Wingo displays wheels

— Arkansas running back Ronnie Wingo has more catches than carries this season.

“I’m a little surprised, because I didn’t expect to catch this many passes,” said Wingo, a sophomore from St. Louis University High. “But I feel like I’ve got the best hands on the team.”

Wingo laughed after he said that, but he’s certainly no joke as a receiver out of the backfield. He has19 catches for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns compared to 16 carries for 96 yards and 1 touchdown.

“He’s a real weapon for us, no doubt about it,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said of Wingo’s impact in the passing game. “The first thing is his speed. That always helps.

“And then he has the ability to judge the ball, which is important also. But the main thing is just speed. When he’s past 10 or 15 yards, he’s as fast as any guy we’ve got.”

Wingo and sophomore receiver Cobi Hamilton, who has 12 catches for 181 yards and 1 touchdown this season, are roommates.

“He’s been making jokes, ‘I’ve got more catches than you,’ ” Hamilton said. “But that’s what you need in the SEC, somebody that can catch the ball out of the backfield.

“A lot of teams don’t have that, so we’re fortunate to have Ronnie. He can outrun linebackers and use his hands real good to get away from the line of scrimmage.”

Hamilton said he likes to bring up “the speed factor” in response to Wingo’s joking about having more catches.

“I’ll say, ‘I’m faster than you,’ ” Hamilton said.

Hamilton and Wingo were sprinters in high school, and Hamilton also has run for the Arkansas track and field team.

“But we’ve never raced each other,” Hamilton said. “I don’t think we want to see who’s really faster, we just want to talk stuff.”

Wingo’s touchdown catches have been big plays on the wheel route where he circles out of the backfield - 35 yards against Louisiana-Monroe, 22 against Georgia, 43 against Alabama and 37 against Auburn - and breaks into the open.

Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt, whose Rebels face Arkansas today, said Wingo “gets lost” with defenses having to cover an array of receivers, led by Greg Childs, Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Hamilton, and tight end D.J. Williams.

“There’s so much attention put to those guys, and there has to be,” Nutt said. “Then what happens is that back sneaks out, and when he sneaks out it can be over the middle or a little option route.

“When you’ve got posts and crossers and all those things ... somebody better have the back.”

While Wingo was known primarily for his running skills at University High, where he had 4,449 rushing yards in three seasons, he also had 47 career receptions for 753 yards.

“Catching passes is nothing new to me,” Wingo said. “I did it all the way back to little league, where I played receiver and running back.

“I was taller and bigger than everybody, so they just threw up the ball and I’d catch it.”

Arkansas’ offense is more complicated than that, and Wingo, 6-3, 227 pounds, is matched up in the SEC against opponents loaded with speed and strength. But he keeps making plays in the passing game.

“The coaches are able to find ways to get me open,” Wingo said. “We’ll just have to see how teams react to it the rest of the season.”Wingo at a glance COLLEGE Arkansas POSITION Running back CLASS Sophomore HEIGHT 6-3 WEIGHT 227 pounds HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL St. Louis University High AGE 19 (born Feb. 18, 1991) NOTEWORTHY Wingo has 19 catches for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns this season compared to 16 carries for 96 yards and 1. ... Rushed for 4,449 yards in three high school seasons. As a senior scored seven touchdowns against Vianney (Mo.).

Sports, Pages 21 on 10/23/2010

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