The pressure may just be building on Tyler Wilson going into the summer, even if his performance Saturday in the Red-White game wasn’t all that bad.
Wilson struggled at times, but still was consistent by completing 8 of 15 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Even so, he looked flustered at times and checked down to tight end D.J. Williams quite a bit. He was also hurt by some bad breaks, offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said.
Greg Childs fumbled a big pass from Wilson, Austin Tate fumbled in the red zone after a throw-and-catch from Wilson and there were five fumbles by the Red team in a 31-21 loss. Wilson was credited with one fumble.
Needless to say, there were greater expectations.
Arkansas quarterback Brandon Mitchell breaks free for an 88-yard touchdown run Saturday in the first half of the Red-White game at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MICHAEL WOODS)
“Before the game, I felt I was going to have a great day and we were going to have four or five touchdown passes,” Wilson said. “… The game turned out a little different than I expected.”
Meanwhile, the future looked bright with some big plays from Brandon Mitchell and newcomer Jacoby Walker. Mitchell flashed with his feet, scoring twice on the ground. His 88-yard run on an option read was the highlight. Walker flashed and slashed the defense with his arm, throwing for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6-of-11 passing.
Wilson struggled early in the spring. The pressure of being the leader without Ryan Mallett in the huddle was tough. All eyes were on Wilson to lead and he looked uncomfortable. Wilson even admitted to the frustrations after Arkansas’ first week of practice.
But the Greenwood native settled down, made some great throws and continued to solidify his stake in the backup role behind Mallett once the fall arrives. Wilson, unofficially, completed 30 of 44 passes for 365 yards and 4 touchdowns in two scrimmages before the Red-White game. He threw no interceptions in three scrimmages, but didn’t have many big plays down field.
And big plays catch fans’ eyes. That’s why Mitchell and Walker’s performances Saturday may have put more pressure on Wilson this summer.
Especially with Bobby Petrino‘s disappointment with the passing game this spring.
“We’ve got to go back and evaluate all our cutups of spring,” Petrino said. “But certainly we feel like our passing game maybe took a step backwards as far as our rhythm, our timing, where it was in the fall.
“And maybe some of that’s because we were emphasizing so much of the run, and we gave so many reps to all four quarterbacks and Ryan’s not out there.
“We’re definitely going to have to work on our timing and being precise on our cuts and our routes and the ball being there on time. Offensively I think that’s something that we really need to concentrate on when we get started in August.”
Most of it comes with timing, but McGee also had a laundry list of reasons to explain some of the hiccups — from understanding safeties and linebackers’ movements, to receivers having the right splits and understanding motion and snap points while in motion.
And then, of course, adjusting to plays after the snap.
Simply put, there’s a lot that goes into Arkansas’ offense that makes it so efficient. And at times this spring it continued to be dangerous.
At other times, like Saturday, the offense stalled, fumbled and bumbled.
Expectations are high at Arkansas, and every facet of the offense has a critical eye trained on it.
“We’ve got to complete 75 to 80 percent of our (passes),” Wilson said. “That’s our goal every day. This spring we were constantly 65 to 70 range. We’ve got to get better on our completion percentage and with that the passing game will get better.”
Until then, high expectations will continue to build going into the 2010 season.
Make no mistake, Mallett’s shadow — and protective boot — was cast on this team all spring. That feeling and mood was injected into the hills in Fayetteville the moment the quarterback told fans to “get ready” for big things next season when he announced in January he would skip the NFL Draft to return to Arkansas.
The Razorbacks’ athletic department even released posters with those two simple words in bold type at the Red-White game.
Wilson, who felt the pressure as Arkansas’ starter this spring, is in different territory this summer. There’s Mallett, and then there’s Mitchell and Walker, who are beginning to creep up on him in an offense that demands perfection.
“Nobody can replace (Mallett), but you have to be able to fill in his shoes when he’s down,” said Mitchell, who completed 2 of 5 passes for 80 yards Saturday. “We have to be able to control the offense and the offensive line, and make the checks and get us into the right run routes and right coverages. We just have to be more efficient.”
The quarterbacks understand that, including Wilson.
Even if his stats weren’t all that bad Saturday.
Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.
