Nutt's Status Still Up In Air
Last updated Saturday, November 17, 2007 9:50 PM CST in Columns
By Harry King
THE MORNING NEWS
LITTLE ROCK -- Itching to write the definitive column on the status of Houston Nutt, I couldn't circumvent a big what-if.
Call it far-fetched, but how about a 2-0 finish by Arkansas, including a road victory over the No. 1 team in the country, and a Cotton Bowl invite against Texas or Oklahoma? What then?
I don't think the Razorbacks will beat LSU on Friday, but Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32 and Stanford 24, USC 23 were incomprehensible prior to them happening.
There are some who believe the die is cast, that Nutt is gone whether the W-L record is 8-4 or 7-5. Those people say that 8-4 only makes him more marketable.
If that is the case, we're back to square one and the exit strategy that enables him to pocket a bonus of more than $1 million and deferred compensation of about $1.5 million.
The 45-31 victory over Mississippi State was in its infancy when a seatmate who monitors the Web reported that Mike Singletary would be the head coach at Baylor, according to ESPN. The network report came 24 hours after the Nutt-to-Baylor rumor surfaced again. The one catch about Nutt's reported departure -- he does not have a job locked up -- is that it will be a week or more before some jobs are open, and he's not stepping aside without a buyout.
I'll be surprised if anything happens before next weekend and just as surprised if it's still undecided 72 hours after LSU.
Chancellor John White is not one to get caught unaware and he will spend some time this week reviewing the possible scenarios, including the fallout from a victory in Baton Rouge.
He would also consider the what-ifs:
* Arkansas loses to LSU and Nutt resigns to take another job.
* Arkansas loses to LSU and Nutt resigns without another job.
* Arkansas loses to LSU and Nutt refuses to resign.
Identified in the scoring summary as a 57-yard touchdown pass, the clincher over Mississippi State was a short toss from Casey Dick to Darren McFadden. Dick made it possible by stepping up inside the rush and MSU helped by losing track of McFadden only moments after doubling him on a screen.
Arkansas kept alive the possibility of 8-4 by producing 429 yards without a contribution from Felix Jones. That, in itself, is remarkable. Just as surprising is the fact that Robert Johnson and Farod Jackson each caught a touchdown pass of some length. Marcus Monk also grabbed a heave-ho in the end zone between two defenders, a reminder that he can contribute even when he's less than full speed.
Runs of 11, 13, and 17 yards were important in the drive for the go-ahead touchdown and all three came with McFadden taking the snap, flanked by Peyton Hillis and Michael Smith. Twice, McFadden handed to Hillis, setting up a fake to Hillis and a keep. When Dick returned to the field, there were some boos. I wondered where those people were three plays later when Jackson slipped out of the backfield and into the left flat where Dick found him. Hillis cut off the final defender on the 30-yard scoring play for 10-7.
Dick was 13-of-15 for 193 yards through three quarters and Arkansas was in front 31-17. The Bulldogs opened the final period by failing on second-and-2 and third-and-2, the latter when Matt Hewitt was waiting for Christian Ducre on a draw.
Only a turnover away from encouraging the Bulldogs, the Razorbacks never fumbled and Dick forced maybe one and was never picked off. Wesley Carroll, who set an MSU record by throwing 137 without an interception, tossed four on Saturday.
For the Razorbacks, the immediate benefit is that they move ahead of MSU in the eyes of the bowl committees.
Folks from Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis, and Shreveport watched the Razorbacks against a Mississippi State team that had won at Auburn and Kentucky and could have finished tied for second in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference.
Both Dallas and Atlanta are inaccessible at 7-5. But, 8-4 would be big on many fronts.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
About this columnist
The dean of Arkansas sports writers, Harry King updates his column five days per week with the latest on the Razorbacks. A 35-year veteran of The Associated Press, King joined the Arkansas News Bureau in May of 2002. He's covered the Razorbacks since the Arkansas-Texas game dubbed the Big Shootout in 1969.
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