TOP STORIES OF 2008 : Bobby ball wobbles, then spirals upward
Posted on Sunday, December 28, 2008
Bobby Petrino's first season as Arkansas' football coach was filled with highs and lows and lots of close games - but no bowl. The Razorbacks finished 5-7, including 5-3 in games decided by seven or fewer points. "I was proud the way our football team continued to improve," Petrino said. When Arkansas needed fourth-quarter rallies to edge Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe to open the season, things didn't look good for the Razorbacks. Then it looked bleakest when Arkansas lost to Alabama, Texas and Florida by a combined 108 points. Never before in the 115-year history of Arkansas football had the Razorbacks endured losses in three consecutive games as lopsided as those.
It was enough to make the most loyal fans wonder if Arkansas would win another game, but junior defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard vowed the Razorbacks wouldn't give up.
"This is what we do, whether it's going good or bad," Sheppard said after a 38-7 loss to Florida. "You don't give up on life just because you have a bad day.
"Football is our life right now. We're excited about playing Auburn, and I personally feel we can win that game."
The Razorbacks did win the next week at Auburn, 25-22. Other high points included a 30- 23 victory over Tulsa when the Golden Hurricane was undefeated and coming back from a 16-point deficit to beat LSU 31-30 in the season finale on Casey Dick's touchdown pass to London Crawford with 21 seconds left.
"That's a good way to end the season," Petrino said. "Unfortunately, we had a couple of other games not go our way or we could still be playing."
The Razorbacks were left wondering "what if?" with losses to Kentucky 21-20, Ole Miss 23-21 and Mississippi State 31-28.
Especially galling for the Petrino and Arkansas was blowing a 20-7 lead at Kentucky with less than five minutes left.
"I guess that would probably be my biggest disappointment," Petrino said after the season in reviewing the Kentucky game. "The way we were in control of that game [and lost]."
Petrino signed a letter of agreement for a five-year deal worth $2.85 million annually when he took the Arkansas job on Dec. 11, 2007, then in September signed a contract extending the agreement through 2014.
"My heart and my mind are committed to the University of Arkansas," Petrino said when asked on Dec. 3 if he had any interest in the Auburn opening that eventually went to Gene Chizik after Tommy Tuberville resigned under pressure.
The Razorbacks played 26 true or redshirt freshmen in 2008 and had six players selected to the various SEC all-freshman teams. Sophomore tight end D.J. Williams was chosen as a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, and junior tailback Michael Smith emerged from the shadows of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to amass 1,414 all-purpose yards, including 1,072 rushing.
Overall, 19 starters are expected back for next season. 2. Lee rises to pitching pedestal after fall
What Benton's Cliff Lee did in 2008 could not have been predicted.
Not after a dismal 2007 season during which Lee was sent to the minor leagues and a tepid spring training that earned him the No. 5 spot in the Cleveland Indians rotation.
But Lee started fast, and the story just kept getting better and better.
Lee started the season with a 10-1 record, earning the privilege of starting for the American League in the last All-Star game to be played at Yankee Stadium.
And there was no secondhalf slide.
Cleveland finished with an 81-81 record and a third-place finish in the weak American League Central, but Lee was a force, winning the American League Cy Young Award with a final record of 22-3 and a 2.54 ERA. Lee, a former Arkansas Razorback, immediately returned home to Benton after the end of the season and, with his star shining as bright as any athlete from the state of Arkansas, has dedicated himself to a grueling off-season workout regimen while devoting his time to a number of local charities.
- Doug Crise 3. McDonnell retires after remarkable run
John McDonnell set a high standard for excellence in his 36 years as coach of Arkansas' cross country and track and field teams. Forty-two national championships, 84 conference titles, 17 consecutive years with at least one national championship and, McDonnell's favorite, 34 consecutive cross country conference titles. McDonnell, 70, retired after leading the Razorbacks to a 17th-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor meet.
"He's the best there has ever been," Texas A&M Coach Pat Henry said. "There isn't anybody who comes close."
