Arkansas Report Card Vs. North Texas

Quarterbacks — A- Starter Casey Dick will probably never pass for 300 yards in a game, but Arkansas’ coaches aren’t asking him to, either. This was the type of game the coaches would like to see from him.

Dick threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns and avoided turning over the football. Backup Nathan Emert was effective in his limited playing time, except for his fumble at the goal line. The former Shiloh Christian star completed 3 of 4 passes for 57 yards.



Running Backs — A+

It’s hard to argue with three running backs rushing for more than 100 yards each. Even backup Brandon Barnett’s fumble at the goal line couldn’t dampen the backfield’s impressive night. Darren McFadden rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and Felix Jones added 132 yards and two scores before they were both replaced in the second half. Jones averaged 18.9 yards per carry.



Wide Receivers — A-

Sure, the wide receivers dropped a few passes. But they also came up big, particularly early on. London Crawford caught a 61-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that got things going, and Robert Johnson made a great adjustment to catch a 37-yard touchdown pass less than a minute into the second quarter. Even Lucas Miller caught his first career touchdown pass.



Offensive Line — A+

Arkansas’ front line continued its dominance this season by not allowing North Texas to record a single sack. At the same time, the offensive line opened up enough holes for McFadden, Jones and Barnett to each rush for more than 100 yards and score at least one touchdown.



Defensive Line — B

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt admitted that his defensive line needs to get more pressure on the quarterback. Defensive ends Adrian Davis and Damario Ambrose each recorded a half-sack, but that was it. Ambrose had a productive day, but backup defensive tackle Marcus Harrison continues to struggle.



Linebackers — B+

The decision to get Elston Forte more work at weakside linebacker paid off. He recorded eight tackles, forced a fumble and got a good shot on a North Texas quarterback. Meanwhile, linebacker Freddie Fairchild got a sack, and Dacus added a half-sack.



Secondary — A+

Even before cornerback Jerell Norton returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, Arkansas’ secondary had looked impressive. Starting cornerbacks Michael Grant and Matterral Richardson didn’t let either of North Texas’ two quarterbacks get into a rhythm, and the Razorbacks gave up just 189 yards on 15 of 41 passing. And of course, there was Norton’s school-record interception return.



Special Teams — B

Freshman Alex Tejada was bound to miss a field goal eventually. It finally came at the end of the first half when he hooked a 44-yard attempt wide left. Still, he made a 39-yard field goal earlier in the game, and he connected on all nine of his extra-point attempts. The punt return must get better, though.



Coaching — A

Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee admitted he put in some short, high-percentage passes to help Dick’s confidence early on. Lee also did a good job of mixing up the playcalling and taking some chances downfield. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Reggie Herring kept North Texas’ pass-friendly, Spread offense in check.