UA secondary finds silence a nice change

Not much has been said about Arkansas' defensive backs this season, and that's a compliment.
"You ask them to be touchdown savers -- don't give up big plays and don't give up touchdowns -- and a lot of times that goes unnoticed," defensive coordinator John Thompson said. "I think that's the way this group was. They didn't get noticed."
The most unproven part of Arkansas' defense entering the season ended up leading the SEC in pass defense and ranking second nationally. Only Central Michigan, which allowed an average of 149.7 passing yards a game, did better than the Razorbacks' 153-yard average.
More telling: In 1999, the Razorbacks gave up 45 passes and runs of 20 yards or longer. This season, they allowed 18.
"These young guys didn't give up as many balls as I think a lot of people thought they would give up," Coach Houston Nutt said.
Other factors contributed to the improved numbers besides the players' performance. Opponents preferred to run the ball on an undersized defensive front, and Mother Nature acted as an extra defensive back in the last two cold and rainy games.
But the maturing the secondary did, and did quickly, cannot be ignored.
"I don't think in the preseason any of our group bought into how bad we were supposed to be," Thompson said. "And I don't think these guys are buying into, 'Hey, we've got it licked right now.' We know we've got to play better."
After the first game, starting cornerbacks Orlando Green and Harold Harris were injured. Junior D'Andre Berry and redshirt freshman Eddie Jackson moved into the No. 1 spots and delivered immediately.
In his first start, a 38-31 victory over Boise State on Sept. 16, Jackson returned an interception for a touchdown and made a fourth-down, touchdown-saving tackle at the 1 with less than a minute to play.
Berry performed the most consistently of any of the defensive backs in the spring and two-a-days, Thompson said. Berry hung on to the starting job until late in the season when he wore down, bottoming out against Tennessee by giving up three touchdowns.
It was a team effort that day, though. The Hogs gave up five touchdown passes, and they represented only a fraction of the meltdown.
Since then, Berry has moved out of the starting lineup and Green has moved back in. He has taken over the nickel back responsibility from Jimmy Beasley, giving the position more consistent coverage.
Looking back, Jackson said he understands why the secondary was regarded as a question mark before the season.
"Everybody was down on us, saying we weren't good because we were young," Jackson said. "So we just really got together one day and said this is what we've got to do to make ourselves better."
The defensive backs usually were in the right position to make plays, a credit to Thompson's teaching.
In the end, a few guys were noticed for the right reasons.
Green made a fumble recovery in the upset of Mississippi State. Berry intercepted a pass in the upset of LSU. Free safety Ken Hamlin made two magazines' freshman All-American teams and both of the All-SEC freshman teams.
The defensive backs haven't become bulletproof by any means, but they have turned into a group worth noticing.
-- Scott Cain
HILL, ALLEN TO MEET
Fitz Hill, the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator who has been hired as San Jose State's head coach, said he still intends to talk to linebackers coach Bobby Allen about a job.
Allen could have the defensive coordinator's job -- if he wants it. But Hill only has a $550,000 budget to pay nine assistants, an average of $61,000 per coach.
Hill can allocate the salaries as he sees fit, but it would be difficult for him to offer Allen enough to offset the cost of living in the Bay Area.
Allen earns $135,000 at Arkansas and has a wife and four children.
"I don't know that I can afford him," Hill said.
Hill said he has retained two assistants from San Jose State's previous staff, offensive line coach Bob Connelly and special teams coach Tom Quinn.
-- Scott Cain
ROUGH START
The players looked sluggish early but finished with some energy in Monday's practice.
Two late nights on the town and the drudgery of three weeks of practice without a game are "probably catching up with them now," Coach Houston Nutt said.
The team will practice today without pads and will have a light workout Wednesday before playing Thursday.
-- Scott Cain
AIR QUALITY
Punter Richie Butler said he can tell a performance difference in Las Vegas' 2,300-foot elevation and dry climate.
"The air is so thin," Butler said. "In Fayetteville, it seems like the air is so much thicker all the time. Here, if the wind isn't blowing, the ball doesn't hang up as high but it gives it farther distance."
-- Scott Cain
BACON ON MENU, NO DOUBT
UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas played down the potential for distractions in Las Vegas and wished the Razorbacks a healthy, well-rested stay.
"We don't want [Arkansas] to be out late and gambling," Thomas said. "We want them in top form so they can't say they weren't fresh when we play them.
"We'll be there giving them bed checks, making sure they're comfortable and cooking them breakfast in the morning if they want."
-- Chris Givens
CONFIDENT OF CONFIDENCE
Few teams had more confidence at the end of the regular season than Arkansas, which beat two ranked opponents in the final two weeks to qualify for a bowl game. Now the Razorbacks have to play one of the teams with just as much confidence.
UNLV won its final three games to finish 7-5 and qualify for its first bowl game since 1994.
"Even when we were losing, we had confidence. But now we really do," UNLV linebacker Shanga Wilson said. "We've corrected our mistakes from the season, and our defense and offense feel like we can play with the best of them."
UNLV rallied in the final three minutes to beat New Mexico 18-14, beat San Diego State 31-24 on the road and then beat Hawaii 34-32 in consecutive weeks of the regular season to earn its date with Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl on Thursday.
"We're playing very well," Wilson said. "We're doing the right things to help us win. As long as we go out and keep our heads on straight, we should be able to win this game."
-- Chris Givens
THOMAS' FOOT A QUESTION
Coming into this season, UNLV's success rested on the shoulders of quarterback Jason Thomas. Now the success of the Rebels in the Las Vegas Bowl now rests on Thomas' foot.
Midway through the season, against Colorado State, Thomas sprained his right foot and still hasn't fully recovered.
That is a problem for a quarterback like Thomas, who is UNLV's second-leading rusher and creates a lot of offense with his mobility.
"It hurts, that's the thing that worries me," UNLV Coach John Robinson said of Thomas' foot. "We've done every test you can, he just needs rest. He hasn't progressed and we've eliminated some of the stuff we would have liked to have done with him."
Thomas' 4.5 speed is more like 4.9 now, but that won't keep him out of Thursday's game.
"There's only one game left, I can play through this," Thomas said.
The one thing the injury probably will do, however, is keep him off the basketball floor. Thomas, an All-American basketball player high school, had planned on playing for the Runnin' Rebels this season, but likely will give that up to let his foot rest.
-- Chris Givens

This article was published on Tuesday, December 19, 2000

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