McFadden sprints back into contention
Posted on Sunday, November 4, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/206637/
FAYETTEVILLE — Darren McFadden has impeccable timing.
McFadden, who has a knack for playing his best in the biggest games of the season, has done it again.
Heisman Trophy voters are furiously scribbling McFadden’s name back on their ballots after Arkansas’ All-American tailback wrote his name in SEC record books with the defining performance of an already standout career.
McFadden rushed for an SEC single-game record 323 yards on 35 carries and 1 touchdown in Arkansas’ 48-36 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. The total surpasses Frank Mordica’s 321 for Vanderbilt against Air Force in 1978. McFadden’s total also broke Dickey Morton’s Arkansas single-game rushing record of 271, set against Baylor in 1973.
McFadden’s Heisman stock was at a season low entering Saturday’s game after he rushed for a season-low 61 yards against Florida International last Saturday.
Gamecocks Coach Steve Spurrier said McFadden’s case was made again in a big way.
“Three-twenty-three ?” Spurrier said, shaking his head. “Yeah, that will get him in [the race ].”
For good measure, McFadden threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Robert Johnson out of the WildHog formation.
It was after the South Carolina game last season, when McFadden ran for a then-career-high 219 yards, that McFadden was first mentioned as Heisman candidate.
McFadden was all smiles after the game Saturday, but he wasn’t talking about being back among the Heisman front-runners.
He wanted to talk about Arkansas being back in a bowl game after improving to 6-3.
“[Dropping in the Heisman race ] wasn’t something I was really concerned with,” McFadden said. “To me, this time last year is just when I was coming to the Heisman scene. I wasn’t worried about it. The numbers speak for themselves. That’s all I can say to [the Heisman voters ].”
Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt had plenty to say for McFadden.
“You put him back in that race, you put him in there !” an ecstatic Nutt said to ESPN 2 reporter Stacey Dales as soon as she finished a postgame interview with McFadden.
The exclamation point of McFadden’s brilliant game came with 8: 04 left in the fourth quarter when he took an inside handoff 80 yards for the clinching touchdown.
There were several times earlier in the game that McFadden was one defender or one ankle tackle away from breaking a big run.
“I was telling myself it was the last guy getting me,” McFadden said. “I told myself it was coming soon.”
McFadden’s return to the highlight reels coincided with return of the WildHog.
The Razorbacks ran the WildHog formation, with McFadden at quarterback, 16 times, twice as many plays as they have in any previous game this season.
The Razorbacks gained 130 yards the first seven times Arkansas used the Wild-Hog formation, an average of 18. 6 yards per play. That includes six running plays that gained 95 yards (15. 8 yards per play ) and a 35-yard pass from Casey Dick to Lucas Miller on a trick play that initially saw McFadden hand off to Felix Jones.
McFadden’s touchdown pass didn’t start well after he fumbled the pitch from Dick as he rolled right. But after gathering it cleanly, McFadden stopped to look downfield.
Johnson was covered. McFadden threw it anyway, from his heels, and Johnson went up to snatch the touchdown with a defender in front of him.
Jones later scored on a 7-yard run after taking a handoff from McFadden.
“The coaches just see something in their defense where they couldn’t handle it,” McFadden said. “We just kept throwing it at them. I love it, I love being back there calling snaps. It’s something I love to do.”
McFadden also seems to love playing when the games matter the most, both for him and Arkansas.
The Razorbacks are bowl-eligible, and McFadden is back in Heisman contention after a game that will be long remembered.
“This is his time to come out on national television and show the country the kind of player he is,” Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs said. “And I think everyone has a pretty good idea now.”