College Football Preview - Arkansas

I f your looking for a sleeper in college football in 2005, look no further then the state of Arkansas where Houston Nutt's Razorbacks will rebound from last season's disappointing 5-6 season. Most of the country will look at the loss of sensational quarterback Matt Jones and write off the Hogs, but this team will surprise.The acquisition of defensive coordinator Reggie Herring from the North Carolina State Wolfpack is a huge boost to a defense that was very passive last year. Nutt you may recall was considered by many to be one of the top college coaches in the game, just a few years ago and he will have this team ready.Arkansas always produces a stable of top flight running backs and Robert Johnson is a 3-year veteran backup to Jones and has some talent.Even with the loss of RB DeCori Birmingham the Razorbacks still return plenty of talent in the backfield with Kyle Dickerson, Peyton Hillis, De'Arrius Howard, Dedrick Poole and Korey Sutton.The Razorbacks open with winnable home games against Division I-AA Southwest Missouri State and Vanderbilt before things get tough, with road games at USC and Alabama. The Hogs do get Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State at home, but they must also play at Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU.We've got guys who started here last year who are not starting right now. There is no starting job safe on this defensive football team now, or will it ever be as long as I am here. That's because it is the system. When you see systems fail and I have seen systems fail over the years, the reason they've failed is because of complacency. There are no freebies. No 'You've got your job, chill out.' I am not in the position at this point with this defense and this program at Arkansas to sit there and have a comfort zone. I want players, coaches, all of us, to feel uncomfortable. You've got to set a high standard and get in an uncomfortable environment that makes you twitch. Makes you move. Makes you work harder. As crazy as it sounds, we made it chaotic, we made it a free for all." - First-year defensive coordinator Reggie Herring.FB-TB Peyton Hillis - Hillis emerged as a playmaker as a true freshman in 2004, scoring on six TD run and two TD receptions and playing through a broken bone in his back.TOP NEWCOMERS: CB Elston Forte - Arkansas signed four defensive backs 6-1 or taller, led by Forte, who chose the Razorbacks over Oklahoma State, Penn State and Memphis. "We needed some taller corners that could run," Nutt said. "The trend you're seeing in the SEC is taller receivers trying to find that mismatch with corners, so we wanted to get a little taller in the secondary." LBs Freddie Fairchild, Michael Bibbs and Tyrell Graham - Fairchild, a Little Rock native who played at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy last season, stands out as the most likely freshman linebacker to contribute in 2005.Arkansas heads to Los Angeles on the 17th for a date with the Trojans, who will only have their trip to Hawaii under their belt. This is a dangerous game for the Trojans, as they have road trips and PAC 10 games at Oregon and at Arizona State, the following two weeks. The Razorbacks speed, could give the Trojans problems and defensive coordinator Reggie Herring knows how to defend the West Coast offense very well. Grab the points in this one!Get free wagers at Betcom.com