1) Knile Davis and Who is Going to Replace Him
For every hog fan, Aug 11 will either be remembered as the day our season ended or that the day the team overcame adversity and won games without our star running back. Losing Davis isn’t just losing a 1,300 yard performer but also a leader and a workhorse. He came out of the shadows of a highly unorganized and unproven backfield last year. Putting together a season where head coach Bobby Petrino was quoted as saying “We ran the offense through Knile Davis.” Does Davis’ unfortunate exit during preseason practice doom the hogs? No, and the reason for that is the hogs do have offensive weapons at QB and WR. The running back position does offer some unknowns though; star returner/running back Dennis Johnson returns after an injury from last year. He is a quicker smaller back who definitely showed his athleticism on kick-off returns at the first of last year before being injured. The question though is can a smaller back stand up through the whole season to the brutality of SEC trench warfare? Ronnie Wingo Jr. another running back who saw playing time last year could have a break out season. He had decent numbers, averaging around five yards a carrier and ten yards a catch last season with five total touchdowns. While numbers were good they were low, Wingo has a lot of improving to do before becoming the star back. Then rounding out the hopeful replacements for Davis is true freshman Kody Walker. His abilities in the college level are truly unknown, but he is big and could stand up well to punishment of SEC defenses. He might be big enough but is he fast enough to play in the SEC.
2) Tyler Wilson
The long waited hometown hero finally has his chance to prove that his performance in the 2010 Auburn game and his stellar high school career were not flukes. Rated as a top ten quarterback in the nation coming out of high school, Wilson hasn’t had is opportunity yet, being redshirted his freshman year and having to wait through Ryan Mallet’s record breaking reign as signal caller. When Mallet was hurt last year playing at the then ranked #7 Auburn Tigers (went on to win National Championship) Wilson came into the game and stunned not only the Auburn defense but also fans alike. Posting 323 yards and throwing for four touchdowns, Wilson looked poised, confident, and relaxed even though he was thrown into the middle of a very important game. The downside of his performance that day was the three interceptions he later threw to Auburn defenders. The hogs barely lost the game and the future started looking brighter for the team after Wilson’s performance. Even with that game Wilson can still be considered unproven, he did throw three interceptions to a team that only intercepted the ball 12 times last year. He however does show that promise and some say he can even be better than Mallet because unlike Mallet, Wilson can throw on the run. This is a key asset that when Wilson does get into trouble he will hopefully be able to escape it more than what Mallet was able to. Without Knile Davis and if none of the other running backs do show up and play consistently, Wilson will have to step up and make more plays. That will be hard to do for a quarterback getting his first shot and controlling a season long offense.
3) Texas A&M
Besides being a sleeper of a team that many fans are going to overlook because the hogs have won the last few years, Texas A&M made this list for the ongoing rumors of their chances of becoming the newest team in the SEC. Hog fans need to pay attention to these developments because it adds another rival and good perennial team to the already stacked SEC West (if that is were the Aggies would be placed). It also opens up a wider recruiting base in Texas, the hogs do recruit in Texas but Texas boys want to play Texas schools but also be competitive for the national championship year in and year out. If Texas A&M does join the SEC, then there will be another team opening so the conference can have even number of participants. Well who does that bring into the mix? Of course the first people that will get looked at would be top notch quality teams ones that would be looking for new homes. If A&M leaves the Big 12 conference then that means only nine teams are left. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are two teams that would be good to look at adding. Another recruiting base opened up with Oklahoma as well. If we shift the focus to schools in the Eastern part of the country, I think viable options for schools to add would be Florida State and Virginia Tech. Both these teams have great history and would be exceptional additions to the SEC. Who doesn’t want to see Florida and Florida St in the same conference?
4) Bobby Petrino
Coach Petrino is an exceptional college football coach. He took the Hogs to a BCS bowl game in three years. He has recruited well and he looks poised to keep the Hogs on the top of the charts for many years to come. The reason he made this list is because he starting to get in new territory; this upcoming year will tie his longest tenure at a head coaching position. He walked away from a 10 year $25 million dollar contract at Louisville after his fourth season. Coach Petrino has no ties to Arkansas other than living here the past four years. There are many other schools that can raise the funds to hire this coach if he wanted to leave, whether there is a buy out clause or not. If Petrino does leave it most likely wouldn’t be for a few more years but don’t let it surprise you if he picks up his bags at the end of this year to go somewhere else.
5) Wide Receiver Corps
Where shall I begin on this topic? This is by far the highlight of the team for the upcoming year. With Knile Davis out due to injury the receivers are going to have to have monster games. There can’t be any dropped passes that plagued a few games last year. These receivers can help Tyler Wilson gain confidence early in the season by catching things thrown their way without mistakes. Joe Adams and Cobi Hamilton will need to enter the season as they played last year, making remarkable catches and keeping games alive. Greg Childs who up until last year was the more well known of the three is coming off a season ending injury. There has been some rumors that he is not fully healthy heading into preseason practice but only time will tell if he will be the receiver he was last year. All we can do is hope that these receivers can produce what’s expected of them and hopefully some younger players will shine as well.