McDonnell took over Arkansas' cross country team in 1972 and was named track and field coach in 1978. The winning began in 1984 with a national indoor title. McDonnell's Razorbacks won the NCAA Triple Crown - championships in cross country, indoor and outdoor the same athletic year - an amazing five times. McDonnell was always quick to give credit to his athletes; 186 Razorbacks combined for 654 All-American honors during McDonnell's career. McDonnell was named Coach of the Year on a national, regional or conference level 143 times. Arkansas hired Northern Iowa's Chris Bucknam to replace McDonnell on June 27.
- Marty Cook 4.
Texas tempest livens up NCAA at Alltel
UALR and Alltel Arena in North Little Rock hosted the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds in March to sellout crowds and mostly rave reviews. Alltel Arena hosted two No. 1 seeds in Memphis and Texas and both advanced to the Sweet 16 with two victories at Alltel Arena. Memphis defeated Texas-Arlington and Mississippi State, while Texas defeated Austin Peay and Miami. The other participants were Saint Mary's (Calif.) and Oregon.
Coaches talked positively about the treatment they received all week. And when the Oregon team left its locker room after losing to Mississippi State on Friday, it left a message written on the dry-erase board: "Thank you, Little Rock! - Oregon Ducks."
The week's only controversy occurred when Texas Coach Rick Barnes joked in a news conference that Texas would pull out of a scheduled appearance at Fayetteville against the Arkansas Razorbacks if the fans weren't nice to the Longhorns. Barnes apologized later, but venom spewed toward the Longhorns every time they took the Alltel Arena court.
- Jeffrey Slatton 5. Long's first year not short on change
It's been a busy year for Jeff Long, who officially replaced Frank Broyles as Arkansas' athletic director on Jan. 1, 2008. Long's first year on the job has included: Overseeing a merger of the men's and women's programs into one 19-sport department. Working out a seven-year contract with football Coach Bobby Petrino that extended the original five-year deal. Hiring Chris Bucknam as men's cross country and track and field coach to replace retiring legend John McDonnell. Signing a 10-year, $73 million sports marketing agreement with International Sports Properties.
Reaching out to Nolan Richardson and announcing plans to honor Arkansas' 1994 NCAA championship basketball team. Extending Arkansas' agreement to keep playing football games in Little Rock through 2016. Hiring head coaches in volleyball (Robert Pulliza) and soccer (Erin Aubry), and adding new senior associate athletic directors Chris Wyrick, Jon Fagg and Matt Trantham. Life in Long's athletic department contrasts from the relaxed management style of Broyles, Arkansas' athletic director since 1973 and football coach from 1958-1976. Long has a more structured routine and is more meeting-oriented than Broyles. "I'm in the process of reorganizing and making changes in our program that fit my philosophy, my direction, my beliefs," Long said last summer. "I'm excited. We have new team members on board, and I've also enjoyed getting to know our existing team members." Broyles, now a fund-raising consultant for the Razorback Foundation, said it shouldn't be a surprise Long has brought a new management model to Arkansas. "Jeff is going with his style of leadership, what he's seen work at other institutions where he's worked," Broyles said. "I think he's doing it his way, and that's what he has to do."
- Bob Holt 6. Turf toes slow McFadden, Jones in NFL
Arkansas football fans knew how talented Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis were. Now, just about everybody does. McFadden, the two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up, and Jones, his running mate at Arkansas, entered the 2008 season with higher expectations than Hillis. Oakland selected McFadden with the fourth pick of the draft, and Dallas used the No. 22 selection to take Jones. Hillis slipped to the seventh round, but his reputation soared in November when he took over as Denver's lead back before suffering a seasonending hamstring injury.
The injury theme was a constant for the three former Razorbacks.
McFadden had his best game in Week 2 with 21 carries for 164 yards and 1 touchdown in the Raiders' 23-8 victory at Kansas City.
