O-Line playing solid, Hogs’ challenge is believing in win

Posted: October 14, 2009 at 6:57 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — Much has been written about quarterback Ryan Mallett’s throwing in last week’s game. And there’s been plenty of talk about the running backs, particularly Michael Smith, running in Arkansas’ 44-23 SEC West rout of then 17thranked Auburn last Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

However, neither would have achieved what they did without the offensive line collectively playing its best game to date.

“Yeah, it definitely was,” said Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino Monday when asked if the line played a season’s best.

And Petrino stressed that the O-line blocking encompassed the work by tight ends D.J. Williams and Ben Cleveland.

“We improved a lot.” Petrino said. “We did a real nice job with our run blocking. And again, when you talk about the offensive line, you include D.J. Williams and Ben Cleveland in there because they both did a nice job blocking. Our receivers did a great job blocking downfield. We kind of dominated their secondary as far as our guys blocking their safeties and blocking their corners and allowing us to get more yards once we got on the edge. It was a good job overall.”

He was also pleased with the pass protection but distressed Auburn achieving a fourth-quarter sack.

Among the non tight ends who stood outblocking on the line?

“[ Junior tackle] DeMarcus Love did a real nice job,” Petrino said. “He was playing fast and run blocking, finishing, he did a great job. A lot of times he was one on one in pass protection and did a great job against two real good defensive ends any time he was one on one. [Senior guard Mitch] Petrus played a solid game, and we rotated in at the weak guard and both guys (starting junior Wade Grayson of Harrison and sophomore Grant Cook of Jonesboro) did a good job.”

By SEC standards, Auburn’s defense is just average. However, there’s nothing average about anything associated with the Florida Gators.

The nationally No. 1 ranked Gators (5-0, 3-0 in the SEC East and the reigning national/SEC champion) host Arkansas (3-2, 1-2 in the SEC West) in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CDT CBS televised game at Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.

Everyone always talksabout Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner quarterbacking successive national championship teams and coming off a concussion to beat LSU, 13-3 last Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. But it is defense setting Florida apart this year.

Florida’s defense appears to rank right up as good or better with the great Alabama defense that in three SEC games prevailed 35-7, 22-3 and 38-20 over Arkansas, Ole Miss and Kentucky.

“Oh, they’re definitely comparable,” Petrino said when asked to compare Alabama and Florida defensively. “I don’t know which one’s better. They’ve very good. They’re big and fast.”

At least in their one common SEC foe, Kentucky, the Gators got the best of it - holding the Wildcats to a touchdown in a 41-7 victory in Lexington, Ky.

Last Saturday at LSU’s Death Valley in Baton Rouge, the Gators tamed the previously unbeaten Tigers to a field goal and prevailed, 13-3.

Regardless of Saturday’s final score, Petrino sees the Hogs coming off successive conquests of then-unbeatens Texas A&M and Auburn and arriving in Gainesville with a victory-is-possible attitude. He said the Hogs never showed that belief in the Sept. 26 annihilation by Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“I think our confidence is better,” Petrino said. “We’ve had two good games back-toback. We’ve seen ourselves perform well on video. We went out and played extremely well in three phases.

“It will be the challenge, to really believe - everybody in the building, everybody who gets on the plane - that we can go and win the game. And then play with our technique, play with our fundamentals, and match their speed. I think that’ll be the key to the game.”

With Arkansas facing its third Spread offense in a row, look for a continued big role from little outside linebacker/strong safety hybrid Jerico Nelson. Short but powerful, Nelson (5-10, 205) delivered a crowd galvanizing hit against Auburn among his 10 tackles including a sack among three lost-yardage stops plus forcing a late fumble recovered by Arkansas nose tackle Zach Stadther.

“He’s a great football player for us,” Petrino said of the sophomore. “A lot of the things we do are designed because of what Jerico can do. He’s real good blitzing, real good tackling and can play man coverage. He’s been a big part of our defense.”

Sports, Pages 10 on 10/14/2009

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