Thriving in the shadows
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE - Could it be that the second-best running back on the Arkansas roster might be the second-best running back in the nation ?
The pure yardage numbers say Felix Jones ranks 40 th in the country, well behind his Heisman Trophy runner-up teammate, Darren McFadden. But nobody in the land can touch Jones when it comes to maximizing his opportunities.
Jones averages 9. 1 yards every time he carries the ball.
To put that statistic into perspective, no other player ranked among the top 100 rushers in the nation averages more than the 6. 69 yards per carry of West Virginia quarterback Pat White.
No, the only guy in America who gains first-down yardage nearly every time he touches the ball is the modest, softspoken Arkansas superback who averages 10 carries a game.
Jones made numerous All-America teams as a return specialist for the second time in his career, but if he'd only had more touches...
"If there's no Darren McFadden, he's at the Heisman voting,"said David Lee, Arkansas' offensive coordinator. "He's won both Doak Walker awards."
Instead, McFadden collected the Doak Walker hardware and stood as a finalist on stage in New York City in back-to-back appearances at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
None of which appears to bother the highly competitive Jones, a native of Tulsa who committed to Arkansas in the same class as McFadden - after McFadden said he was coming.
"I looked at it as a challenge, just going at it and putting all my trust in God, knowing he was going to lead me in the right direction,"Jones said. "It was something I was looking forward to, even though [McFadden ] was a good back at Arkansas and everybody's going to treat him the best because he is from Arkansas."
Jones said he has never had second thoughts about entering the situation at Arkansas, where he would in all likelihood play second fiddle to one of college football's biggest stars.
"It was a good choice I made,"Jones said. "It's an experience. I learned and I'll keep it forever."
McFadden and Jones will be inextricably linked forever in Arkansas lore, no matter if either or both declare early for the NFL Draft. They became the first tandem in SEC history, and only the second ever, to rush for 1, 000 yards in back-to-back seasons together.
When McFadden racked up an SEC record-tying 321 rushing yards, and Jones piled on another 166 yards against South Carolina, the pair broke the NCAA record for two-man rushing in a single game at 487 yards.
"Oh man, I'd say we made history,"Jones said. "You might have thought we were just playing football and doing things we would normally know how to do, but we made some history.
"Right now, it doesn't seem like a big deal to us, but another 10, 20 years from now, we'll look back and say, hey, we wrote our own history."
Jones and McFadden aren't just record breakers, they're tight friends.
"Felix is a great guy and a great player,"McFadden said. "He could go anywhere else and be the starter."
McFadden makes the ESPN highlights and grabs the headlines, Jones prospers in the shadows.
"[Jones ] is, by far, the most unselfish, team-oriented player I've ever been around,"Lee said. "He has a burning passion inside of him to win. His eyes change when he talks about winning. Nobody on this football team hurt or was more miserable when we lost than him."
Jones said he had heard a lot about McFadden before coming to Arkansas and developed a quick bond once both were on campus.
"Because of the position we play, we knew we were going to be around together,"Jones said. "We came in with a plan, knew what we wanted to do, and it was just a matter of going out there and executing."
NFL scouts and talent analysts rate McFadden as being one of the top picks, if not the No. 1 overall selection in next April's NFL Draft, if McFadden chooses to declare early as expected. Jones' stock isn't far behind.
"McFadden is as good as any back to ever play college football,"ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said this season, "[and ] keep in mind, Felix Jones is also a great back."
Jones clearly doesn't like to discuss whether he'll declare early or return to Arkansas for his senior season, saying there will be many factors involved in his decision.
He plans to file the paperwork necessary to give him feedback on what the NFL Draft advisory board thinks of his draft prospects.
What if he gets back a firstround report ?
"It's not enough,"Jones said. "I've seen it happen so much. People set themselves up for failure. People will tell them something and they don't wind up going until the third or fourth round. I'm trying to narrow down all the factors that could tell me to leave or stay."
Also weighing into the decision will be the chance to play for Coach Bobby Petrino, who left the NFL's Atlanta Falcons to replace Houston Nutt as the Razorbacks coach. Petrino built his reputation at Louisville with high-powered offenses that averaged more than 40 points per game during his four seasons there.
"I would think he would be Coach Petrino's first recruiting visit,"Lee said.
The lure of being a featured back in Arkansas' offense is another issue.
"It factors in,"Jones said. "I don't know what's going to make the difference. Lead back, yeah, you could get 1, 600 or 1, 700 yards and if your record is 0-and-something, I wouldn't be happy with that.
"You could be a wonderful back, but I think winning is everything. It is everything for me."
Jones has a couple of favorite plays this year, but they're not because of anything special he did. He recalls a 72-yard touchdown run against South Carolina and a 90-yard kickoff return against Troy because of wicked blocks by Peyton Hillis and McFadden, respectively.
"You could say I had some big plays, but I didn't really make those plays. A lot of people made them for me,"Jones said. "All I had to do was run."
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