The Traveler

Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Chris Bryan Darren McFadden heads to Little Rock with a record in sight. McFadden is only 153 yards shy of Ben Cowins' UA career rushing record.

Much has been made this week about Arkansas overlooking its opponent Saturday when it hosts Tennessee-Chattanooga at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium.

It wouldn't be too hard. After all, the Mocs are 1-3 on the season and play in the subdivision below the Razorbacks. To add to that, Arkansas is coming off a 66-7 win over North Texas and has a big conference showdown with Auburn next week.

With rumblings running rampant about job securities and the lack of big-name non-conference opponents, overlooking the Mocs is something Arkansas coaches have warned about.

"I know the head coach at the other end," said Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee. "(Chattanooga coach) Rodney Allison is a fighter, and he'll have his guys ready to go this weekend. Our guys better get ready for a street fight because that's what is going to happen."

The Mocs are the third of four non-conference foes from non-BCS schools this season for Arkansas (2-2). At Wednesday's practice, Razorback defensive coordinator Reggie Herring took offense to the comments about Arkansas' non-conference schedule.

"There's too much conversation around this whole state about who we're playing and what we're playing," Herring said. "At the end of the day, we've got to win and get better. It's getting kind of old, people making trivia of who we're playing all of a sudden. You look around the country, and I don't see everyone with Southern Cal on their schedule.

"We're no different than anyone else. I'm tired of people taking away from the hard work these players put in to playing any game."

Arkansas has traditionally used a non-BCS opponent to re-energize its season.

In 2001, Arkansas beat Weber State 42-19 in Fayetteville in the first of six consecutive wins that resulted in a Cotton Bowl appearance. The next year, Arkansas used wins over Troy and Louisiana-Lafayette during another six-game win streak to help propel it to the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

In each of those two years, Arkansas began the season 0-2 in league play, a record Arkansas now has.

But Arkansas hasn't had the greatest of weeks, according to coaches, including a Tuesday practice Lee said was the worst of the season.

Continued...

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