A turf toe injury knocked him out of four games in the middle of the year, and he played sparingly in a handful of other games. McFadden had 112 carries for 497 yards and 4 touchdowns heading into the final week of the season. He had 772 all-purpose yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
Jones maximized his opportunities with the Cowboys as a backup to Marion Barber, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Dallas went 4-0 in games in which Jones was healthy, and he had touchdown runs of 60 and 33 yards during that span as well as a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Jones suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4, then tore a ligament in the big toe of his left foot while rehabbing the hamstring, ending his season with 30 carries for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Hillis' turn in the Broncos' backfield came after a handful of Denver running backs went down with injuries, but he capitalized in a big way. Hillis spearheaded Denver's rushing attack for a month, bowling over safeties and powering his way to 343 rushing yards and five touchdowns before his season ended Dec. 7.
Tom Murphy 7. Say it ain't so: Arkansas icon arrested
It was news that rocked the world of Arkansas sports fans. Matt Jones, one of the most popular football players ever to wear a Razorbacks uniform, was arrested on July 10 in Fayetteville for felony possession of cocaine. But Jones, a record-setting quarterback at Arkansas and the 21st pick of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, rebounded from the setback. He pleaded not guilty to the drug charge and avoided a trial by entering Judge Mary Ann Gunn's drug court, which includes 136 hours of therapy, 30 hours of community service and submittal to at least 78 random drug tests.
Jones came out with renewed focus on the field, grabbing a career-high 65 passes for 761 yards and 2 touchdowns in 12 games. Jones was forced to sit out the final three games of the season without pay for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. The suspension was originally handed down by the league in late October, but Jones played for six weeks after appealing the ruling. The league upheld its decision in early December, and Jones' season was over.
Arkansas fans remember Jones' heroics, such as his schoolrecord 8,392 total yards, his 77 touchdowns accounted for, his play in the Razorbacks' historic overtime victories against Ole Miss and Kentucky, and his role in the Miracle on Markham, a last-second touchdown pass to Decori Birmingham that beat LSU 21-20 in 2002.
Jones, the SEC record holder with 2,535 rushing yards by a quarterback, will enter the final season of his original NFL contract in 2009.
- Tom Murphy 8. Eight Belles dies after determined Derby
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs produced another major Triple Crown newsmaker.
But unlike Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex and Curlin, the news surrounding Eight Belles was eventually all sad.
Eight Belles collapsed while galloping out past the wire after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
The towering daughter of Unbridled's Song was quickly euthanized after breaking both front ankles in what her trainer, Larry Jones, called a "freak accident."
"She was a very large filly," Jones said. "Her legs weren't any bigger around than very small fillies. That's what made her be able to run fast. Her size was what made her what she was. That's what made her dominate the 3-year-old fillies at Oaklawn. She was a very special filly." Eight Belles became the first horse to sweep Oaklawn's $50,000 Martha Washington Stakes, $100,000 Grade III Honeybee Stakes and $250,000 Grade II Fantasy Stakes. 1 Eight Belles won the Martha Washington by 13/2 lengths, believed to be the largest margin of victory for a stakes race in Oaklawn history. In August, the remains of Eight Belles were buried adjacent to Churchill Downs at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
- Robert Yates 9. Travs start slow, peak when time is right
The free agents delivered the goods.
The Los Angeles Angels hit a gap in player development as few prospects were ready for Class AA Arkansas last season.
To help, first-year Angels farm director Abe Flores got Travs Manager Bobby Magallenes a cluster of free agents and former firstround draft picks who had proved themselves in Class AA and the Texas League.
Arkansas won the North Division first half in an 11-inning thriller against Springfield at Dickey-Stephens Park and took its first Texas League championship since 2001.
Arkansas swept new rival Northwest Arkansas 3-0 and beat Frisco 11-3 in the fifth and final game of the championship series at Frisco, Texas. Arkansas started 0-7 and had the worst regular-season record (62-78) of any Texas League champion, but the veterans flipped the switch when they had to and brought home more hardware than the prospect-rich teams of recent seasons.
- Todd Traub 10. ASU: So long Indians, hello Red Wolves
The winds of change made Arkansas State howl. Arkansas State dropped its Indians mascot after 77 years in a nod to changing times and adopted Red Wolves beginning with this year's football team.
The push for change began in Aug. 2005, when the NCAA listed Arkansas State among 17 schools whose American Indian imagery was considered "hostile and abusive."
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