Another UA receiver needs to shine

FAYETTEVILLE — Any given Saturday’s star receiver for the prolific Arkansas Razorbacks offenses of 2010 and 2011 could almost be guaranteed not to shine the following Saturday shadowed by a defensive eclipse.

So when secondaries overly shadowed any one of Arkansas’ 2010 Big Five of senior Mackey Award winning tight end D.J. Williams and receivers Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Cobi Hamilton and Jarius Wright and the same wideouts in 2011 with tight end Chris Gragg picking where graduation left Williams off, another inevitably shined in place of the star eclipsed.

Hamilton, Arkansas’ lone remainder of those star wide receivers, just set a Razorbacks record 303 receiving yards on his 10 catches, three for touchdowns, from senior quarterback Tyler Wilson during last Saturday’s 35-26 loss to Rutgers.

Texas A&M’s Aggies, particularly with Gragg (leg injury) questionable, might cluster at Hamilton’s every step when old Southwest Conference rivals Arkansas and A&M clash as first-time SEC rivalsin Saturday’s 11:20 a.m. SEC Network televised game at A&M’s Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

“They are probably going to pay a little more attention to him after a 300-plus yard game,” Wilson said, laughing at the understatement. “I would.”

So which Wilson alternate target steps into the starlight, particularly if Gragg can’t play?

“Brandon Mitchell, I am excited about getting an opportunity this week,” Wilson said. “Brandon has the opportunity to kind of make a splash this week when they are maybe paying a little more attention to Cobi.”

Mitchell, the fourth-year junior 6-4, 230-pound former backup quarterback who did some quarterbacking during Wilson’s injured absence two games ago against Alabama, moved to receiver over the summer. He debuted catching passes instead of throwing them with a game-high 122 yards on four catches for the 49-24 season-opening victory over Jacksonville State. Statistically, he lodges next behind Hamilton and Gragg for the 1-3 Hogs with nine catches for 169 yards, including four for 42 vs. Rutgers.

Mitchell isn’t alone on Wilson’s radar.

“We have got some guys that canmake plays,” Wilson said, particularly citing true freshman receiver Mekale McKay (5 catches for 121 yards with a touchdown).

No Arkansas injury for 2012 affected these Razorbacks like the concussion that cost Wilson the second half of the 34-31 overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe (Arkansas led 21-7 at halftime) and the entire 52-0 SEC loss to Alabama. But losing their best cornerback, Tevin Mitchel, since the Louisiana-Monroe game and their best fullback, senior Kiero Small, hurts more over the long haul.

Small (broken foot during practice the week of the Louisiana-Monroe game) is out for the season. Not only the experienced lead blocker that tailbacks Knile Davis, Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo don’t have now, Small was practicing to play both ways at fullback and linebacker.

“Kiero was a special player,” Wilson said. “He really was. We’d sit and have dinner together every night, and I’d go, ‘Man, when I’m 40 I’m going to tell my kids about Kiero Small.’ ”