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Where Has The Creativity Gone?

Last updated Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:23 PM CDT
in Razorback Central

By Alex Abrams
THE MORNING NEWS

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FAYETTEVILLE -- Where has the WildHog gone? And to a greater extent, what happened to the creativity in Arkansas' offense?

That seems to be the question fans and reporters have been asking as they've watched the Razorbacks settle into a rather predictable offense based on play-action passes and straight-ahead runs.

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt vowed earlier this week that the offense would get more creative, particularly in the passing game.

But over the first half of the season, the Razorbacks (3-3, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) have gotten away from some of the trickery that contributed to last season's 10-4 record.

Running back Darren McFadden hasn't been lining up at quarterback as much in the WildHog formation. And to the dismay of fans, the offense has taken a more conservative approach in David Lee's first year as offensive coordinator.

"You can't just come out and start shooting home runs," said Lee, who replaced former Springdale High coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator. "You've got to try to establish something."

The absence of the WildHog formation has been one of the more noticeable differences between this year's offense and the one from a year ago.

The formation, which was known as the Wildcat last season, is still used sparingly. Arkansas ran four plays out of the WildHog formation in last Saturday's 9-7 loss to No. 18 Auburn.

But that's a far drop-off compared to the end of the 2006 regular season when the Razorbacks used it 14 times against Tennessee, 10 times against Mississippi State and a season-high 16 times against LSU.

"We just haven't put it in the game plan," McFadden said. "I can't say why we haven't run the thing. It's just something we haven't run that much this year."

A year ago, the formation caused a stir nationally and helped McFadden finish second in the Heisman Trophy race.

Fans and Heisman voters were excited by the idea of McFadden lining up at quarterback, taking the direct snap and having the option to either run the football, hand it off to fellow tailback Felix Jones or pass it.

Lee and Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said that opposing defenses have caught up to the Razorbacks, which is why the WildHog formation hasn't been used nearly as much this season.

"The element of surprise is so big in football, and that (formation) was the surprise thing last year. Nobody had any research on it. Nobody knew where it came from," Lee said. "Everybody researched it this past offseason, so it's not as effective as we'd like."

Arkansas' offense, however, has struggled over the past two weeks to gain yards and score points. And with defenses determined to contain McFadden and Jones, the popular assumption is that the Razorbacks would try to get more creative with their playcalling.

That hasn't necessarily been the case, though.

Nutt and Lee have relied heavily on draw plays, play-action passes and off-tackle runs.

"When you call a play, you don't expect the play to get one yard or minus-one yard," Nutt said. "You don't call a play to McFadden and think, 'OK, this is going to go for just one (yard)."

The Razorbacks didn't need to use much trickery over the first month of the season. They averaged 44.7 points and 541.2 yards of total offense through the first four games.

But with Arkansas trailing 6-0 and needing to score a touchdown in the final minutes against Auburn, Lee turned to a pair of trick plays that had been mostly hidden in his playbook.

McFadden's pass to wide receiver London Crawford out of the WildHog formation drew a pass interference penalty. On the next play, quarterback Casey Dick tossed the football to wide receiver Robert Johnson, who lobbed it downfield to fullback Peyton Hillis for a 15-yard gain.

The Razorbacks scored their only touchdown of the night six plays later, though they ended up losing in the final seconds. Still, some of the creativity in the offense has been missing.

So has McFadden gone to Arkansas' coaches and asked for them to give him a chance to make a play out of the WildHog formation? No, that's not his style.

"I just try to go with the coaches' call because they've been doing this for a lot longer than me," McFadden said.

Less WildHog

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt has vowed that there will be more creativity in the offense when the Razorbacks face Ole Miss at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Coincidentally, Arkansas debuted the WildHog formation -- in which running back Darren McFadden takes the direct snap at quarterback -- in last year's 38-3 win over Ole Miss.

But the WildHog hasn't been used as much so far this season compared to the 2006 regular season:

2006 Regular Season

Opponent Plays Yards Touchdowns Yards Per Play

Ole Miss 5 29 1 5.8

ULM 3 23 2 7.6

South Carolina 4 66 0 16.5

Tennessee 14 121 3 8.6

Miss. State 10 77 1 7.7

LSU 16 136 1 8.5

Total 52 452 8 8.6

2007 Regular Season

Opponent Plays Yards Touchdowns Yards Per Play

Troy 5 48 1 9.6

Alabama 7 21 1 3.0

Kentucky 8 81 1 10.13

North Texas 1 12 12.0

Chattanooga 1 -15 yards -15.0 (fumble on snap)

Auburn 4 20 0 5.0

Total 26 167 3 6.4



Reader Comments (27 comment(s))


The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.

