Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas Preview
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – Plagued by injuries to its star quarterback and top two receivers, Arkansas turned to its running game to help avoid a second straight loss.
Bet College Football Week 9 Odds
Still saddled with those lingering injuries, the 19th-ranked Razorbacks may be forced to stay on the ground when they host struggling Vanderbilt in an SEC crossover contest Saturday night.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made Arkansas –20.5 point spread favorites for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. Current NCAA Public Betting Information shows that 83% of more than 900 bets for this game have been placed on Arkansas –20.5.
Fresh off a 65-43 loss at then-No. 7 Auburn a week earlier, Arkansas (5-2, 2-2) bounced back with a 38-24 home win over Mississippi last Saturday.
Though the Razorbacks likely came away a more confident team, they didn’t come away healthy.
Ryan Mallett was 13 of 24 for 196 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the third quarter with a bruised throwing shoulder. Mallett also left the Auburn loss with a concussion.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino hopes Mallett, second in the SEC with 2,040 passing yards, will play Saturday.
“I think he’ll be OK,” Petrino said. “It’s just a matter of getting his strength back and being able to throw the ball.
“There’s no damage or anything like that.”
Backup Tyler Wilson is 28 of 39 for 403 yards with four TDs and two interceptions in place of Mallett the last two games.
Petrino hopes either quarterback will have receivers Greg Childs and Joe Adams in the lineup after each left last weekend’s contest with an ankle injury.
Childs leads the team with 41 receptions, 572 yards and six touchdowns. Adams has 30 catches for 544 yards and four TDs.
Though Arkansas leads the SEC averaging 352.1 passing yards per game, those injuries could mean Petrino rides a running game that’s averaged 155.7 yards the last three games. Even with that recent success, Arkansas ranks second-to-last in the league in rushing at 125.6 yards per game.
Sophomore Knile Davis ran for 114 of his career-high 176 yards and two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss.
After rushing 20 times for 121 yards his first four games, Davis has run for 349 yards on 46 carries the last three contests.
“The more reps I get, the more comfortable I get in the backfield,” Davis said. “The offensive line gives me a lot of support back there, and that gives me the time to do what I’ve got to do.”
Davis could be in for another big effort against a Vanderbilt defense that allowed third-string South Carolina tailback Brian Maddox to gain a career-high 146 yards in a 21-7 loss to the then-No. 19 Gamecocks last Saturday.
The Commodores (2-5, 1-3) are last in the SEC allowing 182.9 rushing yards per contest.
The problems also mount on the offensive side where Vanderbilt averages a league-low 18.9 points per game and has been outscored 64-7 in back-to-back losses that followed a 52-6 win over Eastern Michigan on Oct. 9.
Looking to remedy the offensive struggles, head coach Robbie Caldwell promoted third-year running backs coach Des Kitchings to offensive coordinator in place of Jimmy Kiser, who will remain on staff coaching the quarterbacks.
“Des is a great coach,” Caldwell told the Vanderbilt official website. “He has a great deal of experience and has paid his dues here. In my years of coaching, I’ve never seen someone take to it as quickly as he has. I think our players will be refreshed and ready to play for him.”
Senior quarterback Larry Smith has completed 40 percent of his passes and has not thrown a touchdown the last two games.
Saturday will be the schools’ first meeting since Arkansas won 21-19 on Sept. 16, 2006. Vanderbilt won 28-24 in the last meeting in Fayetteville, Ark., Sept. 10, 2005.
Vanderbilt has lost nine straight games against ranked opponents since a 14-13 win over No. 13 Auburn on Oct. 4, 2008.
Bet College Football Week 9 Odds