Arkansas Razorbacks Football

Canaan Sandy tried to pump up the crowd as he ran on to the field. He wanted them as excited as he was. 

Sandy joined the Arkansas Razorbacks in their huddle at midfield. The play was simple: Hand it to Canaan. He stood to the right of quarterback Brandon Allen, hands on his knees, in a shotgun formation just behind the 50-yard line. 

The ball was snapped and off he went through a gaping hole on the right side of the line. He held the pigskin high and tight, just like they teach it. No one was close to touching him. No one was going to touch him. This was Canaan's moment. 

The players mobbed him in the end zone whooping and hollering before quickly realizing he wasn't done. There was still a celebration dance to do. 

A series of "Ohhhhs!" erupted as Canaan busted a move that would make Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury jealous. 

Like little Jack Hoffman's touchdown at Nebraska's spring game the year before, Canaan's run made headlines with all the major news outlets. "We didn't even see the touchdown run until Tuesday," said Canaan's mother, Ginger Sandy. "Our Internet was down, so we were way behind the times."  

The touchdown counted. It's in the official stat sheet and everything. Canaan has been a lifelong Razorbacks fan, but for a day he was a member of the team with his own stat. 

After it was over, after all the dancing and celebrating, Canaan pulled a group together with a simple request. 

"Let us pray," he said.

History of Resilience

Danny and Ginger Sandy had no idea their son would have Down syndrome. 

Once Canaan was born, though, they knew something wasn't right. "The next morning, the doctor came in with his suspicions and said he was calling in a specialist," Ginger said.

There were complications. Canaan was born with a hole in his heart, an intestinal blockage and he was deaf. 

"We got to have him home for three weeks before he had his first little heart attack," Ginger said. "Then we were back in the hospital for almost two months after that. 

“By the time he was three months old, he had undergone open-heart surgery and major intestinal repair.”

For the first three years of Canaan's life, the Sandy's second home was the hospital.

Now 31, Canaan lives with his parents on a farm in Cave City, a small town in northern Arkansas a little more than 100 miles from Little Rock and a couple of hours west of Memphis. 

"DS children never really grow up," Ginger explained. "There is a [mental] level where they plateau. It could be 12 or 13 years old. They can’t drive, there are safety concerns, money issues: things that adults would have to deal with.

"DS children—and I call them children, no matter their age—aren’t equipped to handle that.” 

Though he's unable to live by himself, Canaan is high-functioning. He's capable of doing tasks on his own and was the first student with Down syndrome to graduate from Cave City High School at age 21 with the help of the Arkansas Disabilities Act. He's even taken some college-level courses through the high school. 

He helps on the farm and assists his mother at the local community theater, where he's been acting since he was six. The Sandys are devoutly religious. Canaan is an usher for the local church and gets to sing a song every week. 

He's been a 4-H member since he was five and was elected to the Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame. He's served as a state officer, state ambassador and the Arkansas representative to Washington, D.C. 

Canaan has also shown pigs on a national level. He was featured in the first-ever youth edition of the National Swine Association magazine and pictured on the National Showpig brochure.

In short, Canaan has been living quite a life. 

"We don’t focus on his DS," Ginger said. "Canaan doesn’t even know he’s special or that he has a title. We just treat him like he’s normal and let him do as much as he can and wants to do."

Hall of Fame Fan

Canaan attended his first Razorbacks game when he was two months old. And he had to go into open-heart surgery the next week. His parents wanted to go to the game, but couldn't leave their infant son behind while they went to Fayetteville. 

So began the first of many trips to Fayetteville for Canaan. 

The Sandys make day trips to Arkansas football games—a five-hour drive each way—a few times each season. Oftentimes, the family won't get home until five in the morning the next day. 

But that has molded Canaan into the superfan he is today. When he's not watching sports, he's playing as his beloved Razorbacks on the NCAA Football video game for his PlayStation. He's convinced, without a doubt, that the Hogs will go undefeated this year. 

