Noland joins exclusive list of true freshman starting QBs at Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — Connor Noland joined an exclusive club Saturday afternoon by becoming just the eighth true freshman to start a game at quarterback for Arkansas.

He got the starting nod over redshirt sophomore Cole Kelley against Tulsa, as Ty Storey - who has started the last four games - is still recovering from a presumed concussion suffered last week against Ole Miss.

The previous seven true freshman starting quarterbacks combined for a 17-10-1 record. That record strongly aided by Mitch Mustain’s 8-0 mark as a starter in 2006.

His tenure is remembered by most, but the memory of the others might not be as fresh on Arkansas fans’ minds. Here is a look back at all of them…

Houston Nutt - 1976

W, 46-14 vs. TCU

L, 31-35 vs. SMU (Shreveport, La.)

L, 30-7 vs. Texas Tech (Little Rock)

Long before recruiting rankings were a thing, Nutt was a five-star recruit pursued by programs from across the country coming out of Little Rock Central. He could have played football for Bear Bryant at Alabama or basketball for Joe B. Hall at Kentucky, but instead - with much fanfare - chose to stay home and play for the Razorbacks.

When starter Ron Calcagni went down with an injury early in the year, Nutt was slated to make his first start against Tulsa, but Calcagni toughed it out and played. That just delayed the inevitable, though, as he started the following week at TCU. Although not known for his ability to run the option, his first pitch resulted in a 35-yard touchdown for Ben Cowins. That settled him in for a 46-14 blowout victory.

Nutt returned to the starting lineup later in the season, but lost to SMU and Texas Tech. He finished his freshman campaign by completing 12 of 28 passes for 153 yards and two interceptions.

Legendary head coach Frank Broyles retired after the season, though, and Nutt transferred after one year with Lou Holtz. The two-sport standout played football and basketball at Arkansas and Oklahoma State before eventually returning to the Razorbacks as a head coach.

Tom Rystrom - 1976

L, 29-12 at Texas

The 1976 season was not kind to Arkansas’ quarterbacks. Calcagni, the starter, battled injuries throughout the year and with backups Mike Scott and Nutt also hurt, the starting job fell to Rystrom for the season finale against Texas.

Both teams were hovering around .500, but the moved-for-TV game turned out to be significant because it was the final game for Broyles and legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal, who announced their retirements in a pre-recorded segment during the game.

Although recruited as a quarterback out of Shawnee Mission (Kan.) South, Rystrom had moved to defensive back during the season. Two weeks before the Texas game, he had to move back to his original position because of all the injuries. All things considered, he performed admirably by completing 6 of 13 passes for 43 yards. That wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the Earl Campbell-led Longhorns, who beat the Razorbacks 29-12.

Brad Taylor - 1981

W, 41-7 at Rice

W, 41-39 vs. Baylor (Little Rock)

W, 10-7 at Texas A&M

L, 31-27 vs. North Carolina (Gator Bowl)

The first small-school quarterback to be named to the Associate Press Super Team in Arkansas, Taylor led Danville to a perfect 14-0 record and Class A state championship as a senior in 1980.

When he got to Arkansas, Taylor drew a lot of praise from Holtz, who said he had the quickest release of any quarterback he’d ever coached - a list that included Joe Namath. He split time with Tom Jones early before taking over as the starter and leading the Razorbacks to wins over Rice, Baylor and Texas A&M. That last win required a game-winning 91-yard drive in the fourth quarter.

Taylor finished the season by completing 53 of 99 passes (53.5 percent) for 726 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. He was eventually a four-year starter who left as the school’s all-time leading passer with 4,802 yards, which now ranks ninth.

Barry Lunney Jr. - 1992

W, 25-24 at Tennessee

L, 17-3 vs. Ole Miss (Little Rock)

T, 24-24 at Auburn

L, 10-3 at Mississippi State

L, 24-19 vs. SMU (Little Rock)

W, 30-6 vs. LSU

It was more than a decade before Arkansas had another true freshman under center. Interim coach Joe Kines made the tough decision to switch from Jason Allen - who was never the same after suffering a devastating knee injury the year before - to Lunney before a road trip to No. 4 Tennessee.

