UA FOOTBALL PRACTICE : Coleman’s speed keeping him in wide receiver mix
Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2008
The spring game showed the Petrino brothers why the Razorback regime of Houston Nutt recruited Camden's Rod Coleman.
Now it's up to Coleman to show new head coach Bobby Petrino and offensive coordinator / receivers coach Paul Petrino why they should play Coleman after the Nutt regime seldom did.
Used more as special-teamer and change of pace scout-team quarterback than pass-catcher by the Nutt regime, Coleman's speed blazed a spring game imprint, catching a pass from Nathan Dick for 50 yards to the firstteam defense's 3, and running a reverse 29 yards.
For his three years under Nutt, the first a redshirt year, Coleman's one catch for 14 yards last year was his statistical extent.
So this feeling after the spring game, buoyed by 3 catches for 67 yards, including a 45-yard TD pass from Alex Mortensen, in one spring scrimmage and a catch for 18 yards in another, had Coleman's stock higher than it's ever been over a summer into the August preseason.
"Yeah after the catch I had, and the reverse the coach allowed me to do, it gave me some confidence going into this season," Coleman said. "Hopefully I can carry that into two-a-days that I am ready to play and can help the team win this season."
The Petrinos' passing offense needs speed and needs more wideouts than the usual two at a time that Nutt employed in the runoriented attacked geared to now NFL tailbacks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
"I feel I can come in," Coleman said," and impress the coaches and get up on the depth chart and really help the team."
Coleman could, Paul Petrino said, but will he ?
Consistency has previously eluded him like his speed sometimes eludes secondaries.
"Rod showed some good things at the end of spring, " Paul Petrino said," but he has to be consistent, go out there every day and play at a fast level."
If he does, then opportunity knocks.
"The four and five-wideout system, there are going to be receivers that didn't get a chance when the previous coach was here," Coleman said. "The new offense will help a whole lot for the receivers to get playing time."
Sure the opportunity is there, says Paul Petrino. The Hogs started August drills with junior London Crawford and third-year sophomore Carlton Salters atop the receivers totem pole and everyone else in a bunch, particularly with Marques Wade - also closing spring drills on the first team suspended the season's first two games for disciplinary reasons.
"He has a chance," Paul Petrino said. "Right now it's pretty wide open once you get past London and Carlton. Those two have stepped up above everyone else. Everyone's competing to see who the next guys are."
But more receiving spots guarantee nothing to the inconsistent.
"The biggest thing I've got to worry about is being consistent in everything I do," Coleman said. "My route running, my pass blocking, speed of the game. Just show the coaches I can be consistent in everything. Special teams, everything they've got me on. Just go 100 miles an hour."
He'll need to do all that to stand above an increasing crowd.
The Razorbacks recruited four freshman receivers, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs and Chris Gragg of Warren and Joe Adams of Central Arkansas Christian.
All come highly touted.
"It doesn't do anything but motivate me," Coleman said of the freshmen hype," to go out every day to prove to myself and the rest of my teammates to do what I've got to do to help the team."
Actually he's already helped his team, not only lettering the last two years on special teams but in 2006 reliving his Camden Fairview High days as a scrambling quarterback to prepare the Arkansas defense as a scoutteamer against scramblers from Ole Miss and South Carolina.
"It was real fun," Coleman said. "It brought back memories of my high school days playing quarterback but I think my throwing days are over."
Now Fairview seems to have come to him as Camden freshmen De'Antony Curtis, a running back, Jim Youngblood, a quarterback, and defensive linemen Lavunce Askew and Brian Christopher are the Razorbacks on scholarship.
"It feels like high school all over again," Coleman said. "I was a senior when they were in ninth grade so I really didn't get a chance to play with them. But I watched them a couple of times. I communicate with them a whole lot. I'm going to take care of them."
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