When ESPN began holding its Fans Hall of Fame contest, Canaan's sister, Krista, and Ginger knew he would be a perfect contestant. They sent in videos and pictures, and of the thousands of entries, Canaan was chosen as a top-10 finalist and elected in December. 

Arkansas invited the Sandys to special Razorback Club events, where they got to meet head coach Bret Bielema. Ginger recalls that it was around that time that Bielema came up with the idea of putting her son in the team's spring Red-White Game on April 26. In the week leading up to the game, the athletic department began hinting to the family that they had big plans for Canaan. 

"When we got to Fayetteville that Friday, word was that he was going to make a two-point conversion," Ginger said. "But, during halftime, coach Bielema got the notion that he wanted Caanan to score a touchdown and have a bigger part in the game.”

So, with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Canaan ran on to the field. He took the handoff from Allen and 50 yards later put the Red Team up 54-22. 

And his mother missed the whole thing. 

“I didn’t get to see anything," Ginger said. "I’m a little short in stature and all the people down on the field were big.

"And then I started crying and I didn’t see anything.” 

Canaan's time in the spotlight isn't over yet, though. The Sandys head to ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Conn., on May 29. That's when Canaan will be inducted into the Fan Hall of Fame at the ESPN campus, where his picture and name will be engraved on a stadium seat.  Next year, Canaan will help pick the top 10 finalists.

The collective moments from Canaan's life, culminating in last weekend's touchdown run, have played out nothing like his mother's initial vision—for the better. 

"I was distraught [when he was born]," she said. "I felt like there would be no life for him and didn’t know what it would be like for us.

"As you can see, I turned out to be worried for nothing."

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football at Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. You can follow Ben on Twitter @BenKercheval. 

The Arkansas Razorbacks are far off from competing for an SEC championship, don't let the headline fool you. There is a laundry list of problems standing in the way of a conference title for the Hogs and head coach Bret Bielema. 

However, covering all those problems would take a very long time. So instead, we'll cover the biggest issue keeping Arkansas from winning its first SEC championship. 

Above anything else, the biggest obstacle standing in the Razorbacks' way of an SEC title is the defense. Some might think quarterback would be a problem, but it's one position. Brandon Allen had a great spring and there's good depth behind him. The defense as a whole is weak and the biggest problem.

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. It's an extremely cliche saying, but it's also very true.

When you think of the best and most consistent programs in the SEC, such as Alabama and LSU, a staple of them are tough, hard-nosed defenses. Even when their offenses don't have good games, their defenses shut down the other team.

One of the big problems is the sheer lack of physicality. You'd think they were afraid of tackling, which is saying a lot considering they are football players who play defense.

The physicality issue plagued the entire defense. The defensive line was pushed back repeatedly throughout the year, opening big holes for backs to get to the second level against a weak and thin linebacker unit. The D-line was not bad in passing situations but fizzled against the run, ranking 78th nationally in yards allowed per game (178.4).

The linebackers were probably the worst group on the defense. A lot of that can be contributed to pure inexperience, lack of depth and talent. 

The Hogs didn't have one linebacker with starting experience on their depth chart last year. That resulted in poor play for the group overall for the season, with the worst being their tackling. You know things are bad when college linebackers playing at a high-level Division I school have problems wrapping up and making a tackle.

Most of the time, the linebackers were either misreading plays, not getting off blocks or using weak arm tackles. It's fundamental things like this that are keeping the Arkansas defense from making big strides.

The secondary lacked physicality as well. The Hogs play a lot of man, which requires defensive backs to be physical, make good reads and stay with their man. Arkansas' defensive backs did the opposite, not playing physical, making bad reads and getting beat deep. 

What really stuck out for the defensive backs was them providing up to 10 yards of cushion for opposing wideouts. That led to the Hogs being eaten alive with underneath patterns and crossing routes. When they did line up close, wideouts were able to beat them deep with straight-line speed or faking the direction of the route.

