I didn’t spend much time on Jarius Wright, but I think he might be the most intriguing of the whole bunch. He’s short, but he’s often downfield managing to snare deep passes. He can run well, even if he doesn’t have all the moves Adams does. And even though he might get overshadowed by those other guys at times, he still manages to pile up an awful lot of receiving yards. That was especially the case after Childs went down this past fall. Wright only had a couple of 100-yard receiving games, but he still managed to end up as the leading receiver on the team, ahead of Adams, Hamilton, Williams, et al.

1) Mallett was in fact an early-season Heisman contender, and he did go into the Alabama game with a chance to shine (although ESPN took its Gameday crew up to Boise; don’t get me started on that). Even more, the Hogs did manage to beat Georgia between the hedges to carry an undefeated record into the matchup against the Crimson Tide. Got to hand it to my old friend for how uncannily accurate his predictions were up to that point, and he wisely showed some skepticism that the Hogs would beat both Georgia and Alabama. It was the loss to Alabama and Mallett’s inability to do much of anything in the second half against the Tide that caused him to start losing attention as a potential Heisman winner.

2) Once again, Butler was spot-on in suggesting that Alabama was going to lose a few games this season. They were good, but not national championship good. And while they beat the Hogs early, a look back on the season for both teams as a whole shows how much the Hogs really should have won that game in Fayetteville. It was Ingram’s first game back for Bama, and he ran like a house on fire. And it was a few games before the Razorbacks sorted out their own running game and handed the reins to Knile Davis. If the Hogs could have slowed Ingram a bit, and if they could have controlled the ball better in the fourth quarter, I think they would have won that game by 7. (Part of that would have included Mallett not freaking out and trying to do too much, resulting in the INTs, of course.)

3) What nobody really saw coming – either in the Heisman race or in the SEC West race – was the 2010 Auburn Tigers. Whether or not Cam Newton deserves to be playing, his play is certainly deserving of the Heisman trophy he won a few weeks ago. It’s hard to say what the Arkansas-Auburn game would have been like if the refs hadn’t blatantly made those home cookin’ calls that led to Auburn scores, if Mallett hadn’t gotten injured, and if Davis had established himself as our featured RB. But that’s all coulda, woulda, shoulda. We lost that game and probably deserved to. I’m glad Newton won the Heisman and, all things considered, I’m tickled that Arkansas finished 2nd in the SEC West. Consider this: We beat GA, SC, and Miss State on the road; We beat Texas A&M for the second straight year; We beat LSU in the Battle of the Boot; and we’re headed to the freakin’ Sugar Bowl. That is a successful football season for the Hogs, by any measure.

4) I’m working under the assumption that Mallett is going to enter the draft, which means our QB next year will most likely be Tyler Wilson. Mallett’s loss is a real loss, but Wilson has got some things to bring to the table that Mallett frankly doesn’t. I think the biggest two are: a) Mobility; and b) The ability to throw a pass of less than 20 yards without trying to bore a hole through his receivers’ chests. With Mallett, we’ll also lose a few key players on the offensive side, like OT DeMarcus Love and TE D.J. Williams. But we’re returning a whole stable of great players like our WR corps, RB Knile Davis, and several O-linemen. I thought the defensive unit under Willy Robinson was much improved this year, even if its play could be uneven at times. So if Adam is up for it, I’d challenge him to give us a commentary on the 2011 Hogs season sometime between the Sugar Bowl and spring practices. If questions are needed, here’s five:

A) Assuming Mallett goes to the NFL, do you see Tyler Wilson as the odds-on favorite to be starting QB in 2011? And what do you think his strengths and weaknesses are in comparison to Mallett in running Bobby Petrino’s offense?

B) If we get a healthy Greg Childs back next fall, how do you think Petrino will manage a receiving corps that is almost overly-stocked with talent (Childs, Adams, Wright, Hamilton, Gragg, etc.)? In particular, how do you think he’ll use Childs and Hamilton to complement one another? After Childs went down with his season-ending patellar tendon injury, Petrino put Cobi Hamilton in as the starting WR in the South Carolina game to do exactly what Childs did, and Hamilton played the role well. I’m curious as to how it will work with both WRs healthy next fall. (A question you don’t have to worry as much about with respect to Adams, for instance, since he is more of a catch-and-run receiver on shorter routes instead of the prototypical deal threat.)

C) Do you have any thoughts on the Arkansas defense, which appeared to be improved over the 2009 campaign? It’s play in some games was quite solid (the South Carolina game comes to mind), while it could be downright porous in others (Auburn, Ole Miss). What does Willy Robinson need to do to take the next step forward on the defensive side?

D) How much of a team psychological factor do you think it was to have a kicker like Zack Hocker instead of the mistake-prone Alex Tejada? And how do you see Hocker’s continuing development as a factor in the next few seasons (since he’s only a sophomore in 2011)? This may seem like a bit of an odd question, but I don’t think the negative impact of Tejada’s “head case” tendencies in pressure situations over the past few years can be over-estimated. Not only did he often miss key FGs, he also caused the head coach (whether Nutt or Petrino) to choose not to attempt FGs when they could have represented important points-on-the-board. Hocker wasn’t perfect this past season, but he showed three things that are “musts” for place kickers: a big leg (he made at 50+ yarder at one point), an accurate leg (which can be refined with practice), and a level head (which is more of a factor for kickers than any other position player). I really wonder if Hocker’s emergence represents the kind of key puzzle piece the Hogs need in place if they are going to win the SEC Championship Game in the next few years, even if it is a puzzle piece often overlooked by fans.

E) Where do you see the Hogs finishing up in 2011? From the East, we get Vandy again (which is good), and Tennessee replaces Georgia (which, at least next year, probably means an easier game). I think Alabama and Auburn are going to be hard to predict, given the players they are losing (but they coaches they are retaining!). LSU is always hard to gauge, while Dan Mullen looks to have Miss State as a stronger team than they usually are for as long as he cares to stay around Starkville. Houston Nutt is getting exposed in Ole Miss, which can’t compensate for coaching mediocrity they way Arkansas sometimes can, and I don’t think the Rebels will be much of a factor in the West. I’m glad we get South Carolina in Fayetteville, since Garcia will be back as QB and that RB Lattimore scares me. Out of conference, I think Texas A&M will continue to improve. Looks to be a tough schedule. Care to make a prediction?

This is a little belated, but thanks for writing what can only be described as a tour-de-force commentary on Mallett & the Hogs. That was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had in a long time, and I practically read for a living. I imagine that, by early December, we will have been able to look back on your analysis as an accurate prediction of what the Hogs needed for a championship-caliber season.

The only proper homage I know to offer for such an effort on your part – besides my labored attempt to use the future perfect at the end of the last paragraph – is to give you a nod on my own site:

http://www.genxrising.com/2010/01/calling-all-hogs-fans.html

Thanks again,
AT

Ryan “Big Knucklehead” Mallett will have had many interviews in which he looks as if his pants are 6 sizes too big and sounds as if he has a full bag of marbles in his mouth, by the time he completes his career at Arkansas.

Blake–I thought it was “As the World Turns” that grandpa watched, but I am not sure. For whatever reason, I remember it was a CBS soap he watched, and Ryan’s Hope was ABC. I will now go light myself on fire for knowing that. That’s the reason I am part of a Little Rock Live Trivia juggernaut….I can remember stuff like that.

And guys, thanks for the comments. They made the inordinate amount of time I spent on that worth, it, because those were my two favorite parts. We should have our Preseason Predictions review out, soon. Thanks for reading.