The Razorbacks already had an embarrassing loss to The Citadel that led to the dismissal of Jack Crowe, so there wasn’t much to lose. Sure enough, Lunney - a two-sport standout from Fort Smith Southside - led Arkansas to a 25-24 upset victory. He ended up going 2-3-1 as a starting quarterback that season, completing 48.1 percent of his passes for 1,015 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.

There were a few ups and downs along the way, but Lunney was a four-year starter who ended his career by leading Arkansas to a 1995 SEC West title. He also shattered Taylor’s passing record, finishing with 5,782 yards, and was a starting pitcher on the baseball team. Lunney is now the Razorbacks’ tight ends coach.

Zak Clark - 2000

L, 38-24 vs. Ole Miss

W, 17-10 at Mississippi State

Clark is somewhat of a unique true freshman in that he graduated Fayetteville High in 1999 and was just a part-time student in the fall of that year because the Razorbacks were short on scholarships. He joined the team the following spring and immediately established himself as a contender for the starting job.

Redshirt sophomore Robby Hampton started the majority of the games, but Clark did get the nod against the two Mississippi schools. The Razorbacks lost to Ole Miss - a game that also saw John Rutledge, the former intramural quarterback, get some snaps - and upset No. 13 Mississippi State in overtime, the latter of which Clark didn’t finish under center.

Clark’s stat line as a freshman was not great - 28 of 68 passing (41.2 percent) for 321 yards, one touchdown and six interception - but he was improved as a sophomore in 2001, when he started 10 games. However, he eventually transferred to UCA, where he became an FCS All-American.

Casey Dick - 2005

L, 14-10 vs. South Carolina

W, 28-17 at Ole Miss

W, 44-10 vs. Mississippi State (Little Rock)

L, 19-17 at LSU

A three-star recruit coming out of Allen, Texas, Dick anticipated redshirting his first year at Arkansas. With the Razorbacks struggling to a 2-5 start that included losses in all four SEC games with redshirt sophomore Robert Johnson under center, Nutt replaced Johnson and inserted Dick into the starting lineup.

After a close loss to South Carolina, in which Darren McFadden - a freshman himself - ran for 187 yards, Dick helped the Razorbacks beat the two Mississippi schools and nearly knock off No. 3 LSU in Baton Rouge.

During his freshman season, Dick completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 584 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, doing enough to enter the offseason as the starter.

Mitch Mustain - 2006

W, 20-0 vs. Utah State

W, 21-19 at Vanderbilt

W, 24-23 vs. Alabama

W, 27-10 at Auburn

W, 63-7 vs. SE Missouri State

W, 38-3 vs. Ole Miss

W, 44-10 vs. LA-Monroe (Little Rock)

W, 26-20 at South Carolina

However, an offseason back injury sidelined Dick for the first half of the 2006 season to really kickoff the drama of a truly bizarre year.

Part of the famed “Springdale Five,” five-star quarterback Mitch Mustain was one of the Razorbacks’ most highly regarded recruits in a long time. With his high school coach, Gus Malzahn, now the offensive coordinator at Arkansas, many figured he’d take the starting job early on.

Johnson got the start in the season opener against No. 1 USC, though, and struggled before Mustain entered the game late. He was named the starter the following week and the Razorbacks won eight consecutive games with him as the starting quarterback.

Although there were bright spots, such as throwing the game-winning touchdown to beat No. 22 Alabama in double overtime, he is largely remembered for guiding the ship led by McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis.

After throwing an interception on his first attempt against South Carolina, Mustain was replaced by Dick and never regained the starting job. He finished the season completing 52.3 percent of his passes for 894 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. During the offseason, he transferred to USC where he was mostly a career backup for the Trojans.