The defensive backs have to get better at the bump and run in man coverage. Being physical at the snap can throw receivers off their routes. They also can't bite on fakes by receivers. They have to learn how to play physical and up close, but at the same time, go step for step with their man.

This physicality issue can be fixed through practicing hard, repetition and raising the talent level through recruiting, something Bielema and the staff are working hard on. 

It already looks as if the 2014 defense will be much better than last season's. 

The D-line looked great during the spring and has defensive end Trey Flowers (44 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks in 2013) back for his senior year. At the other end is redshirt sophomore Deatrich Wise (17 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks), who Bielema spoke highly of to HawgSports.com's Trey Biddy:

He's a kid with unbelievable talent and a lot of god-given ability. He's definitely showing great, great signs. He's using his hands, he's being aggressive.

Wise has a great frame at 6'6", 267 pounds and made big impressions this spring, recording five touch sacks in scrimmages. Arkansas will have a formidable rush off the outside if Wise continues the path he's on. He will most likely be rotated a lot this season with redshirt sophomore Brandon Lewis (13 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks), who actually took more first-team reps this spring than Wise. 

Arkansas also has capable pass-rushing ends in Tevin Beanum and JaMichael Winston, giving them five ends they can rotate and good depth. 

The depth at defensive tackle isn't as good, but the talent is better than last year. Redshirt sophomore Darius Philon (46 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks) had one of the best springs out of anyone on the team and showed that after a solid freshman campaign, he's ready to take the next step in 2014. 

The current depth chart on HawgSports has DeMarcus Hodge as the starter at defensive tackle alongside Philon. He's listed at 343 pounds, so he needs to lose some weight, but Hodge is good against the run and is an effective pass-rusher. 

True freshman Bijhon Jackson has a legitimate chance at starting over Hodge if he can't get into better shape. Jackson has the skills to step in and contribute immediately. If he ends up starting next to Philon, the defensive line would be athletic and the pass rush would be dangerous. 

You can also expect redshirt sophomore Taiwan Johnson to see the field a lot more at defensive tackle. He's undersized at 6'3", 263 pounds, but he's quick and has a good first step. He'll be used in passing downs quite a bit this season.

The linebackers should also be much improved despite the product in 2013. 

After a year of starting under his belt, Braylon Mitchell is set to take a giant leap forward for his senior year. He was second on the team in tackles last year with 77. He was good in pass coverage with three pass breakups, but you'd like to see him use that power and speed to make more plays behind the line.

In the middle, the Hogs have sophomore Brooks Ellis (33 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sacks), who is as physical as they come. He earned a starting spot later in the season and showed big-time potential. He's a sideline-to-sideline player and could be one of the best linebackers Arkansas has had in a while. 

However, one of the most talented players at the position is junior Otha Peters, who was injured most of the '13 season. Biddy had a good suggestion on how to put the three best guys out there:

Leave Peters at MIKE, move Ellis to WILL and move Martrell Spaight from WILL to SAM. Spaight may not love that move as he seems himself as more of an inside linebacker, but he is the only linebacker aside from Mitchell with the sideline-to-sideline speed to get the job done at SAM, and he is a bigger hitter than Mitchell. The only way Arkansas can get its best three linebackers on the field at the same time is if Peters is at MIKE, Ellis is at WILL and Spaight is at SAM.

Peters in the middle, Spaight at SAM and Ellis at WILL would put the three best on the field and be a huge upgrade from a physicality, skills and talent standpoint. All three are competent tacklers and good in pursuit of the ball. 

The secondary should be strong if all the experience pans out. Senior safety Alan Turner (97 tackles, two interceptions) and cornerback Tevin Mitchel (47 tackles, 3.0 TFL, interception) have a lot of experience and are playmakers. Mitchel has always had the talent to be an All-SEC performer but has struggled with tackling in space. Biddy wrote on his progress this spring:

Tevin Mitchel made strides this spring and has grown more as a team leader. This is a player who seems to have regressed from his freshman to junior season but is now a senior and at least in scrimmage work looked like the best cornerback on the field. That is a welcome sight because Mitchel has shown great potential in the past. His biggest problem to date has been poor decisions with tackling techniques in the open field. 

