Next Season is Tyler Wilson's Time to Shine - From the Bench

Next Season is Tyler Wilson’s Time to Shine

Robert Shields

Coaches will tell you that every year stands on its own merit, but what the Razorback football accomplished this season is only an indication of what the team is capable of next season. The question that looms heading into spring practice is who will be the starting quarterback.

I made a bold proclamation two years ago that Ryan Mallett would be the starter over Tyler Wilson. It was not genius on my part. The evidence was empirical. As a result of this easy prediction, I received a lot of hate mail from Wilson’s loyal supporters, including a close relative who took issue with what I said. As I stated back then, it was never meant as a dig – I was only stating the facts as to who would be the starter and it was quite obvious when you looked at the two of them side by side on the cover of Arkansas Sports 360 that summer.

I now make the bold proclamation again that Wilson will finally get his turn next season. Again, I expect hate mail from those who think someone else deserves it. Jacoby Walker has the potential to be a great one, but it’s not his time yet. He also needs time to heal from the injury coming out of last year’s Red-White game (sorry, UA athletic department, I have forgotten the sponsors that I am supposed to list as part of the title). Walker has some catching up to do, as did Wilson at the same stage in his career.

Wilson has come light years from two years ago. If you remember, he struggled even taking a snap from under center thanks to the offense he ran in high school and the habits picked up from the 7-on-7 touch football tournaments in the summer. I have a hard time remembering even a single time Mallett botched the exchange from center to quarterback. This season, that ailment seemed to leave Wilson when he entered the game.

Wilson also looked spectacular running the offense against Auburn. Sure, he threw two interceptions at the end of the game, but those came after the Hogs had fallen behind and were forced out of the offense and into throwing every down to catch up to the points being scored by the ineligible player.

Wilson led the Hogs in a victory over much-hated Ole Miss. He looked very sharp in that game, which was also the game that seemed to really begin the emergence of Knile Davis. Was it coincidental or causation based? I will let you debate on the Internet.

When Wilson was in the game, he seemed to always see the field even better than Mallett. Make no mistake, there are just some throws Wilson cannot make that Mallet could. On some of the throws in that category, his receivers might actually be glad. Mallett has an exceptional arm.

Sometimes when you have the big star quarterback, you can’t win it all. John Elway, Dan Marino, even the great Peyton Manning could not win it all. Sometimes at quarterback you need a leader who understands how to play the position to win, not necessarily a star with freakish ability to throw the long ball.

Tennessee won it all the year after Manning left with a guy who was that kind of player in Tee Martin. Nobody mistakes Greg McElroy at Alabama as a first-round draft pick in the NFL. But he is a winner. Sometimes, you just need the guy to get the snap and run the play correctly.

In his two games when he played when it mattered, Wilson showed that he could run the play. His decision making seems solid and there is no doubt of his understanding of the offense.

Coach Bobby Petrino recruited Wilson out of Greenwood in his first recruiting class. Next season Wilson will be a four-year junior with playing time. It’s his time.

I will leave you with a question that I have posed to several people when we talk about the Sugar Bowl. At the end of the game when the Hogs have recovered the blocked punt and are set up for the game-winning touchdown, does Wilson throw the interception?

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After the drubbing of the Razorback basketball team by Florida, the traditionally fire-the-coach campaign is under way. I offer an ounce of prevention that could have saved the pound of cure. The ounce was simply handling the departure of Nolan Richardson better. In sending him packing, those responsible took a wrecking ball to the program’s foundation. It wasn’t as easy to lay a new one as they thought. Next week you get the pound of cure.


Send your answers to fromthebench@yahoo.com.