craig ahead of sophomore Marcellus Poydras on Saturday against Ole Miss. Craig played 36 snaps against Auburn and Poydras 24. "He's a little bit more physical right now," Shibest said. "Maybe I shouldn't say more physical. He's just a little bit stronger than Marcellus. Obviously Marcellus is the better catcher and route runner, but [Craig] has played really well." Craig is listed at 6-6, 256 pounds. Poydras is 6-4, 241. The tight ends started thinning out during the summer when J. Strain tore a knee ligament. Since then, Nathan Ball has moved to tackle and Cameron Glenn injured his foot. James Toussaint transferred in from junior college and is being prepared to play the next two seasons. That leaves Poydras and Craig, who played in high school at White Hall. Craig missed spring practice because of an injury and, thus, started preseason practice at the back of the line. Attrition has helped Craig move up, but he also has helped his cause with some solid blocking. "I'll look at them both this week and probably make a decision by Wednesday," Shibest said. CARRYING ON Assistant coach Danny Nutt had figured that tailback Fred Talley's maximum workload would be 15 to 20 carries a game. Nutt threw that out Saturday when Talley made his first start and kept slicing through Auburn's defense. When he finished, Talley had run 26 times for 161 yards and 1 touchdown and secured the starting job for the rest of the season. Besides feeling "a little sore" on Sunday, Talley's body held up fine to the 26 carries, Nutt said. It's even more impressive considering Talley's weight has dropped from 190 pounds to about 178 since August. "He's a tough little cat," Nutt said. "You could tell he was into it. I could see it in his eyes. When he would come off the field, he was telling us what was open and what he felt like." Talley doubled his previous season rushing total and now has 321 yards. He took the team lead in rushing, which Cedric Cobbs had held since suffering a season-ending shoulder separation Sept. 23 against Alabama. Cobbs gained 291 yards in three games. Talley, who opened the season as Cobbs' backup, broke his hand against Alabama. He returned to play as the backup against South Carolina and earned the start against Auburn. That first game back and the two weeks of practice after it helped him regain his form, Nutt said. Talley is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. "I think we've got something going now," Nutt said. EXCUSED ABSENCES Players who have missed at least one game because of an injury, including quarterback Robby Hampton and nose guard Pervis Osborne who are expected to miss the Ole Miss game, and the status of each player:
This article was published on Tuesday, October 31, 2000RETURN to main pageCopyright 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. |
