Arkansas 2010

Arkansas (2009 Statistics)

• The quick summary of Head Coach Bobby Petrino (now in his 3^rd year as head coach at Arkansas) is that he was extremely successful in his four years as head coach at Louisville, but left them in 2007 for a lucrative NFL job.  He was just 13 games into his job as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons when he left abruptly for the Arkansas job.  Although he started off a little rocky in Fayetteville and his record hasn’t been impressive, Arkansas seems to be on the brink of winning the big games.
• The offense returns 10 starters this year, which is incredible in terms of experience, preparation and knowing how to play together. Quarterback Ryan Mallet had just a 55.8% completion rate, which is a little low for my tastes.  However, if you compare his statistics at home compared to away, there is a big difference.  It could have been that he had difficulty performing in hostile environments, but it also could have been due to the high quality of opponents he faced on the road. It’s not surprising that he completed less than 50% of his passes on the road as those games were against Arkansas’ four best opponents in 2009, each with a top 20 defense.
• While Mallet puts up some nice numbers, he does not come without his fair share of controversy. He began his college career in 2007 at Michigan, but when Rich Rodriguez took over prior to the 2008 season it became clear that the 6’5 Quarterback was not going to be a part of Rodriguez’s run first offense.  It’s fair to say that many disliked Mallet at Michigan and when he transferred to Arkansas his rocky reputation preceded him.  He won over many with his work ethic and playing ability.  But his off-field attitude is what rubs people the wrong way.  He has been known for going out and partying as evidenced by his arrest for public intoxication in 2009.  But luckily for him most of the stories have been around his arm strength.  In high school he threw a pass that dislocated two fingers on one of his receivers.  One of his Arkansas teammate described catching a pass from him as like catching a baseball pitch barehanded.  (I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.)
• Arkansas’s schedule is quite manageable this year and with the exception of games against Alabama and Auburn, they could easily go undefeated in their other games.