Darren McFadden weighs in on Arkansas offense
If anyone knows what it's like to have success as a player on offense in an Arkansas uniform, it's legendary running back Darren McFadden.
The three-time First Team All-SEC selection and two-time Doak Walker Award winner put together three-straight 1,000-yard seasons and scored 41 career touchdowns during his three years in Fayetteville.
Now sporting the #5 jersey once made famous by McFadden — and ironically the jersey is also the "McFadden Era" version — is junior back Rocket Sanders. The 6-foot-2, 242-pound preseason First Team All-SEC selection has appeared in just three games this year thanks to a knee injury he suffered in Week 1.
In Sanders' absence, the Hogs' have just 872 rushing yards as a team and sophomore Rashod Dubinion has a team-high 260 rushing yards through eight games.
Picking up 260 yards was something McFadden could do in one game — because he actually did have 321 rushing yards against South Carolina in 2007 — and he said Thursday on 103.7 The Buzz's Morning Mayhem that he's been surprised with the Arkansas rushing attack this season.
"That's something I couldn't have even have fathomed right there," McFadden said. " You would never have even thought something like that coming into the season. I would've went out on a limb and said we probably would've had two guys close to 1,000 yards this year. I don't see it happening at this point. If it was to happen, it would be a heck of a miracle, man."
If anyone could make that miracle happen, it would be Sanders, who rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 scores last year. According to head coach Sam Pittman, Sanders practiced on Monday and Tuesday and he has a real shot at returning to the field on Saturday at Florida.
"It's great to have him back out there," McFadden said. "I hope he's healthy enough and well enough to play. I'm sure his teammates sure missed him out there. The coaching staff missed him. It'll be great to see him out there and just have him out there running the football. Hopefully we'll get something going this week."
Calling the plays for Sanders and quarterback KJ Jefferson will be a new face this Saturday, as interim offensive coordinator Kenny Guiton has taken over for Dan Enos, who was fired on Oct. 22.
Pittman has referenced wanting to bring back life, enthusiasm and energy to the program. Although they haven't played a game yet, things have seemingly been going much better so far.
"I know for me as a player, you feed off a lot of the coach's energy," McFadden said. "If a coach is bringing great energy out there, I think that just kind of trickles down on the players. When you're around a coach that's I guess more laid back, or not as intense about the game or however you want to call it, that trickles down on the players. I think a lot of that showed this year when you see the offense out there on the field.
"Having a guy that's just intense and brings the energy. It doesn't have to be a get in your face type of guy — but when guys are making good plays in practice, you're cheering them on. You have your team, you have your guys celebrating for him. Coaches like that, you really want to go out there and play hard for them and put it on the line for them. I think the guys kind of feel that from Coach Guiton and I think that'll be something great for them."
Arkansas will need a McFadden-like performance from a lot of players if it hopes to win Saturday's showdown against the Florida Gators (5-3, 3-2) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. The game is set for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on ESPN2.