Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

It’s late in the fourth quarter and Arkansas is down six points with the ball. All that is between the Razorbacks and the end zone is 30 yards and the best Alabama defense of all time. Of all Arkansas’ SEC players, who do you most trust protecting you? Which running back has the best chance of moving the chains? Who’s going to make the catch, then have the highest chance of breaking free?

Our choices came from gut-feeling answers to questions like these.

We don’t take NFL accomplishments into account. Here, it’s all about ability at the college level. Of course, stats matter, but they don’t always tell the whole story.

Context matters, too. Did the player tend to rise against cupcakes but shrink against elite foes? Also important: Did he play a large role in the program’s rise in national reputation?

In the end, our choice boils down to determining which candidate had the greatest ability to either 1) move a football forward or 2) keep the football from moving forward. No matter how many gaudy stats one candidate puts up, someone else may simply be “better.” (For instance, despite NBA star Karl Malone’s gaudy stats in the 1990s, most people knew deep down Charles Barkley was the better individual player, as Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum writes in his Dream Team book.)

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER, 1992-2011

DARREN MCFADDEN
There is no other pick.

Twice selected as the nation’s best running back, no Razorback in the SEC era — and perhaps ever — has done more damage than Darren McFadden on the field while building the program’s reputation off it. You already know the numbers, and you’ll never forget the 206 yards and four touchdowns racked up against No.1 LSU on the road in a 50-48, triple OT nail-biter. Still, just in case there’s any doubt, consider this: Since 1992, McFadden is the SEC’s only running back to gain more than 112 yards a game for a career (120.8 ypg). Indeed, if an all-SEC first team were chosen for the last 20 years, he is the surest Razorback to make it.

OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Candidates: Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson, Clint Stoerner, Matt Jones, Barry Lunney
The pick: Tyler Wilson, Greenwood, 2008-present
Why Wilson?  Provide him an All-SEC offensive line and backfield, and no Razorback quarterback could have more clinically carved up those defenses better than Wilson. No predecessor matches Wilson’s mix of mental and physical abilities and he’s the only Razorback named first-team quarterback in the SEC.

RUNNING BACK
Candidates: Felix Jones, Darren McFadden, Madre Hill, Cedric Cobbs, Knile Davis, Fred Talley
The Picks: Darren McFadden, Little Rock, 2005-07; Madre Hill, Malvern, 1994-98
Why McFadden? Sure, you’ll find his name at the top of plenty of categories in the UA record books. But it was seeing that name in the national limelight (numerous magazine covers, two Heisman Trophy runner ups, a Doak Walker Award), though, that helped make Arkansas a hot destination for the Bobby Petrino era players.
Why Hill? "He's a slasher," UA running backs coach David Mitchell said of Hill during his first-team All-SEC sophomore season. "He's not a dancer. He's not going to give you three or four different moves and then take off. He's going to see a crack and hit it, and when he hits it, he's going to be going 100 miles an hour. It doesn't take him long to get started." Eleven years later, similar praises would be heaped on a greater talent who would eclipse Hill’s records, but nobody will ever take away his status as the Hog who led Arkansas to its first SEC West title. 

WIDE RECEIVER
Candidates: Anthony Lucas, Marcus Monk, Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton, Greg Childs, Anthony Eubanks, Joe Adams, George Wilson
The Picks: Anthony Lucas, Tallulah, La., 1995-99/Jarius Wright, Warren, 2008-2011
Why Lucas? He and Clint Stoerner formed the UA’s best receiver-quarterback combo since Chuck Dicus and Bill Montgomery hooked up in 1968-70. Lucas and Stoerner couldn’t match their predecessors’ 85-percent victory rate but they did lead the Hogs to consecutive seasons ranked in the top 20 for the first time as SEC members. And Lucas is prominent throughout the UA record book.
Why Wright? He entered as the least-heralded of a trio of receivers who all eventually found their way to the NFL. Wright left Arkansas as the team's all-time leader in catches (168) and yards (2,934) in  and ranks No. 2 in the record books with 24 touchdowns.