If junior cornerback Will Hines can use his strength and long arms to challenge receivers in press coverage, he could make the secondary much improved overall against the pass with Mitchel. Redshirt junior Rohan Gaines (33 tackles, 1.0 TFL) is listed as the other starter at safety. He has the experience, but redshirt freshman De'Andre Coley made huge plays this spring.

Coley has a very high ceiling and is good in pass coverage, but Gaines would give this secondary even more experience, which the Hogs need.

The 2014 version of the Arkansas defense looks to be better already and spring practice just ended. Don't get me wrong, it's still a long ways off from being good enough to help the program compete for a conference title. But, Bielema and his staff are teaching these kids how to play tough, physical defense that wins you ball games.

They are also putting together the pieces for a defense that can win the ugly games on days the offense just doesn't have it. Jackson, Ellis and Philon are excellent building blocks, and there's some serious talent already on board in the Class of '15. 

The Hogs are headed in the right direction on defense. With the young, athletic playmakers they have and talented recruits, Arkansas could finally have a great defense sooner rather than later.

All player stats courtesy of ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Bryan Heater is the featured columnist for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. Follow him on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

After a 3-9 season and a nine-game losing streak to close the season, the honeymoon is over in Fayetteville. Head coach Bret Bielema's second season as the head coach of Arkansas means that it's time for the Hogs to get back to a competitive level in the SEC West.

There's a problem, though: That's a steep hill that's only getting steeper in 2014.

Arkansas has two things working against it this season: a brutal schedule and the lower-tier SEC West teams getting significantly better.

Let's start with the schedule.

The Hogs open the season on the road against defending SEC champ Auburn in one of the biggest games of opening weekend. That won't be easy for the Hogs, especially since Auburn's offense looks like it has added the extra dimension of an intermediate passing game based on quarterback Nick Marshall's spring game performance.

Arkansas' cross-division rivalry shifts from South Carolina to Missouri in 2014. That may have seemed like a blessing this time last year, but all the Tigers have done since then is win the SEC East and come within a quarter of winning the SEC title. That game is at Missouri at the end of the season, when depth—something Arkansas lacks—is usually of utmost importance.

It's rotating cross-division rivalry games is in Little Rock against Georgia. While the jury is still out on the Bulldogs, particularly because of their defense, they have all of the pieces and the schedule to make a run at a national title.

Even if they don't, Arkansas gets them fresh off a visit from Alabama. Over the last three seasons, SEC opponents are 7-11 the week following playing Alabama, with only three of those wins being against SEC competition. Teams are worn out after playing the Crimson Tide, which makes them ripe for the picking the following week.

What's more is that the lower-tier teams in the SEC West—Mississippi State and Ole Miss—are loaded with returning talent with 16 and 15 returning starters, according to Phil Steele, respectively. 

Sure, Arkansas will benefit from a healthy quarterback in Brandon Allen, another year of experience from running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams and a defense that should be more consistent with new coordinator Robb Smith and senior defensive end Trey Flowers. 

But the lower-tier SEC West teams should take leaps forward, which means that unless Arkansas catches lightning in a bottle with a few key players, the gap it's facing at the bottom of the division is actually widening.

Toss in a tough road game against Texas Tech in Week 3, and Arkansas' schedule is simply brutal. That will spell doom for the Hogs, even if they do improve and become more consistent in 2014.

Another 3-9 or 4-8 season is likely for these Razorbacks based on the current landscape of the division. That won't put Bielema's job in jeopardy by any means, but it will make 2015 quite interesting in Northwest Arkansas.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @BarrettSallee

It sure does seem like it's been ages since the Arkansas Razorbacks had one of the best air attacks and quarterbacks in all of college football. Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson provided four years of Hogs fans knowing they had a capable signal-caller under center.

Those days are now gone, though.