Bighog wrote on Oct 16, 2007 10:14 PM:

" Is it time for Hawgball yet? I miss Nolan! But this Pelphrey, he may just be the one turn our b-ball program around. He certainly inherited (and added to) a pantry full of talent. .... still, maybe we can end up with a winning season and reward D-Mac with the Heisman, and the team with Bowl (any bowl is a reward for the kids hard work). "

tcstlh2o wrote on Oct 16, 2007 10:24 PM:

" Wildhog??? I thought it was called the wild cat package last year?? Of course it worked so well last year, guess Nutt is scared to call it the same thing this year in hopes of a different result, and it looks to be working, errr not working???????? "

Dallashogfan wrote on Oct 17, 2007 12:18 AM:

" Wildhog doesn't work as well without Monk and Cleveland. If Dick can't get it to receivers, do you think McFadden will? Oh yah, that's right. It is Nutt's fault. No it's Lee's fault. Well it must be someone's fault. "

misshog wrote on Oct 17, 2007 5:52 AM:

" let's look at this objectively, we get david lee from the cowboys, cowboy offense on fire this year, hog offense is run just like nutt likes it, boring and predictable. no chance in nutt going to nebraska now that pederson is gone, oh well "

MIsterE wrote on Oct 17, 2007 6:31 AM:

" Mr. Lee, you are correct about not coming out and hitting home runs....that is IF you don't even try. "

12247 wrote on Oct 17, 2007 6:50 AM:

" While some of us make every excuse for our Hogs and their failure, Tulsa keeps putting up stats against people their size and sometimes bigger.Herb Hand, the o-line coach took a line that was susposed to be a liability and they are execellent. Replacing 3 starters, the line had only 2 holding penalties the first 5 games including games against BYU and OK. Like Hand says, No player cares how much you know until they know how much you care. A.J. Whitmore, the Landers Award winner from Nashville, AR is doing great. D-mac won the award in 04 and Damien Williams won it in 05. Susposed to go to the best player in Ark. in a given year. Whitmore is used where blinding speed is a premium. Mostly used on reverses and wildcat formation plays, he also returns kicks. First time he touched the ball this year it went for a TD. Point is, while Arkansas lives and dies by the excuse and promise, up the road in Tulsa, where they have the same problems and needed adjustments as most any football team, things are going well. their coaching staff trys to develop players and stragety that works with what they got. It seems to be working. "

razorrod wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:08 AM:

" Anybody catch Mike Irwin yesterday. i am providing the link just in case. About time someone said something. I will also try and copy and paste it as it was said in my following post for those of you that can't watch at work. http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=7222177&nav=menu151_3 "

razorrod wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:09 AM:

" I just want to say thank you to Mike who has never been afraid to say what needs to be said about things on the hill. Kuddos to you my friend. I am certain it will ruffle the feathers of huggers,Nutt Family memebers, and the posse, but who really cares. Wish more did it your way Mike. Thanks Jeff "

NEW TULSA FAN wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:11 AM:

" Last year Malzahn was handcuffed by the Huckster but he still brought an element of unpredictability to the offense. As you may remember he pulled a couple of what some people would call trick plays out of his playbook to help win the Alabama game and jump start the Hogs. You never heard the Huckster praise Malzahn even when he won the Rivals Offensive Coach of the Year award. Somehow there seemed to be an element of resentment on the part of the Huckster and the rest of the coaching staff who referred to Malzahn as "high school". The Huckster ended up running off a really good offensive coach in favor of David Lee who I guess is more aligned with the Huckster's philosophy (boring and predictable). What's up with that? Did someone force the Huckster to hire Malzahn? "

razorrod wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:17 AM:

" "new tulsa fan" Yes he was forced to hire Malzahn. You bet your buttocks he was. Pressure from a few board members and I won't mention names on here. Watch that Video that I posted the link for. "

Hoggish1 wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:33 AM:

" Nutt, It's time to open it up. you are playing to salvage your career at whatever school would have you. You need a bunch of wins to get to a mid major HC position. So, rev it up, boy. "

thesportsgod wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:40 AM:

" Where has all the creativity gone? I can remember only one year that Arkansas has had any creativity in their offense in the past 10 years. The man who brought that creativity went about 90 miles west. Why should we be expecting creativity when their are no creative minds up there. I swear I saw David Lee holding last year's playbook during that final drive. "

bigtimenutthater wrote on Oct 17, 2007 9:12 AM:

" The lack of creativity is hand in hand with HDN's ego. The creativity left when Nutt exercised his ego and pushed Malzahn out so he could get his good ol buddy David Lee a job because Parcells was leaving and noboy else was going to hire Lee. Not to worry though, we will have a new coach, and a new o coordinator next year. Nutt's failures are finally catching up to him, and change is on the way! Houston and David Lee can sit around and think about it all until 2012. "

HawgCowboy wrote on Oct 17, 2007 9:55 AM:

" Look for David Lee to be fired by Nutt if Lee doesn't leave at the end of this year. Why? Lee told the truth about Monk's condition...that being that Monk can't even go against defensive backs in practice yet.....four days after Nutt put Monk in a game. Lee has integrity and honor enough to say what is best for Monk's best interests...not best Nutt's record in the next 4 to 6 games. "

Bama Hog wrote on Oct 17, 2007 10:25 AM:

" To Tulsa. "

imsivanho wrote on Oct 17, 2007 10:35 AM:

" I have all of last year's game's on tape. I guess I'll just pull out the Ol' Miss game and watch it and then turn on the radio to see if we win this year, just like I did last week. Where is Malzhan when you need him? "

Semperhog wrote on Oct 17, 2007 10:50 AM:

" I think given free rein and time David Lee could get some offense going but he won't have the time if things keep going the way they are. Casey Dick is not to blame either because he is what he is, a good QB. Is he a SEC QB probably not. Who is he going to throw to Hillis, usually cover 2, Monk, out, Fish, can't see him over the yard lines or sorry the defense most the time. The list goes on and on, the bottom line is no receivers no passing offense. That goes back on head the coach. He had some talent but they transfered and now it is biting him in the backside. Monk is good for sure but if he comes back this season other teams are going to cover him like white on rice because he is the only true weapon on the deep routes that we have. "

Semperhog wrote on Oct 17, 2007 10:52 AM:

" I will admit injuries have played a role but that is the same for every team so that is an excuse not a reason. "

KentuckyHogFan wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:27 AM:

" The first thing the new AD needs to do is send HDN packing and hire Gus as head coach. AR football is becoming a joke. It's bad when Kentucky fans are making fun of the Hogs!! "

southern hog wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:53 AM:

" Ditto, Bama Hog! "

dfwhogfan1 wrote on Oct 17, 2007 12:10 PM:

" Semperhog...Lee did have free rein on saturday (know this for a fact) but from what I gather he tightened up until that last drive but that takes us back to H and why did he not get on him to open it up sooner. Therein lies why I am starting to come to the conclusion that a change will be necessary at the end of the year. Also, nobody has talked about this from what I have seen but why in the heck do you call for a pooch kick at the end of the game??? We just gave them 20 yards. You tell your kicker to knock it into the south end zone for gosh sakes!!!! H should of never allowed that to happen and it was just plain stupid!!!! "

12247 wrote on Oct 17, 2007 12:55 PM:

" The problem with coach Nutt's creativity is that he has no idea when to use it. I suspect Nutt told Varva to kick the ball to the sideline and short to keep the better players from touching it. Most coaches would have seen the danger there like popping it up or going out of bounds, but not Nutt. Alabama where he throws on third and 7 from his own endzone early in the game resulting in int. and short TD. Houston thinks putting D-mac at receiver is inovative. Why take your best weapon and stand him completely out of the game. He hasn't practiced pass receiving doesn't know much about the routes and we can't throw it to him anyway. Nutt runs 1 back formations with an offense that can't pass therefore that 1 back draws all the attention. In this article, Lee said, you can't just come out and start shooting home runs. Why? Last thing any defense would expect is us going home run on the first play of a game. Nobody has really caught up with the wildhog and Cleveland and Monk are not the difference. Its basically 3 plays, hand to #25, #5 run, or throw over the middle short. You could sweep the end with 22& 25, plus a guard leading #5. You could roll and throw, reverse, double reverse, etc.. Nutt and creativity = 3 yr olds and knives, dangerous. "

Tarza wrote on Oct 17, 2007 1:07 PM:

" Creativity, Nutt? So Nutt and Lee both mention that other teams have caught up to the Razorbacks, so that is why the WildHog has not been used much? Could it be, Houston, that other teams now know about McFadden and Jones and know how to better devise schemes against them? Could it be, Houston, that other teams know that you have not had a passing game since Clint Stoerner and to defense against Arkansas' annual "Ground Hog" offense? Could it be, Houston, that other teams know that you have run off the best potential quarterback the university has ever had and don't have a passing game with the current QB's? Could it be, Houston, that other teams could care a less about your statements regarding "we really need Marcus Monk"? Could it be, Houston, that we as fans are tired of your constant excuses? Could it be, Houston, that we as fans think you are grossly over-paid based upon what you have accomplished? Enough said. You can always rely on Meng to tell you how it is... the whole truth and nothing but the truth!!! "

Semperhog wrote on Oct 17, 2007 1:08 PM:

" dfwhogfan1, I agree with you. I mean letting Lee have total offensive control. That is something that I am not so sure he will ever get. If the boss is micro managing every play you call you are going to tighten up. He is going with the cards he has been dealt. We do have to give Auburn some of teh credit though. They have a tough D but we blew several chances. "

Txrzrbak wrote on Oct 17, 2007 1:27 PM:

" Any and all creativity left w/ the housecleaning that the finger nail chewin, love that helmet, we were so close, we bounced around good today head coach ran off. Any more special Nuttisms that I forgot? And to think certain fans think that airplanes & shirts are killing the program. They're not killing it, its been in critical condition for 8 years, with an upgrade in condition last year, but now it's it a friggin coma thanks to Dr. HoustonKervorkian. "

neutral wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:44 PM:

" It all goes back to the fans. If youdon't want H there, don't go. You have to pay to get in. no matter what color shirt you wear. If the stands were near empty, don't you think he would be gone,, and quick. "

thesportsgod wrote on Oct 22, 2007 5:21 PM:

" HawgCowboy, quit fantasizing that Monk is coming back next year. He has said himself that he has no intentions of redshirtting. "


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