Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

10/31/2010 at 8:31am

Image by Mark Wagner

Ryan Mallett set a school record with 409 yards passing. He had three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 49-14 victory against Vanderbilt. And Mallett did it with his top receivers either out or limited by injury.

FAYETTEVILLE — As time ticked off the Reynolds Razorback Stadium clock Saturday, Ryan Mallett was relegated to the sidelines for a third consecutive week. Only this time, he could enjoy his view.

A concussion knocked him out at Auburn. It was a bruised shoulder that kept him off the field last week against Ole Miss.

Mallett didn’t exit Saturday because he was hurt. This time it was Mallett dishing out the pain in a 49-14 victory that clinched bowl eligibility for the No. 19 Razorbacks (6-2, 3-2). He left with a new school record for passing (409) and seemingly left with questions about his health answered.

“It was a lot better than coming out the way I did than the last two weeks. No question about it,” Mallett said. “… We put a lot of points on the board.”

Indeed.

It would be easy to chalk Mallett’s night up to playing Vanderbilt (2-6, 1-4). No SEC team is as consistently bad as the Commodores. Mallett, who completed 61 percent of his passes, just picked on a team he was supposed to, right?

But Arkansas was short-handed and down a playmaker or two. Mallett’s fourth 400-plus yard passing game wasn't easy to see coming.

Wide receiver Joe Adams didn’t play. Jarius Wright played early, but missed a stretch of the second half after getting dehydrated. Greg Childs left the game late with what appeared to be a knee injury, meaning at one point Mallett’s wide receivers were primarily first and second year guys who are still learning the complex Petrino passing system.

Not a problem for Mallett. He completed passes to eight different players. Wright finished with two touchdowns, including his first of the season. Tight end D.J. Williams also had his first touchdown catch of the season.

Mallett, who didn’t throw an interception, described Saturday’s effort as “pitch and catch.” He seemed to read the defense as well as he had before he suffered the concussion at Auburn. And the shoulder bruise that took away strength in his arm didn’t seem to be an issue as he moved into second on the Razorbacks’ career passing list.

“I thought he was really focused,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. “He came out today and really read the defense well and threw the ball well.”

Maybe Mallett isn't a Heisman Trophy candidate any more. But he's pretty dang good, especially for a guy that has dealt with questions about his health since two offseason surgeries.

On Tuesday Mallett told reporters he felt “100-percent.” Considering he’d been knocked out two consecutive weeks, it was met with some degree of skepticism.

A reporter asked Mallett after the game, “So you really did feel good?” What followed was classic Mallett.

“Yeah. Have I ever lied to you?” Mallett asked back, smiling. “Alright then. I hope there’s no more questions about it now.”

As injuries go, the only question seems to be why exactly Mallett, Childs and other key players were still in the game with a two-touchdown lead and the game in the fourth quarter. Childs appeared to hurt his knee about 30 seconds into the final period and his status is unknown.

What we do know is that Arkansas could sure use a guy like him the next few weeks. Childs leads the team with 46 receptions for 659 yards and six touchdowns and had five catches for 87 yards when he left the game.

Childs athleticism and toughness will be missed if he’s out for an extended period.  South Carolina is up next week. Throw in high-scoring UTEP, coached by one of Petrino’s coaching mentors Mike Price, and then there are two more Top 25 clashes with Mississippi State and LSU.

Mallett could sure use his top playmakers as the quest for 10 wins and a desirable bowl continues. Barring injury, there will not be many more opportunities for Mallett to watch from the sidelines.

Tagged: Greg Childs, D.J. Williams, Arkansas Razorbacks, Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Bobby Petrino, Ryan Mallett, Julian Horton, Vanderbilt Commodores