*** NCAA Football Preview - Arkansas Razorbacks ***

From The My Sportsbook

By Pat Taggart, College Football Staff Writer

2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Razorbacks opened the 2003 season with four straight victories to crack the top 10, but then three straight defeats against Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss eliminated the buzz rather quickly. Rather than fall apart, Arkansas closed out the season with wins in five of its final six contests. The only loss during that stretch came against LSU, the eventual co-National Champion, and one of those final five victories came by a score of 27-14 over Big 12 foe Missouri in the Independence Bowl. Head coach Houston Nutt can certainly be proud of the effort of his team, but the success had to be expected considering that the lineup was packed with seniors.

2004 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: The good news for coach Nutt is that he has dynamic quarterback Matt Jones back under center. Last season, the versatile signal caller threw for just a shade under 2,000 yards and tossed 18 touchdowns while also posting 707 rushing yards and eight scores. Even though Jones is one of the nation's elite athletes, his job will be anything but easy in 2004 considering that he is the team's only returning starter. De'Arrius Howard is a power back and DeCori Birmingham is a speedster, and those two players are experienced and talented enough to provide the Razorbacks with a formidable ground attack. The receivers are short on experience but do possess talent, as Chris Baker brings sub-4.3 speed to the table. The biggest concern is understandably up front, as the line is unproven heading into the 2004 season.

DEFENSE: The only player on the Arkansas defense to earn preseason All-SEC honors from the league's coaches is Jeb Huckeba. The undersized defensive end brings plenty of speed and grit to the mix, and it is largely because of Huckeba that the line will be the strength of the UA defensive unit. Arrion Dixon is a solid tackle who will be counted on to stop the run. Middle linebacker Clarke Moore had his season cut short due to injury a year ago, but he is back to lead the unit. At close to 250 pounds, Clarke has the body to take on fullbacks and linemen at the point of attack. The biggest concern for the coaches from a defensive standpoint is in the secondary, as a collection of talented performers have all moved on. Don't expect a single senior to be among the four starters, and early growing pains should be expected.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Chris Balseiro hit 11 of the 15 field goal he attempted a year ago, but he will be pushed hard by fellow returnee David Carlton. There will not be a competition for the punting duties, however, as Jacob Skinner did a decent enough job as a true freshman in 2003 to secure his job. Birmingham will double as a punt returner, while there are rumors that Jones may be used to run back kickoffs. The fact that Arkansas is considering using its star quarterback as a return man speaks to Jones' exceptional athleticism.

OUTLOOK: There is a chance that Arkansas will fall farther this season in terms of record than any team in the nation, a bold statement that is based solely on the lack of returning experience. With that said, Nutt is one of the top 10 coaches in all of college football and will get this group to play hard at the very least.