Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/2/2011 at 1:00pm

Image by Mark Wagner

That play card in Bobby Petrino's hand could have a different look for the Arkansas offense in 2011.

Quiz Arkansas offensive players about what they hope to get out of Saturday’s game with Missouri State and the answers given are fairly generic. Quarterback Tyler Wilson is zero — and I mean, ZERO — help.

“It's our job to come out and be crisp and execute the way we can execute.” Wilson told reporters earlier this week. “We have to go out and do what we can do.”

Initial reaction: Gee, thanks for the insight, Tyler.

Execute. Score more than the other team. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Upon further review, though, maybe there’s more to Wilson’s statement than what appears on first glance. He’s not being intentionally vague with his answer.

Think about it. What exactly does this offense do?  

Until we see the 2011 Razorbacks in action for a game or two, strengths and weaknesses of this group will be up for debate. Even with six offensive starters returning, things have changed and the offense will have a different feel than the one that stretched defenses with deep passes and outside running a year ago.

Arkansas meets Missouri State at 6 p.m. Saturday with a quarterback who hasn’t started a game since 2007, his senior year at Greenwood High. Major pieces of the offensive line and D.J. Williams, the best tight end in the country in 2010, have departed. Leading rusher Knile Davis is out for the season with a broken ankle. The go-to for goal-line/short-yardage situations, Broderick Green, is out as well.

Replacing last year’s key contributors are guys with vastly different skill sets than their predecessors, something I’ll detail further in a bit. Even Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino seems intrigued by the possibilities.

“We’ve got to get in a game, get in a couple games and find out what it is we do well, who we believe in, where we’re going to run the ball, how we’re going to get the ball to our playmakers,” Petrino said.

Not that Petrino doubts his team.

Petrino and staff recruited and coached these players. They have helped develop them with an assist from the strength and conditioning staff and hours of film study.

Ultimately, Petrino feels the pieces are there to build an effective offense. But like a kid staring at pile of Legos on the floor in front of him, this is an unfinished product. Eventually, the parts could fit into something cool, but for now, it’s a just a bunch of stuff that works well together in theory, but not in practice. Not yet.

Since arriving in Fayetteville, Petrino has steadily improved the offense. Every major statistical category for offense has improved in Petrino’s three seasons here, except one. Rushing yards were actually down from 2009 to 2010, though average per carry increased. And nobody could argue the running game wasn't better in 2010 than the previous two seasons.

This offense will move the football. It just remains to be seen exactly how.

How thick Arkansas’ playbook is under Petrino has been well documented. Freshman tailback Kody Walker described it a few weeks ago as being thick like “a dictionary.” Petrino has illustrated the size by holding his hands far enough apart you could fit between them one of those old school, large-print Holy Bibles that your grandma kept on her coffee table.

Personnel strengths will dictate what pages of that playbook Petrino uses. He’s well known for tailoring to fit available players.

Practice has given Arkansas’ staff some idea of what they have to work with this year.

• Wilson doesn't have Ryan Mallett's cannon, but he is an accurate passer, even on the run. That should unlock the quick-passing game and play-action portions of the playbook.

• Believe it or not, running straight will be a strength thanks to this revamped offensive line. Once they figure out how to block on the edges — something tight end Colton Miles-Nash can help with — the offense will be more of a threat on outside running plays as well. Ronnie Wingo Jr., DeAnthony Curtis and Dennis Johnson (when healthy) should be able to run effectively.

• Nobody, of course, doubts the ability of Arkansas’ wide receiver corps, widely considered to be among – if not THE – best in the country. Back are 80 percent of the receiving yards from 2010, including Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Cobi Hamilton and Jarius Wright. Don’t forget that freshman Marquel Wade has significant playmaking ability and there’s a talent group of sophomore receivers that are capable of contributing.

Hamilton has joked the team could easily go “five-wide” on offense for extended periods if needed. Defensive coordinators at least hope he's joking.

To recap: Arkansas has added playmakers at receiver. Runs straight ahead better. Has a quarterback who throws better on the run and can make plays with his feet.

On paper it sounds like the makings of another great Petrino offense.

Arkansas will give us a glimpse on Saturday. Now it’s up to the Razorbacks to – as Wilson puts it — be crisp, execute and do what they can do.

Whatever that winds up being.

Tagged: Cobi Hamilton, Greg Childs, Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Ronnie Wingo Jr., Marquel Wade, Missouri State Bears, Bobby Petrino, D.J. Williams, Tyler Wilson, Colton Miles Nash, Alvin Bailey, Arkansas Razorbacks