Herring next lame duck seeking win

DALLAS - Schools with interim or lame-duck coaches are 0-5 in this college football bowl season.

Next up on the firing line: Arkansas interim coach Reggie Herring into today's Cotton Bowl between the No. 25 Razorbacks (8-4) and No. 6 Missouri (11-2).

Herring, the Razorbacks' defensive coordinator who reportedly may take a similar job with Texas A&M, took over for former head coach Houston Nutt when Nutt resigned shortly after the end of the regular season and headed to Ole Miss.

"I have so much respect for these players," Herring said, "and that's why I haven't been out looking for a job. This game is about the players. That's all I care about. They are special, special, kids."

Those players have been facing the emotional aspect of playing one last time for a coaching staff in which almost everyone but Tim Horton and Bobby Allen is headed for Ole Miss. Running backs coach Horton and cornerbacks coach Allen have been retained by new Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, who takes command after today's game. On Monday, it was announced Petrino's new defensive coordinator is Ellis Johnson, who's leaving a similar position at Mississippi State.

"With the situation Coach Nutt was going through, our coaches showed their personalities and their hearts for the game by staying with us," Arkansas cornerback Jerrell Norton said. "I love these guys, and the seniors have taken the younger players under their wings and said it's going to be OK. That has given us an extra push for the game."

Because of all the emotion surrounding a pending coaching transition, the latest drama involving a Little Rock TV report claiming agent Mike Conley Sr. helped Arkansas all-American running back Darren McFadden obtain a Cadillac Escalade didn't even cause the Razorbacks to blink. The TV station apologized to Conley and McFadden for errors in the report.

"When we've gone to work on the field, we've had one focus, and that's football," Herring said. "The stock market could crash. Maybe Osama Bin Laden might ride by on a horse, and you wouldn't know. We've had focus, and our players have built a Teflon coating of toughness."

They'll certainly need that in what projects as an offensive shootout between offenses that have the Heisman Trophy runner-up (McFadden) and the fourth-place finisher (Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel).

Daniel has plenty of weapons around him, and Arkansas expects to see a lot of different looks from the Tigers.

"We haven't seen a team that spreads it out as much as they do," Arkansas linebacker Weston Dacus said. "They run empty sets 60 or 70 percent of the time. We haven't seen that yet."

On the other hand, Missouri hasn't seen a one-two punch like McFadden and Felix Jones, a pair of juniors who both could be playing in their last college game. Both players are projected as first-round NFL draft choices if they forgo their final year of eligibility.

McFadden (143.8 ypg) and Jones (93.1 ypg) have accounted for a combined 26 rushing touchdowns, McFadden also has thrown four TDs from the Wildhog formation, and Jones has returned two kickoffs for scores.

It's obvious that Missouri is more concerned about McFadden than Jones.

"I know I've got to be on my horse every time he's running," Missouri linebacker Sean Witherspoon said of McFadden. "You make some plays against that guy, you might make yourself some money a few years from now."

As good as McFadden and Jones are, the difference for Arkansas today could be if quarterback Casey Dick and receiver Marcus Monk finally get on the same page. Monk has been nursing torn knee cartilage most of this season, and Dick struggled throwing early in the year.

"Casey's playing the best he's played all year, he's playing consistent week in and week out," said Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee, who will join Nutt at Ole Miss. "I wish I had a few more games with him."

© 2007, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2007 govolsxtra.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.