Nathan Dick is Hogs back-up QB for opener

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino confirmed that Nathan Dick will be the Razorbacks’ No. 2 signal caller for the Western Illinois game if he listened to what Petrino and his assistants had said about freshman quarterback Tyler Wilson.

While Nathan Dick, a redshirt freshman from Allen, Texas, and Wilson, a true freshman from Greenwood were listed as either/or at the No. 2 spot on the Razorbacks’ depth chart, by virtue of going through spring practice Nathan Dick has more experienced with the offense but most importantly, he has more experience taking the snap from under center.

When UA coaches praised Wilson for his instincts, mobility, arm and touch, it always came with the caveat that he is just learning to take the snap from under center after working almost exclusively out of the Shotgun at Greenwood. Coaches also mentioned his footwork in the running game was not up to par. Those limitations would make the Razorbacks much less effective on offense.

Though it would not surprise me to see Wilson play for the Razorbacks this year — even Saturday — he still has some learning to do before the Hogs are ready to count on him at the moment.

However, when Wilson pulls his footwork together, look out. He’s got a quick release, makes good reads and knows how to buy time with his feet to let his receivers get open.

While we still have this season to look forward to, the battle for starting quarterback next spring will be interesting and intense with Wilson, Nathan Dick and red-shirting sophomore Ryan Mallet all vying for the coveted role.

Filed under: Arkansas Football by Terry Wood. Posted on: August 29, 2008 at 10:23 am