By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday night is the cherry on top of a plentiful week of crystal ball fodder for Arkansas fans.
A true Division I team, ULM will offer more of a test than Tennessee Tech, but not enough to dampen enthusiasm for the Razorbacks.
During the 48 hours prior to the 6 p.m. kickoff, there is an opportunity to look at four of the five teams that are swing games for the Razorbacks.
On Thursday night, it’s Auburn at Mississippi State. On Saturday morning, it’s Georgia at South Carolina. Realistically, the Razorbacks’ season will be shaped by how they fare against that quartet, plus LSU.
For added spice, the Tigers, Gamecocks, and the two groups of Bulldogs are road games for Arkansas, which is 1-7 in the SEC outside state borders during the past two seasons.
What happens in Starkville and Columbia will not be definitive, but will provide an inkling about the quarterbacks, which is an overriding issue for all four teams. It’s a redshirt freshman at Georgia, an erratic junior at South Carolina, a one-time Gator at Auburn, and a possible committee at Mississippi State.
Since Arkansas opens SEC play at Georgia next week, the Bulldogs will get the most attention from Razorback fans. Georgia might be inclined to protect Aaron Murray, but wide receiver A.J. Green is such a talent that he must be prominent in the game plan.
Instead of putting Murray on the spot, look for the Bulldogs to trust an offensive line that has made 155 starts. If that tactic is pursued by the Bulldogs, it would portend more of the same in Athens next week. In that case, the Arkansas defense must be physical and tackle well.
One network analyst zeroed in on South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia as the surprise of the SEC. Coach Steve Spurrier has had enough surprises from Garcia. He waited until the day before the season opener to announce Garcia would start instead of freshman Connor Shaw. Whether that was a motivational ploy or not, Garcia was 16-of-23 and contributed a physical 22-yard TD run in the Gamecocks’ rout.
Shaw’s debut at quarterback occurred with 1:51 to play in the half, enough time to see he can run.
Georgia is most likely to be No. 2 in the Eastern Division behind Florida, but South Carolina is next in line.
Auburn and Mississippi State are weeks away for the Razorbacks, but the Tigers’ Cameron Newton is be the most intriguing quarterback proposition in the league. Once Tim Tebow’s backup, he was at a junior college last year.
If the 6-foot-6, 247-pound Newton is close to what he is supposed to be, Auburn will be a contender in the Western Division.
Like Newton, MSU’s Chris Reif is a big quarterback who can run. His passing is a question. Tyler Russell is the other option and MSU coach Dan Mullen played two quarterbacks at Florida, using Tebow for short-yardage and Chris Leak as the main man.
Mullen says there is no controversy because Reif and Russell excel in different areas. “We’ll play to the strengths of each player,” he said.
Piled on top of the doings at Mississippi State and South Carolina, Arkansas’ accomplishments vs. ULM should carry Razorback fans all the way to the SEC opener on Sept. 18.
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