I wish I could have seen Mitchell throw some more. That guy, in my humble opinion, (if he is able to get the playbook ingrained by the fall), could be the frontrunner for backup ahead of Wilson. I know that may sound like a bit of a stretch right now, or even a travesty to some, but the guy has an absolute cannon of an arm (which led to some of the incompletions) and you can sense the leadership he is going to bring. Obviously we need to see more to be certain, but I sincerely believe he will take over the lead role of backup QB. It really stings to say that, but the fact of the matter is Wilson has been in the system long enough now that he shouldn’t be getting so nervous, bumbling snaps (still), relying too much on check downs, and just the overall sense of near panic he seems to display when a play breaks down–We can’t have that in a leader. Brandon, from what I could see (again this is VERY limited), is a very cool customer and seems to be seeing the whole field and doesn’t panic when things break down and can create with his feet (88yrd option run). Also, if you look back at any of his HS film, he was the same way, so there is some consistency there with a lot to build arond, and did I mention he has a rocket for an arm? I hope Wilson can snap out of it, but I think if he was going to do it, it would be happening right now….sadly, I just don’t see it occurring on a consistent basis when the lights come on. Prove me wrong Wilson!! I mean that in the most positive way possible–he has huge upside, and good mechanics, but needs to get over the mental hump to get to the next level. Good luck this summer-GO HOGS!!!! (on a side note, I liked what I saw out of Walker as well, but I think Brandon has the biggest upside of the 2 even thought Walker had the better stats–Call me crazy, but that’s just the impression that I get). The season looks bright–good job defense as well, they are definitely stepping it up!
Woo Pig from the Great Lakes!
Justin in Erie, PA
*around
It’s sometimes amazing the propaganda people buy into.
Last year following the spring game, all the rave was about Tyler Wilson possibly sharing time with Mallett come fall.
The coaches put Wilson in a position to sucseed with certain play calls that better fit with his abilities, and showed everyone he was a more accurate and consistant passer than Ryan all spring long, especially the Red/White game.
Now, this year, everyone is gaa-gaa about an 88 yard run by Brandon Mitchell that screams “where the hell was the Safety?”, and an overall performance by Jacoby Walker who was nowhere to be found all spring until yesterday.
What’s it going to be next year? That Brandon Allen will be the backup come fall?
Does anyone honestly believe Tyler Wilson isn’t much better than he was last season?
If you can’t see it, your either not looking hard enough, or your paying way too much attention to something else the coaches aren’t even considering at this point.
You can’t make a young QB something he’s not. It held true for Wilson last season, just like it will for Mitchell and Walker this time around.
Dude what are you talking about? Propaganda? Really? How is someone buying into propaganda as you call it when someone makes a statement based on personal first hand evaluation? You noted last year following the spring game that all the rave was about Tyler Wilson possibly sharing time with Mallett come fall–well, I hate to tell you this but the reason it was “all the rave” was because that is what Petrino TOLD EVERYONE–He said he wanted to try and get Wilson in the second series of every game–a tool to develop the backup QB’s–and again, where do you get that Tyler was “more accurate & consistent” than Mallett all spring long–that wasn’t the case there at all last year either. It was mentioned last year in the spring that Tyler was still having trouble with center exchanges and didn’t have as good a grasp of the playbook as Mallett, that there were areas that he did well in, and while it is true they put Wilson in position to make plays, it was never to “show everyone he was a more accurate & consistent passer” that’s ludicrous. Furthermore, to your statement of “Does anyone honestly believe Tyler Wilson isn’t much better than he was last season?” Well, that’s a little hard to actually answer–it depends on what your definition of better is. I will say that from the reports, he’s definitely talking a better game, and does seem more confident, but as of the spring game, I haven’t seen enough to really change my mind and say he’s escalated his play that much more. He still had a bumbled center exchange for a fumble and had some seriously bad over/under throws. Also, when I mentioned the big run by Mitchell, it was to describe the athleticism–sure there may have been busted coverage, but it was what he did with the busted coverage that was the point along with the impressive arm strength that he displayed. Lastly, what on earth were you talking about when you stated you can’t make a young QB something he’s not–it held true for Wilson last season, just like it will for Mitchell & Walker this time around? By that did you mean a functional starting QB? Anyway, to wrap this up, the entire point of the previous post was to say that Brandon Mitchell, by not only what I’ve seen in the spring game, but what I’ve seen in other footage and from coaching staff remarks–has all the tools to be highly, highly, successful in the upcoming system, and that if Tyler is still having issues with the same things he’s been having issues with the last couple of seasons that has prevented him from any serious game time like last season, he could find himself in the 3 spot. I also said I believe that Tyler is a good qb with a lot of upside, but he just needs to get over the mental hump–and if you can’t see that, you’re not looking hard enough, or not paying attention to something the coaches are considering at this point.
Wilson has been in our system for 3 years. He still struggles with taking a snap under center. He checked down to DJ Williams as if he made his mind up before the snap. He is not the caliber of QB we need for the SEC. He was over hyped coming out of GREENWOOD. Has anyone from GREENWOOD shined in D1 football? If ever he had an open door to shine it was this spring. He lacks the confidence and swag that Mitchell carries quietly. Brandon Mitchell is the future. As for Wilson, a transfer to a system that doesnt have a single formation under center would be smart.
