By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Accused by my columnist neighbor of never having an unuttered thought, those random blurts sometimes provoke a nugget to be mined.
That was the case early in the week, casting about for something positive linking Eastern Michigan football to Arkansas.
Rodney Slater, said a news reporter who is a whiz at Trivial Pursuit.
Slater was a running back from Marianna, Ark., who migrated to Ypsilanti in the 1970s and was team captain of the Hurons. That’s the same Rodney Slater who became only the third Arkansan in history to hold a position in the president’s cabinet when President Clinton named him to head the Department of Transportation.
Named one of the “100 Most Influential Black Americans” by Ebony magazine, Slater starred on a national championship … forensic team … at Eastern Michigan.
There are plenty more plaudits for Slater, who has a law degree from Arkansas, but his alma mater is in Fayetteville today for football. Now the Eagles, Eastern Michigan comes with a money-back guarantee that they will lose to any BCS school willing to pay.
For Arkansas, the W is first and foremost, and that should be secure by halftime.
In the process of accomplishing that, there will be opportunity to incorporate tight end D.J. Williams into the offense, improve the completion percentage of Ryan Mallett, and rack up big yards for the running backs. Bettering the 6-of-26 third down conversion rate the past two weeks would be a priority except the Razorbacks might not have many chances in that area.
Williams’ disappearance from the offense has been addressed by Bobby Petrino and brother Paul during news conferences, and it is likely to be a point of emphasis this evening. A playmaker, Williams caught 61 passes last year. This year, he has 14 catches and has been blanked in three of the seven games, partly because opponents have paid him special attention. The Eagles are not equipped to do that.
Mallett only completed 12 passes in the loss to Ole Miss, same as he did the previous week at Florida. On both occasions, Mallett, his receivers and the offensive line share the blame. He’s likely to complete two-thirds or more of his throws vs. the Eagles, although he might attempt less than 25 for the first time since the season opener.
Michael Smith, Dennis Johnson, Knile Davis or any other Arkansas running back is apt to turn in a big play. The Eagles are first in the country in pass defense for a reason — their run defense is a sieve, allowing an average of 6.07 yards per play. The Razorbacks ran for a season-high 221 yards vs. Auburn; they might threaten that in the first half.
The thing is, the accomplishments vs. Eastern Michigan will have little, if any, carryover vs. South Carolina next week. The Gamecocks’ defense is one of the best in the Southeastern Conference and the Eagles’ is one the worst in the Mid-American Conference. For instance, accounting for Eastern Michigan linebacker Andre Hatchett is a much easier assignment than blocking Gamecocks linebacker Eric Norwood.
Arkansas fans should enjoy this evening’s show and then take a deep breath. As usual, South Carolina will help shape the Razorbacks’ season.
——-
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
