Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

10/27/2010 at 1:54pm

FAYETTEVILLE — Bobby Petrino prefers not to look at his Aug. 30 comments to Ken Hatfield as a promise.

Petrino was headlining a preseason football banquet when the subject of punt returns came up. Petrino looked into the audience and found Hatfield, the former Razorback coach and punt return specialist. Petrino said: “Coach Hatfield, we’re going to get a punt return for a TD this year.”

Reminded of that earlier this week, Petrino downplayed his comments somewhat. He stutter-stepped when the word “promise” was used to describe the moment.

“I said we’re going to get one for him. You know, like he used to do,” Petrino said. “I just remember sitting on my patio one day when I first got here and all of a sudden on TV came across a special on the championship team, the 1964 championship team. I didn’t realize until that point that it was Coach Hatfield returning all those punts. So, I told him at that opening banquet that we’ve got to get a punt return for him, in memory of him because of how well he did it.”

Whatever Petrino prefers to call it — promise, wishful thinking, politicking, conversation filler — Arkansas made good on it. Receiver Joe Adams didn’t just run a punt back for a touchdown, he broke Hatfield’s school record with a 97-yarder.

When quarterback Ryan Mallett is seemingly breaking records with each flick of his wrist — 34 and counting — sometimes historical efforts go unnoticed. Not this one.

Hatfield is one of the few Razorbacks players that can actually claim a national title. He was part of the 1964 team that all other Arkansas teams are judged by.

So, to break a Hatfield record means something. Not to mention Hatfield is also responsible for the highest winning percentage of any modern-era Razorback coach.

Impressive company. And Adams made it sound so easy.

Know how electrifying Adams comes across on the field? That’s how nonchalant he comes across off the field. His answer on how he wound up with the longest punt return in school history was like one big shoulder shrug.

You could tell Adams respected the moment. He gave lots of credit to his blockers and showed reverence for Hatfield. Still, Adams came across as a guy who expects to collect 97-yard punt returns every time he touches the ball.

“When I caught it, I never looked down,” Adams said. “I just took off running.”

Returning a punt is undoubtedly harder than Adams makes it sound or look.

Arkansas hasn’t had much luck doing it consistently since, well, Hatfield was returning punts. Only 12 times since Hatfield’s 1965 season have the Razorbacks had a return man that averaged double-digits. That’s 12 times in 45 years.

Currently, Adams is averaging 19.2 yards per return. At this rate, Adams would be the top punt returner in school history, besting Johnny Cole, who averaged 18.31 yards per return in 1950.

There hasn’t been a threat to return punts for a touchdown since Marvin Jackson last decade. He had a 73-yarder for a touchdown in 2003 against New Mexico State that stands as the last punt return for a score. Jackson had another one in 2001, but you have to go back to 1992 to find somebody that did it twice in a year. Orlando Waters had two in 1992, and Gary Adams did it in 1968.

Don’t be surprised if Adams — if healthy — does it again this year. Adams is currently sidelined with an ankle injury suffered after his record-setting return, but he has the speed, vision and elusiveness needed to make it happen again.

It looked like Adams had a touchdown at Georgia earlier this year. He had a 62-yarder wiped out because of a penalty. Adams sort of shrugged it off and figured there would be more opportunities.

Adams wasn’t in attendance when Petrino acknowledged Hatfield. He didn’t hear Petrino claim a punt return touchdown was coming, but Adams did hear about it.

Not surprisingly, Adams said he didn’t feel any burden to produce because of Petrino’s statement.

“There was no pressure,” Adams said. “Whenever they give me a chance to catch, and I’ve got good guys blocking, I’ll probably return more.”

Promise?

Tagged: Bobby Petrino, Ken Hatfield, Joe Adams, Arkansas Razorbacks