Thanks for all that gibberish, “Dude”. Unfortunately, it was all a waste of time and energy.
Twice in your above comment, you asked the question, “what are you talking about?”
I think that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?
Do you have the stats on last years spring scrimmages?
Wilson had a higher pass/completion % in every single scrimmage, including the spring game.
Do you honestly believe I made that statement about Wilson splitting time with Mallett in the fall just because CBP said it?
I’ve attended both last years and last nights games from the 30th row above the 50 yd. line. Everything is crystal.
Last year in the 4th qr., Wilson changed over to a red uniform to work more with the 1st teamers.
He was 14 of 16 in that qr. alone, and that was only because Jarius Wright dropped a perfectly timed, perfectly placed 30 yard pass, while the other had to be thrown away because of good pass coverage.
It was well documented that Ryan Mallett had a better grasp of the overall offense, had better leadership skills and probably posessed the strongest arm in all of college football, but it’s also been well documented that Wilson has been the most accurate QB on campus since he’s been here.
You might want to keep a little bit closer tabs on what Wilson is actually doing in practice. The fumbled snaps have become a lot less of a concern, he’s still accurate, has more of an understanding of the offense and he rarely throws an interception, which is probably the single most important aspect of any QB’s game .
What pisses me off about that is he rarely gets any credit from guys like you because your too busy listening to the media talk about the “WOW factor”.
Making statements like that is like saying Courney Fortson’s continued on and off the court “I’m the man” mentality is ok, just as long as he has that “WOW factor”.
Look, agreed the “dude” comment wasn’t called for–whatever. For the record, I give Wilson plenty of credit. Twice now I’ve said that he was a good QB. I was happy that Petrino brought him in to the system, I’m happy a lot of players like him, I’m happy that he has supportive fans–I’ve always pulled for him and will continue to. I could give two $hits what the media says, and I wish you would get over that…What matters most is game time, not practice time–he could be the greatest QB that’s ever played the game during practice, but until it translates to the field come game time it doesn’t matter.
Yes, he does do a lot of things well, and I’ve never taken that away from him; hell, I hope he gets the starting job once Mallett leaves–but on a consistent leadership basis, I just don’t feel its there for him to be our go to guy for the type of play that is needed in the SEC. I am entitled to my opinion, I was just taken back a little and frankly a little insulted at the innuendo that I was just some remote control/newspaper/internet jockey sheep with no mind of my own.
Honestly, I don’t care to argue with my fellow Hog fans in a way that it is not productive or is nasty, I like to think I’m above that. My intention was not to make you out as some ill-informed jerk, but on the same hand I don’t like to be called out for something I’m not. At the end of the day, we’re all Razorback fans and will all be pulling for each and everyone one of the players and hope nothing but the best for them all. So if its cool with you lets just call this a truce and forget about it…..
The SAW huh? Well SAW, you might want to call up Kiehl Frazier and tell him not to come to the UofA, since he runs the exact same spread offense Wilson did in high school, against even less competition.
HogPenn10,
It’s cool. Truce. Forgotten.
Maybe I was a little over the edge. I just think fans sometimes jump the gun when discussing the direction of the players development in general, not just Tyler.
I remember last season I was excited to see what kind of player Darius Winston was going to be.
He wasn’t ready for the college jump, but I remember some of the fans thinking it was CWR’s fault for not being able to develope a defense.
I suppose expecting to absorb comments derived from that way of thinking has me a little on edge when arguing in defense of the players/coaches. My apologies.
Gonzo Hog and HogPenn0. Thank you both for an excellent discussion. I don’t have the access to watch or see the Hogs until National TV. Wholehogsports subsription requirement was big a disappointment for me. Your discussions and information was the best direct and candid insight I have seen (or have access to). They should set both of you up to write articles. If I got it all straight, looks like we will not have a QB issue this fall as we have a number of options. Mallett will be a top 10 pick next year. Wilson is in a tough situation but look at the USC QBs. Sounds like Wislon is playing his role within the team. I hope he does fine when he gets his chance.
I agree with TxHog. Both of you guys have thoughtful commentary. I’m glad to see some fresh comments from someone like HogPenn. Too frequently, its the same people over and over and over and, well you get it. GonzoHog is one of the few posters that I really pay close attention to and can attest it is out of character for him to jump on Penn the way he did. We all have bad days though. I appreciate the way you guys brought it to a truce and Penn said it best, we are all hog fans. Which brings me to some good news, I pick up my specialty plates this Friday at the DMV. The best I could do was RZRBAX. There are clearly more hog fans in Nebraska than I thought. The more obvious ones were gone.
