This was a really exciting game to watch. There are a lot of prospects on both teams and the talent was evident in this contest. LSU held on for the win thanks to a big kick return for a TD in the fourth quarter and some poor play-calling by Arkansas. As good as Arkansas’s new offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn, has made this offense, his inexperience (he was a high school coach—leading Mitch Mustain, Damian Williams, and Ben Cleveland—a year ago) is still evident at times. Arkansas QB Casey D i c k was overmatched all night, completing just 3 of 17 passes. The one pass that he completed for a TD was a poorly thrown mess that Marcus Monk managed to pull in and then did all the work getting to the endzone. But when Arkansas was in crunch time, they put the ball in their QB’s hands and he failed miserably.
Darren McFadden and Felix Jones went hog-wild (pun intended) on the #1 defense in the nation, rushing for 182 and 137 yards respectively. I think that the Arkansas backs (don’t forget Peyton Hillis is an outstanding fullback too) will make people forget about the Reggie Bush-LenDale White backfield and the Cadillac Williams-Ronnie Brown backfields very quickly. They are really that good. If Mitch Mustain (DNP) progresses and becomes a real passing threat as a true sophomore next fall, watch out!
PRO PROSPECTS
College: LSU
Conference: SEC
Columnist: Jeff West
Name - # - Ht - Wt - Speed - Pos - Class
LaRon Landry - 30 - 6' 1.5" - 204 - 4.45 - S - 2007
I’ll admit that I’m not as high on Landry as some are. I’m probably too critical of him at times. He really played an outstanding game. He showed excellent pass coverage, breaking up a pass, intercepting a tipped ball that required great concentration given the tight quarters and short distance between the receiver and himself, and showing excellent closing speed on a dump early in the game. He’s a force as a run stopper, always around the ball and making the big hit. The only negatives were that he got hung up on a few blocks (one by a WR who goes 5-7 and 155#) and he was unable to make a play on the long McFadden TD run which went right past him. (Grade: A-)
JaMarcus Russell - 2 - 6' 6.0" - 260 - 4.75 - QB - 2008
All in all, Russell played a very solid game. He manages the game very well, showing exceptional composure in most instances. He was very accurate, with most of his incompletions more a result of solid pass coverage than poor throws. He has a knack for zipping balls when appropriate and putting nice touch on others. He throws a very easy deep ball that is generally on target. He doesn’t always show good mechanics, as he throws more than half of his passes off his back foot or flat-footed with both feet. When he did throw a bad ball, it was generally a result of the poor mechanics. His size is a big attribute. On one play, his blocking broke down and the rush got to him, wrapping him up around his legs. He was able to stay upright long enough to locate a safety valve (Justin Vincent) and flip him the ball for a 26-yard gain. In this game, his size and strength also hurt him once on a QB sneak. He was fighting for yardage and wasn’t going down, and in doing so, allowed a DT (Keith Jackson) to pry the ball loose for a turnover. (Grade: B+)
Alley Broussard - 22 - 6' 0.0" - 248 - 4.55 - HB - 2008
Russell saw limited playing time, getting about half of his eight carries late in the game when LSU was trying to take time off the clock. He still runs with authority, hitting the hole hard (and creating a hole if one is not there) and making positive yardage each touch. He’s not a threat to take it outside or break a long run, but if you need a couple yards, he’s very reliable (except when he fumbles, as he did while fighting for additional yardage in this game). (Grade: C)
Justin Vincent - 23 - 5' 10.0" - 225 - 4.55 - HB - 2007
Both Broussard and Vincent have lost the bulk of their carries to freshman Keiland Williams. That said, I still think Vincent is draftable this year. He has excellent size and plays faster than his 40 time might indicate. He appears to be a good blocker, recognizing the blitz and picking up his assignments. He worked with the QB on a broken play to get into position to receive the ball and make a big play. He’s just not the type of guy who can take the ball the distance like Williams is. (Grade: B-)
Dwayne Bowe - 80 - 6' 3.0" - 215 - 4.55 - WR - 2007
