2007 Arkansas Razorbacks College Football Picks & Predictions


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

You know the SEC is stacked when Arkansas is projected to be the fourth best team in the conference and they are ranked 14th to start the season. To win the SEC Championship and a BCS bowl, the Razorbacks must improve their passing game. But obviously they are going to win games consistently by being able to run the ball. That is how things have been since Houston Nutt took the helm as Arkansas head coach in 1998.

Bet our Arkansas Football Predictions at Betus and get a 50% Signup Bonus and free premium picks from our handicappers!

David Lee takes over as the offensive coordinator after being the old quarterbacks coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys. He has the best 1-2 combination of running backs in the country with junior running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. McFadden won the Doak Walker Award and finished second in Heisman voting after rushing for 1,647 yards. McFadden could have piled on more yards if it had not been for Jones’ production in gaining 1,168 yards himself. The problem for these studs is that only two starters return on the offensive line.

Jonathan Luigs was an All-SEC caliber player last season. Senior Robert Felton is a three-year starting guard who can play any position on the line. Peyton Hillis is a great blocker at fullback and also catches balls out of the backfield. Casey Dick is the only proven quarterback, but completed less than 50 percent of his passes last season. This was terrible considering how effectively the Razorbacks ran the ball. When they have opposing defenses stacking the line to stop the run, Dick has to be able to complete at a much higher rate for Arkansas to be effective. Dick has a 6-6 senior standout in Marcus Monk at the wide receiver position. Monk had 11 touchdown grabs last season.

Defensive coordinator Reggie Herring lost end Jamaal Anderson and cornerback Chris Houston a year early to the NFL Draft. He also lost a ton of players in the spring practice due to injury and told reporters to not even watch the spring game and to come back when they were healthy. They lost senior Marcus Harrison to a torn ACL in the spring and there is almost no way he will be healthy enough to come back down the road in 2007. On the bright side, outside linebacker Freddie Fairchild and safety Michael Grant return for this season after having to sit out the 2006 run with season-ending knee surgeries.

Sophomore Malcolm Sheppard emerged in the spring as a standout defensive end to go along with talented returning starter Antwain Robinson. Senior middle linebacker Weston Dacus is a force. Ryan Powers heads a promising sophomore class at outside linebacker to compliment Dacus. Sophomore Jerrell Norton showed a lot of promise when moving from safety to a key cornerback position in the spring. This team has a few holes to fill on defense still and that will be the main concern for Razorbacks’ football in 2007. But with Darren McFadden leading a talented offense and Nutt’s knack to motivate, there is potential for another 10-win season and possibly a BCS bowl bid.

Related Articles You May Be Interested In:

Filed Under College Football