Congrats Omahahog on the plate! And thanks for the feed back–I always enjoy a good debate about the Hogs….Being up here in Big 10 (11 or whatever they will be next) Country, you don’t see a lot of Razorback fans, but my jeep has a big red razorback plate on the front & decals on the back, so I wear my Hog Heritage proudly! I get a few honks of support occasionally from other hog fans I see up here and its always encouraging–we really are a Hog Nation!
In other awesome news–Garrick McGee has struck again in Oklahoma and has picked us up a big offensive line recruit–and by big I don’t only mean high caliber (will likely be a 4 or 5 star recruit before its all said and done) but the guy is massive–6’8″ 285lbs. We are strongly going after Brey Cook (6’7 314) out of Springdale too. If we can snag Cook as well, do you realize that would look like to opposing defensive lines in the SEC along with big Anthony Oden (6’8 328)? Talk about intimidating!!!
Only 132 days/19 more Saturdays till kickoff–can’t wait to get the party started!
Hey Brandon, I heard Jacoby tore an ACL. True story?
Wow…you guys crack me up. Good discussion though! I remember Wilson having better numbers in spring practices and thinking, “jeez this guy is better than Mallett!” Then Mallett threw pass that traveled like 65 yards and I said woah! This guy is good! So yeah I think Wilson will be good and the likely starter for the 2011 season but I’m sure that B. Mitchell will be putting heavy pressure on him for the job.
For you Texas Hog I’ll comment on the QB play.
Mitchell came in the game on the 3rd series I believe in a scoreless game. His first play he faked the handoff to D. Johnson and while the white team snowed DJ, Mitchell took off. He juked inside and then outside while childs threw the one and only block necessary to spring him for an 88 yd TD. There was no safety…no one in the picture. His next possession he dropped back and launched a very long pass that was placed just at child’s fingertips…he hauled it in and dove forward to the 1yd line. Mitchell then called his own number and ran over the defender to score the TD. Mitchell was like 2-5 for 80yds.
Nick Petrino completed short passes accurately and moved the offense down the field. His throws of 15yds or more were way off and did not have the velocity to be completed…IMO a couple should have been picked. He had knile davis open in the endzone from about the 20 and couldn’t get the ball too him. Underthrown so badly that even being all alone knile couldn’t get his hands under it.
Wilson had to check down early and often because the pass rush was on him so quickly. He did not make bad decisions or try to force the ball. He also didn’t complete a pass that went more than 20 yds through the air. He did hit Cobi Hamilton in stride on a short crossing route that went for a 44yd TD. The kid is so fast that I thought it was a 20 yarder and was surprised to go back and watch him glide downfield. Cobi really has some speed.
Jacoby Walker played on the white team and did a very nice job….he was the most impressive b/c we expected the least out of him. His highlights were a 30 something yard pass over the outside shoulder of Ronnie Wingo for a TD. It really was a perfect touch pass. He also hit J. Wright on a busted coverage. Nothing special about it, JW lined up split right and ran a post route to the left side. The ball was not perfectly thrown but it got there and ended in an easy TD. He also had a nice long pass along the right sideline to RS-FR Lance Ray (this years Cobi Hamilton). Walker also took off and scrambled a couple of times. He converted a 2pt conversion (needed b/c tejada needs to try hada)…the defense could have stopped him but pulled up and walker bounced off the defender and into the endzone. His most successful run was right up the middle where he tried to change direction at the 4 and went down with an obvious knee injury. It looked to be a hyperextended left knee and I would be very surprised if it was anything serious.
Matt,
Thanks for the detail. Man, reading that was like listening to the radio. I can get the visual and I am exciting about the upcoming seasons. I hope these guys Wilson and Mitchell are able to play good enough to give Mallet some rest even in premium games. They need Mallet healthy to the end, and need thse guys to have the experience required to sustain for next year. I noticed Wally Hall wrote an article about the QB’s. I am sure it is good. One of these days I will buckle down to subscribe to read all of the articles. Just seems like a wasted requirement though. I know it is marketing and all but I have my fill of login ID and passwords to almost everything you do these days. I say keep the internet free and without hassle.
BTW,
How is the defense looking relative to last year? Neutral, step backwards, or improving? I sincerely believe if the defense can be ranked 4th or better in SEC, they will win it all.
Texas Hog
TexasHog,
I wrote something on the defense this morning and how I believe they have taken a big step forward. You can read it here: http://blogs.nwaonline.com/slophouse/2010/04/commentary-hogs-inch-closer-to-top-20-defense/