The Russell-to-Bowe slant play has been very effective all season long. Bowe has the size and strength to create separation at the LOS and then creates YAC with his ability to run over DBs (and destroy smaller LBs like Weston Dacus) and break tackles. He also had repeated success with the WR screen play in this game. When he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he is a willing and effective blocker. (Grade: A)
Craig Davis - 3 - 6' 2.0" - 207 - 4.40 - WR - 2007
“Buster” Davis is the less-heralded of the LSU WRs, but he’s an excellent NFL prospect. He has good size and surprising strength to complement his deep speed. He really sells his routes, more so than the other WRs and is able to get behind the coverage. He’s not quite the blocker that Bowe is, but he gives the effort. (Grade: B+)
Brian Johnson - 75 - 6' 4.0" - 307 - 5.25 - OG - 2007
Johnson played an average game. He wasn’t opening up too many holes on the inside, but he did hold up pretty well in pass pro. He’s got excellent size and moves well enough, but he’s not dominant in any phase of the game. I think he’ll be a UDFA reserve lineman in the NFL who should benefit greatly from coaching and NFL strength training. Right now he’s nothing special. (Grade: C)
Chase Pittman - 94 - 6' 5.0" - 273 - 4.75 - DE - 2007
Pittman struggled a bit with Ugoh. He was overmatched physically, but was able to take advantage of some miscues by the blocker and got in to make a few plays. Pittman shows his experience by playing smart. He doesn’t bite on misdirection and stayed home to make a nice tackle on a reverse. In fact, both of his solo tackles came on misdirection plays. This wasn’t one of his better games and he hasn’t played nearly as well as he did as a junior. (Grade: C)
Jessie Daniels - 31 - 6' 0.0" - 205 - 4.55 - S - 2007
Daniels was coming off hamstring and knee injuries that hampered him the in past couple games, but he looked very solid in pass coverage, breaking up a pass early and then getting heavily involved defending against the run. He’s a sure tackler. He was able to track down a couple runs from behind, so he still is able to run well. (Grade: B )
Jacob Hester - 18 - 6' 0.0" - 230 - 4.70 - FB - 2008
He’s a powerful north/south runner. He’s not going to make anyone miss, but he’ll run you over if you’re even a little off-balance. He has good hands out of the backfield and is very effective as an outlet receiver. (Grade: B )
Will Arnold - 73 - 6' 4.0" - 319 - 5.25 - OG - 2008
DNP – Injury
Glenn Dorsey - 72 - 6' 2.0" - 300 - 5.15 - DT - 2008
Dorsey, even as a junior, appears to be a man amongst boys at times. He gets off the snap quickly and effectively. He can either beat his opponent with his quickness or his strength, as he possesses ample amounts of each. He gave a pretty good LG (Stephen Parker) fits all day long. He’s able to get off blocks fairly easily just by using his arms to push and disengage. He’s looking more and more like a first round pick should he declare for the draft a year early. (Grade: A)
Chevis Jackson - 21 - 6' 0.0" - 190 - 4.40 - CB - 2008
Chevis Jackson’s progress this season is not only notable, it’s remarkable. He provided outstanding coverage on the receivers all night. He shows exceptional speed and quickness and anticipates well. He’s also able to read the run and come up to support. He shows good form as a tackler, although he took the wrong angle on a RB a couple times and missed completely. (Grade: B+)
Ali Highsmith - 7 - 6' 1.0" - 225 - 4.55 - LB - 2008
Ali Highsmith got juked out of a tackle and then assisted on a tackle—both on the first defensive series. Then I heard he injured his ankle and I didn’t see him again. (Grade: INC)
Jonathan Zenon - 19 - 6' 0.0" - 176 - 4.45 - CB - 2008
Zenon was fairly quiet early on. He got beat by Robert Johnson on the pass play from Darren McFadden, and missed a tackle on Marcus Monk (trying to pull the ball loose instead of securing the tackle) when he scored the TD, but was otherwise doing his job in coverage and run support until the final offensive series for Arkansas. He came up very big in crunch time, making two key pass breakups on the series to preserve the game for LSU. He’s still got some improving to do, but that final drive showed me a lot. (Grade: B-)
Players to Watch: LB Jason Spadoni (Sr): He came in to replace Highsmith on the weak side and was very productive. I don’t know that he’s a real prospect, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hook up with a team and make a mark on teams. RB Kieland Williams (Fr): He has displaced Broussard and Vincent as the starter and had a nice game running the ball. He’s a threat to break it long and scored from 29 yards out to get things started for LSU.
