Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/31/2010 at 11:10am

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Ryan Mallett isn’t bathing in all the Heisman Trophy talk. No, the record-setting Arkansas quarterback prefers to be showered.

Confused? Here’s an attempt at explanation:

Mallett appeared for approximately five-minutes on ESPN2's "First Take" Tuesday morning. His appearance was teased as a segment focused on Mallett’s status among Heisman Trophy candidates and he again shifted focus from himself to the team when the individual awards talk was broached.

Later the conversation between Mallett and host Reischea Canidate turned to more personality-driven questions. Included with questions about growing up and Arkansas fan and liking Miami Heat forward LeBron James was the following exchange:

“I also read four or five showers a day, Ryan,” Canidate asked.

Mallett responded: “Yeah, I don’t know what it is. I just like to be clean. I just like to take a lot of showers.”

Um…

There were less awkward moments during the interview, which began and ended with Mallett being asked about the Heisman Trophy. Like he did this summer when the Hesiman Trophy was brought up on ESPN's College Football Live, Mallett preferred instead to turn the focus on the Razorbacks and their hopes for the season.

To open the segment Mallett was asked by Canidate about his being mentioned as a candidate and he said:

“That’s a great honor, but my worries are about getting my team to Atlanta right now. Just to be mentioned with those other guys is a pretty big honor for me.”

To close the segment Mallett was asked by the host  “Ryan Mallett wins the Hesiman Trophy for the 2010 season if..” and he finished by saying:

“The Razorbacks win the SEC championship and the national championship game.”

Mallett set or tied 16 school records in 2009 as he threw for 3,624 yards with 30 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Arkansas was 8-5 with a Liberty Bowl victory, but he told ESPN2’s First Take the team should have done better.

“We felt like we easily could have been 10-3," Mallett said.

Arkansas and Mallett will attempt to improve on last year when the season opens Friday Saturday against Tennessee Tech.

Sometime after the game, Mallett will no doubt celebrate with a  shower.

Tagged: ESPN, First Take, Arkansas Razorbacks, Ryan Mallett, Showering