Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

By the time Greg Childs got around to checking his cell phone late Saturday night, he'd missed an estimated 50 calls. Childs had just hauled in five catches for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns as the nation - and especially his hometown of Warren - watched on ESPN.

Childs' first catch against Georgia was a 36-yarder from quarterback Ryan Mallett. From then until the time Childs stepped out of the shower at the Razorbacks football complex, he'd played his way into more calls and messages than he could return in a reasonable amount of time.

"I got too many phone calls," Childs said. "Before the game was over with I had like 50 missed calls. People were calling me out of the blue. People were texting me. It was a great feeling."

Childs, a 6-foot-3, 217-pound sophomore, needs to get used to it. Continue playing the way he has so far, and Childs might want to consider changing his phone number. Through two games Childs is tied for the Arkansas lead in touchdown catches at two. He's second on the team in catches (9), total yards (190), and average per catch (21.1).

It's not a stretch to think the Warren native will easily eclipse the totals he put up in his first season at Arkansas. Childs has already matched his touchdown total and he doesn't have far to go in hitting his mark of 18 catches for 273 yards.

Because of his size and sure hands, Childs was wrongly assumed to be a sort of possession-type receiver. Childs has proven to be much, much more so far.

Want athleticism? Childs showed that by diving to haul in a 30-yard touchdown in the first quarter. What followed was a 40-yarder to start the third quarter on which Childs essentially stiff-armed his way into the end zone over the final 10 or so yards.

Those two catches rated as "best ofs" from Mallett when asked Monday about his favorites among Saturday's school-record-setting five-touchdown performance against Georgia. Mallett also had an 18-yarder to Joe Adams, a 48-yarder to Jarius Wright and a little 2-yard dump off to tight end D.J. Williams.

Nice as those catches were, Mallet enjoyed Childs' the best. Childs showed off his array of skills throughout the night, proving he'll make a nice complement to fellow sophomore playmakers Jarius Wright (10 catches, 247 yards, 1 TD) and Joe Adams (7 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs).

"You can see what Greg can do in a big-time game," Mallett said. "That's exciting to have as a quarterback. He's strong and he's athletic. You've seen what he can do in the SEC."

There were some doubts about Childs' ability coming out of the spring. The doubts originated in his own mind.

Childs was entrenched behind senior London Crawford on the depth chart throughout the spring. He showed some flashes, but he said he never really felt comfortable. What Childs described as a bout with pneumonia and a few other issues further soured him on the way things were going in Fayetteville.

Razorback coach Bobby Petrino met with Childs. Petrino met with Childs' parents. They all met together and Petrino convinced the parties involved that Childs would find his way onto the field if he stuck around and put in the appropriate amount of work.

"Greg is a great story," Petrino said. "He really struggled in spring. Greg had an unbelievable summer. He spent as much time in weight room as anybody."

Improving and solidifying his role was a major focus of the summer. Childs was still working behind Crawford when fall camp began but quickly worked his way into consideration for playing time. Crawford, a senior, is now out at least four weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery following Arkansas opening game win over Missouri State, and Childs is taking full advantage.

Judging from what he's done so far, it appears all that extra work has paid off for Childs. He's got the missed phone calls to prove it.