Monk gets into game for 1 snap
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas senior wide receiver Marcus Monk finally got to play in 2007, but it was for just one snap against Auburn on Saturday night in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Monk, Arkansas’ careerrecord holder with 24 touchdown catches, sustained a right knee injury in August and it had been questionable when he’d be able to play this season, if at all.
Monk said his knee felt good enough in pregame warmups that he told Coach Houston Nutt he could play Saturday night.
Nutt put in Monk on the Razorbacks’ second offensive snap, but he essentially was a decoy, lining up on the opposite side of where Felix Jones ran for a 5-yard gain.
Monk didn’t play the rest of the game, but Nutt said it still was a positive to get him on the field.
“He can run straight ahead, but he still can’t do some things physically as far as jumping and coming out of some breaks,” Nutt said. “But as you can see, he’s getting closer.
“ He wanted to get on the field, and we wanted to do that for him as a captain of our team. I think it showed a lot that he wanted to be out on the field and it really pumped us up.”
Monk is still eligible for a medical redshirt if he doesn’t play again this season, but said after the game he isn’t going to redshirt.
“I just want to keep progressing and keep moving on,” Monk said. Look, up in the sky
For the second consecutive week, a plane carrying an anti-Houston Nutt banner was seen flying over Arkansas’ home stadium before kickoff.
A plane flying with a banner that read “PLAYERS & FANS DESERVE BETTER — FIRE NUTT” flew over Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday night.
Before Arkansas’ 34-15 victory over Tennessee-Chattanooga last Saturday in Little Rock, a plane flew over War Memorial Stadium carrying a banner that read “THERE’S NUTTIN’ LIKE BEING 0-2 IN THE SEC.”
We’re waiting for the pro-Nutt forces to get a plane of their own to carry a positive banner and engage the anti-Nutt plane in a dogfight.
Talk about pregame excitement !
We should note the Air Force jets that flew over the stadium shortly before Saturday night’s kickoff didn’t have any banners. Even in Norman
There always are a bunch of fans holding up signs around the set for ESPN’s College GameDay, but normally the messages refer to the game on site.
Not so Saturday when GameDay was in Norman, Okla., for the Missouri-Oklahoma game.
A sign reading, “Fire Nutt” was spotted among the crowd. Trick or treat
Arkansas junior tailbacks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones will be wearing Halloween costumes to be selected by fans and then auctioned for charity, according to a news release.
McFadden and Jones will dress as either The Blues Brothers, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble or Sonny and Cher.
Voting is going on from now through noon Oct. 19. Votes may be cast online by going to www. Hogwired. com or www. 5 DarrrenMcFadden. com.
McFadden and Jones will wear the costumes Oct. 31 and wear them to their daily activities on campus. The costumes then will be auctioned off on Hogwired. com with the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Clubs from the players’ hometowns, Little Rock for McFadden and Tulsa for Jones.
McFadden dressed up as a clown for Halloween last year and the story wound up getting national attention after he became an All-American and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting while also winning the Doak Walker Award. Long in the house
Jeff Long, who will take over as Arkansas’ athletic director Jan. 1, attended the football game as part of a busy sports weekend in Fayetteville.
Earlier Saturday, Long attended the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival and a baseball scrimmage, and Friday night he attended the Razorbacks’ first preseason basketball practice. Tommy the gambler
Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville, who acquired the nickname “Riverboat Gambler” during his Ole Miss days, took a calculated risk with 5: 33 left in the second quarter.
The Tigers led 3-0 and had fourth-and-1 at their 31 when Tuberville elected to go for the first down rather than punt. Brandon Cox gained a yard on a quarterback sneak to keep the driving going. Scoreless half
Arkansas failed to score in the first half for the first time in four years, since Oct. 11, 2003, when Auburn beat the Razorbacks 10-3 at Fayetteville. Dressed for success
Auburn won its 15 th consecutive game when wearing white jerseys.
The last time the Tigers lost wearing white was at Georgia in 2003. 0 for ESPN
Arkansas fell to 0-3 in national television appearances this season. The Razorbacks have lost to Alabama and Auburn on ESPN and to Kentucky on ESPN 2. Thumbs up
To Arkansas sophomore wide receiver Lucas Miller, who made a nifty catch for a touchdown that briefly put the Razorbacks ahead 7-6 in the fourth quarter.
To an Arkansas defense that held Auburn to three field goals.
To an Auburn defense that held Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to a combined 85 rushing yards. Thumbs down
To Arkansas’ passing offense, which continues to struggle to make plays.
To Arkansas punt returner Jerell Norton, who fumbled two kicks, but was able to recover them.
To safety Matt Hewitt for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox that resulted in a personal-foul.
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