FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas fullback Kiero Small was in a Northwest Arkansas hospital bed recovering from foot surgery a year ago when the Razorbacks’ football season began unraveling in Little Rock.
Small watched on a computer as Louisiana-Monroe rallied from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to beat No. 8 Arkansas 34-31 in overtime.
“I was a couple hours out of surgery, so I was falling in and out of sleep,” Small said this week. “I woke up, and I really couldn’t believe it.”
The loss sent the Razorbacks spiraling toward a 4-8 finish.
“I didn’t know what it was,” Small said of trying to absorb the loss to Louisiana-Monroe the night it happened. “But it wasn’t a dream, and it wasn’t the drugs.”
The Razorbacks will be back at War Memorial Stadium to play Samford at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Little Rock debut for Coach Bret Bielema.
Arkansas went 0-2 in LittleRock last season, also losing to Ole Miss 30-27.
“We’re looking forward to getting back, just to give those fans a win down there,” Small said. “We all said we were going to wipe the slate clean, but everybody knows what happened last year.
“I think the fans are going to have that place rocking, and we just want to go out there and put on a show for them.”
Small, a fifth-year senior who missed the final 11 games last season after breaking a foot in practice, figures to play a big role in the Razorbacks’ show based on how he was used when Arkansas opened the season with a 34-14 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Blocking remains a key element of Small’s game, but he also had 4 carries and 3 receptions against the Ragin’ Cajuns after having a combined 4 touches - 1 carry, 1 reception and 2 kickoff returns - in 14 previous games as a Razorback.
“He touched it seven times for a fullback? Well, he’s done for the year,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said with a smile. “We don’t have to do that anymore, now do we?
“Nah, ‘Ro’s a good football player. He’s earned the right to touch that ball.”
Small, voted by his teammates as one of Arkansas’ four captains, said during fall camp it didn’t matter how many carries and catches he has, but he enjoyed having his number called a few times.
“Coach Chaney called the plays in rhythm and I just went with them,” Small said. “If I wouldn’t have touched the ball, it would have been fine, but it was good to get the ball in my hands a little bit and try and make a couple plays.”
Small’s most impressive play came on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Allen that put Arkansas ahead 27-7 in the third quarter. On second-and-8, Small caught a pass near the sideline, made a sharp cut to elude a defender while staying inbound, then bulled over two Ragin’ Cajuns at the goal line to score.
“He made that touchdown all on will power,” Bielema said.
“That’s red-zone running,” running backs coach Joel Thomas said. “Certain players have a knack for finding the end zone. Kiero has that.”
Small laughed and told reporters he “wanted to show y’all some versatility” when asked about his moves on the touchdown.
“I caught the ball, he pursued, I just stopped, and then when I saw the goal line I said, ‘Man, I got to get in here,’ ” Small said. “There’s no telling when the next time is I’ll be able to get that close.”
Small played tailback at Baltimore Cardinal Gibbons High School before moving to fullback and linebacker at Hartnell (Calif.) Community College, but he said jokingly that his ability to stay inbounds comes “from dancing.”
“I’ve always had pretty quick feet for a bigger guy,” he said. “I just did what I know how to do naturally.”
Small, 5-10, is down to 240 pounds this season after weighing 268 as a junior and 250 last year.
“Having him being able to overpower people like he used to and run the ball and run routes is definitely huge for us,” Allen said.
Bielema said Small played 53 snaps against Louisiana-Lafayette.
“He was utilized a lot differently before,” Thomas said of Small, who played a handful of snaps per game when healthy in 2011. “Not that that’s wrong or right, but for us he’s a big part of our offense.”
“He definitely brings an element of toughness to our offense,” offensive tackle Grady Ollison said. “He’s a little wrecking ball, and he can do it all. He can block, he can run the ball, he can catch it. All you need to do is get the ball in his hands and let him go.”
Small had two carries on third-and-1 plays in the fourth quarter against Louisiana-Lafayette for gains of 2 and 4 yards to keep drives going.
“He’s just got a natural ability to fall forward,” Thomas said. “You saw that on third down where he was met at the line of scrimmage and he’d spin off and get positive yardage.”
Bielema said Small’s return from his foot injury is “worth its weight in gold” for the new coaching staff.
“He fits perfectly in our system,” Bielema said. “I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I’m so thankful he was injured a year ago, because he is going to be an absolute stud for us in our offense.”
Small said his parents always have told him things happen for a reason, too, and now he understands what they meant.
He said he plans on earning his degree by semester’s end as well as having a productive season.
“I’m not happy that I got hurt,” Small said, “but it’s not the worst thing in the world anymore.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 09/06/2013