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College: Arkansas
Conference: Southeastern
Columnist: Jeff West
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes
Zac Tubbs - 69 - 6' 6.0" - 360 - 5.50 - OT - 2007
Tubbs is a mammoth man on the right side. He battled Tyson Jackson most of the day and did fairly well. He gave up one sack to him, but considering the speed advantage Jackson has, it wasn’t too bad. Tubbs has a nice base once he gets in position and is a tremendous hand fighter. He provides a nice initial jolt to get his man off balance and is able to keep him at bay with repeated punches. If Tubbs gets off balance, which happens once in a while because he lunges too much, he generally ends up on the ground. (Grade: C+)
Tony Ugoh - 66 - 6' 5.0" - 315 - 5.20 - OT - 2007
Ugoh is the smaller and more athletic of the Arkansas tackles. He has very good footwork and shows excellent strength at the point of attack. He walls and seals well on running plays and the backs frequently run off his edge. He’s able to get to the second level as well. Sometimes he doesn’t finish his blocks, however, and on at least one occasion this allowed the defender to make a big play with good second effort. (Grade: B+)
Stephen Parker - 74 - 6' 4.0" - 314 - 5.25 - OG - 2007
Parker is a guy I like at OG, but he was just overmatched against Glenn Dorsey of LSU. It seemed like Dorsey got into his head as Parker made repeated mistakes and got called for a couple costly penalties, including one that helped stall an important fourth quarter drive. Parker is athletic and intense, but sometimes that intensity takes him out of the play. He can pull well enough and is pretty good blocking in space, but a couple times against LSU he slipped out to the second level and then looked utterly lost there. (Grade: D)
Keith Jackson - 99 - 6' 0.0" - 285 - 5.00 - DT - 2007
Keith Jackson is a little undersized in the middle, but he plays with heart. He’s very active and works hard to fight off blocks. He keeps playing until the whistle blows and this was shown clearly on a QB sneak. Russell had gotten the first down on the play, but didn’t go down and kept fighting for an extra yard. Eventually, Jackson made his way back into the play and pulled the ball loose. (Grade: C)
Sam Olajubutu - 24 - 5' 9.0" - 225 - 4.60 - LB - 2007
If there’s a better tackler in college football, I’d be surprised. Olajabutu is a smallish (Sam Mills?) LB who plays big. He has exceptional speed and knifes through small spaces to get to the ball. Once he gets his hands on the ball-carrier, the play is done. He wraps and drives very well. He reads the offense very well and is able to get to the ball quickly no matter where it is. He uses excellent technique, running laterally while keeping his shoulders squared to the ball-carrier, ready for any change of direction. He didn’t make any big plays in this game, but he didn’t make any noticeable mistakes either. (Grade: A-)
Marcus Monk - 85 - 6' 6.0" - 222 - 4.60 - WR - 2008
Marcus Monk managed only one catch the entire game (through no fault of his own), and it was a good one. QB Casey D i c k threw the ball low and behind Monk, but Monk threw a paw back there and scooped up the pass before taking about four would-be tacklers into the endzone with him over the last ten yards. Monk also shows exceptional skills as a downfield blocker, able to use his big wingspan to keep the defenders at bay. (Grade: B+)
Peyton Hillis - 22 - 6' 2.0" - 238 - 4.70 - FB - 2008
DNP – Injury
Jamaal Anderson - 92 - 6' 6.0" - 280 - 4.95 - DE - 2008
Anderson had a mixed bag of a game. For the most part, he was handled fairly consistently by LSU’s Peter Dyakowski. Anderson did get to the QB once on a stunt to the inside where the interior lineman blew his assignment. A little later he went down too easily on a cut block when he was one-on-one with an LSU RB. On the Keiland Williams 29-yard TD run, Anderson was in position to make a play, but he was unable to get off the block of the TE (Mit Cole) in time to make a play. He did toss Cole aside once he regained leverage, but Williams was 10 yards beyond him by that time. He didn’t show much of a pass-rushing repertoire, trying to either bull rush or use a swim move to gain the edge most of the time. (Grade: D)
Chris Houston - 2 - 5' 11.0" - 190 - 4.45 - CB - 2008
Houston had trouble stopping the slant patterns that Bowe runs so well. Generally Houston is able to stop those right at the LOS, but Bowe out-jammed Houston a few times and gained separation. Once he started reading the slant, he dropped off the line a bit and used his speed to break up the plays. Houston still has some learning to do, but he’s got a lot of potential and shows that he can react and adjust to the receiver during the game. (Grade: B-)
Players to Watch: RB Darren McFadden (So) : McFadden was the best player in this game. He ran the ball whenever and wherever he wanted, including an 80-yarder up the gut where he just ran past everyone. He lined up as the QB for about one third of the snaps (the Wildcat Package) where he would run a draw, hand-off to Felix Jones or a wideout, or even throw a pass. On the third play from scrimmage, McFadden threw a perfect 28-yard strike to Robert Johnson (the former starting QB). He had a beautiful overhand delivery and had very nice touch on the pass. When he runs, he does so with power and speed (watch out for his stiff arm!). He also has the ability to shake and bake to avoid a tackle. McFadden also lines up in the slot or wide and is an excellent receiving threat. He’s also out there blocking for Felix Jones on returns. He is so calm and collected on the field and plays a smart game too. I think he’s the best back in the country right now. RB Felix Jones (So): Jones appears to be a step or two faster than McFadden, and is a bit more compact. He’s a threat to bust it open for a TD every time he touches the ball. He’s powerful and difficult to tackle. He’s outstanding as a returner too. Jones would be a stud starter on just about any other team in the nation. SS Randy Kelly (Sr): He’s a senior who probably deserves to be in the database. He flies all over the field and makes plays. He’s an outstanding athlete and plays with a lot of intensity. He plays bigger than his listed size. I’ll have to watch him against Florida this weekend. ATH Robert Johnson (Jr): He wasn’t in the database because, quite frankly, he’s not a very good QB. He was the Razorbacks’ starting QB in their first game against USC this year, but was moved to WR the following week to let Mitch Mustain take a turn. He looks pretty good as a wideout, with decent speed and a big, powerful frame. I think he could probably play RB too. He might get a look from a team that wants a versatile player who can do a number of things on the field.