TIGHT END
Candidates: D.J. Williams, Joe Dean Davenport, Kirk Botkin, Chris Gragg, Jason Peters
The Pick: D.J. Williams, Little Rock, 2007-10
Why Williams? It wasn’t just Williams’ ability on the field — and there was plenty of that as he was named the Mackey Award winner as the top tight end in the country and a third team Associated Press All-American. It helped that Williams brought positive national recognition to the program and helped raise the program’s profile.

RIGHT TACKLE
Candidates: Shawn Andrews, Bobbie Williams
The Pick: Shawn Andrews, Camden, 2001-03
Why Andrews? It’s impressive enough using a 6-5, 353-pound frame to ring up 85 pancake blocks in the course of a single season. More impressive, though, is surpassing the likes of Eli Manning and Cadillac Williams to win the 2003 award for College Football News’ Offensive Player of the Year.

LEFT TACKLE
Candidates: Tony Ugoh, Chad Abernathy
The Pick: Tony Ugoh, Houston, 2002-06
Why Ugoh?  A superb pass blocker, Ugoh used his 6-5, 300-pound size to help Arkansas’ powerful running attack secure a 7-1 SEC record in 2006. The Associated Press voted him third-team All-America.

RIGHT GUARD
Candidates: Isaac Davis, Robert Felton, Brandon Burlsworth
The Pick: Brandon Burlsworth, Harrison, 1994-98
It ended in tragedy on a north Arkansas two-lane highway, but in the preceding years, Burlsworth found permanent residence in the hearts of Hogs fans everywhere. Four years after walking on, Burlsworth had made himself an All-American who helped Arkansas rack up 4,333 yard and a 1999 Citrus Bowl appearance.

LEFT GUARD
Candidates: Stephen Parker, Mitch Petrus
The Pick: Mitch Petrus, Carlisle, 2005-09
Why Petrus? A converted fullback, Petrus was extremely explosive as an offensive lineman and possibly the nation’s best at lead blocking. These skills came in handy during the D-Mac/Jones/Hillis Age.

CENTER
Candidates: Jonathan Luigs, Travis Swanson, Grant Garrett, Kenny Sandlin
The Pick: Jonathan Luigs, Little Rock, 2005-08
 Why Luigs? As a junior, Luigs helped clear the path for a school-record 3,725 rushing yards. In turn, he got the Rimington Trophy, annually awarded to the nation’s top center.

KICK RETURN SPECIALIST
Candidates: Felix Jones, Dennis Johnson, DeCori Birmingham
The Pick: Felix Jones, Tulsa, 2005-07
Why Jones? While not a workhorse like Johnson or Birmingham, nobody did more damage in the open field. Owns the school’s top two spots for season kickoff return average — 31.94 yards (2005) and 29.64 (2007).

PUNT RETURN SPECIALIST
Candidates: Joe Adams, Marvin Jackson
The Pick: Joe Adams, Little Rock, 2008-11
Why Adams? Sorry, Marvin. In no category is there a more runaway winner, which is appropriate considering Adams tied an SEC single-season record with four punt return touchdowns in 2011. On its own, his 60-yard return against Tennessee in 2011 secured a spot in Razorback lore.

KICKER
Candidates:Todd Wright, Todd Latourette, Alex Tejada, Zach Hocker
The Pick: Zach Hocker, Russellville, 2010-present
Why Hocker? Despite thousands of NCAA regulations regarding this kind of stuff, you won’t find a student-athlete better described as “money.” His 80-percent field-goal conversion rate is easily best in Razorback history, and in the last two seasons he made 10 of 11 attempts in pressure games against Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Kansas State.

Up Next: Defense

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(Evin Demirel is a freelance sportswriter based in Arkansas. He covers local sports on The Sports Seer and can be found on Twiiter @evindemirel.)