Jim Harris: Troy Doesn't Belong on Same Field With Mallett, Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE - Troy coach Larry Blakeney wasn't kidding after all. There's no way Blakeney, or any other coach who knew his team's talent level, would have said Troy  would beat Arkansas. Blakeney disavowed any possiblity of that idea earlier in the week, and now we know why.

Troy turned into typical rent-a-win fodder for Arkansas in a 56-20 rout on Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

But count us surprised that Troy couldn't put up much of a fight against the Razorbacks. Sure, the Sun Belt Conference is the dregs of NCAA Bowl Subdivision football, and any team being dubbed the crème de la crème of that league might start sounding like a backhanded compliment.

However, in two previous meetings during this decade against Arkansas, Troy had competed hard and wasn't blown off the field. It took all the defense the Hogs could muster in 2002 to win 23-0 in Little Rock, and here two years ago it was obvious that all separating the two programs were a couple of Razorbacks named Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Blakeney would say those very words about the differences in the two teams after that 42-26 Troy loss.

And so what if Blakeney might have hinted to a fan or an Alabama talk-radio host that his Trojans might just beat the Hogs, as blogger and magazine editor Phil Steele related in the summer. Troy sat in the perfect trap position in Arkansas' schedule, sandwiched between two more important Southeastern Conference games. Troy's quarterback, Levi Brown, could pass the football. It made sense to at least think the Trojans would give these sometimes defenseless Hogs a tussle.

Well, after trailing Arkansas by 18, 28-10 at halftime, 15 points was a close as Troy would come in the second half, and Arkansas wore the visitors out in the fourth quarter, letting its freshman running backs Ronnie Wingo and Knile Davis run wild in breaking the 50-point mark. Arkansas equaled Florida's early season offensive output against the Trojans. The Arkansas defense bent to the tune of surrendering 455 yards, but again proved stingy more often than not in the red zone.

And this time, the list of difference makers in Razorback red against Troy was lengthy, starting with sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett, who threw for 405 yards and five touchdowns.

At one point, Mallett's name was being linked with an NFL quarterback. The last player to throw for five touchdowns against Troy was Marshall's Chad Pennington in 1998, before Pennington went on to play for the New York Jets. Mallett tied his UA record of five touchdowns in a game that he set Sept. 19 against Georgia.

With performances such as Saturday's, Mallett's days as a Razorback might be shorter than Arkansas fans and Bobby Petrino are planning. Three years removed from high school, after a year at Michigan and a redshirt transfer year here in 2008, Mallett will be eligible to try the NFL Draft next spring. The rookie pay scale could be capped after the next draft, meaning a lot of eligible collegians may take an early plunge in next spring's draft before the rookie money gets tighter.