Tough Nutt to crack at Arkansas

Does anybody remember that Arkansas is the defending SEC West champion? Anybody recall that Darren McFadden finished second in Heisman Trophy voting last year?

The Razorbacks’ surprising 2006 success got blown away in the general direction of El Paso by the soap opera that coach Houston Nutt’s life turned into during the off-season.

Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, so the saying goes. And that has Nutt and the Razorbacks feeling fairly cocky about the 2007 season.

Nutt is back for a 10th season after a tumultuous winter and spring in which:

n One disgruntled fan used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain Nutt’s phone records and suggest an improper relationship with a female TV personality.

n Another detractor commissioned a poll on Nutt’s performance.

n The ballyhooed Springdale Connection disconnected. First-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, the erstwhile coach at nearby Springdale High School, quit. Two of the Springdale stars he brought with him to Arkansas, quarterback Mitch Mustain and receiver Damian Williams, transferred to Southern Cal.

n Danny Nutt, the coach’s brother and running backs coach, battled a serious brain affliction and resigned last week.

“Those are the type things that will make a person break,’’ said McFadden, “but Coach Nutt stood strong. He came through it.’’

“He never budged,’’ added linebacker Wes Dacus. “It was good for us to see how to handle adversity.’’

Playing Auburn or LSU somehow doesn’t seem so intimidating now.

“This was really a different, totally different, off-season,’’ Nutt said at SEC Media Days. “It kept going and going.’’

But Nutt’s not gone. He’s back with a Heisman Trophy contender and a pretty good football team brought closer by the ordeal its coach endured.

“I can’t tell you,’’ Nutt said, “how many times guys like Marcus Monk and Marcus Harrison came to me and said, ‘Can we have a press conference? Can we shoot back? Can we tell them the truth, what’s really going on?’

“I said, ‘no,’ let’s keep doing our deal.’’

As he prepares to return to the sanctuary of the practice field, Nutt is buoyed by what he sees as a mandate that he and the program have weathered the storm.

“You see the contributions, the ticket sales, the commitments, the camp numbers,’’ he said. “They’re all up, up, up, the best we’ve had.’’

The running game should be the best the Hogs have ever had and that’s saying something.

McFadden, the 2006 Doak Walker Award winner, is only half the story. Felix Jones rushed for 1,168 yards last year and shares the first-team All-SEC preseason backfield with McFadden.

“I’m glad their on our side,’’ said Dacus.

The Razorbacks have a preseason All-SEC receiver in Monk and a gifted tight end in Ben Cleveland. The problem is getting the ball in their hands, via quarterback Casey Dick.

Arkansas ranked 108th nationally in passing last year.

“That doesn’t bother me much when we’re winning 10,’’ Nutt said, “but I do know we’ve got to improve that. I know (defenses) are going to overpopulate the line of scrimmage.’’

The Razorbacks lost seven defensive starters. The hardest two to replace will be rush end Jamaal Anderson, a first-round NFL draft pick, and cover corner Chris Houston.

One name that should become familiar is sophomore defensive end Malcolm Sheppard.

“We call him ‘The Wood’ because he brings it every play,’’ said Dacus. “I think he caused three concussions in the spring.’’

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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