Reality hit hard last season in Bret Bielema's first year guiding the program. There were endless issues all over the field, but the most documented of the Razorbacks' struggles was quarterback Brandon Allen.

To say he had a rough go in his first year as the starter would be a vast understatement. A percentage under 50, a near 1-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and countless mistakes enveloped Allen's dismal campaign. 

As bad as it was, now isn't the time to completely give up on him. In fact, now is the time to have faith in this kid and get behind him.

Before you start hurling insults and rioting, hear me out. Then, if you still disagree, you can grab your pitchforks and torches.

You have to think about the quarterback depth and experience of the guys battling him this offseason for the starting gig. Behind him are redshirt freshman and younger brother Austin Allen, senior A.J. Derby, redshirt freshman Damon Mitchell and true freshman Rafe Peavey. Excluding Peavey, who was part of the '14 class, the other three quarterbacks have combined for one start.

In fact, because Austin and Mitchell both redshirted last year, Derby is the only other quarterback to have even attempted a pass. He made his lone start against Rutgers in 2013 after Allen went down the previous game against Southern Miss with a shoulder injury.

Whether you like it or not, Allen has the most experience, and that counts for something.

Also, that shoulder injury I mentioned affected Allen's production a great deal. He may have only missed one game because of it, but he dealt with lingering effects for the rest of the season. As it got better, so did he. The numbers don't lie.

In his four starts following the injury, Allen completed just 45 of 114 (39.4 percent) pass attempts with three touchdowns and six interceptions. However, in the final four games as his shoulder healed and he got more comfortable, Allen connected on 57 of 100 passes (57 percent) for five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Allen got much better late in the season and showed real poise in the finale at LSU where he nearly led the Hogs to victory, completing 65.5 percent (19-of-29) of his throws for two touchdowns and one interception. 

The good thing is he has carried that momentum into the spring. Yes, it's just spring ball and an actual game is a huge step up. But it's encouraging to see Allen performing at a high level.

In the team's first big scrimmage, he was very accurate, hitting 17 of 20 (85 percent) of his targets for 242 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He followed that up in last Saturday's 100-play scrimmage by throwing for 157 yards on 17-of-25 passing with five touchdowns and two picks.

His performance last weekend was enough for Bielema to tell HawgSports.com's Trey Biddy that he's the clear No. 1 right now (subscription required):

(Allen) is our number one quarterback. That kind of separated itself from the time we had our last game to the our first two weeks of practice. There isn't anybody in our program now that's at his level. Really trying to stress him and make him understand that. Got to get him to be uncomfortable. I want to really try to press him on.

There have also been some recent developments in spring practices that are pointing to Allen winning the starting job. According to Danny West of HawgSports.com (subscription required), coaches now have Mitchell working at receiver and Derby at tight end. 

Those moves have Allen's younger brother, Austin, taking the second-team snaps, which shifts Peavey from the No. 5 quarterback to the No. 3. 

Bielema is going to choose the guy who gives Arkansas the best chance to win. Right now, that's Allen, which means there's no point in ridiculing the kid or going out of your way to post on message boards and Twitter about how horrible and mad you are about the situation. 

A wise person once said that you can't worry about things you can't change, which in this case is Allen winning the starting job. At this point, it seems inevitable. Instead, get behind him and believe that last season doesn't define him as a quarterback. Players get better, and Allen is working hard to do just that this offseason. 

After last season, it's understandable that a lot of fans couldn't see him leading this team. But Allen is making significant strides and is looking forward, something all fans should do too. 

Last season was last season, and it's in the past. Allen is separating himself from the pack and showing he's determined to make 2014 much, much better. So, have some faith in him and the progress he's making.

All stats courtesy of ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Bryan Heater is the featured columnist for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. Follow him on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

The Arkansas Razorbacks just wrapped up their second week of spring practice over the weekend after not having any the week before.

Head coach Bret Bielema and his staff are hard at work not only trying to get their players ready for the spring game on April 26 and the start of the season in August, but also evaluating which guys are stepping up and making a case to win position battles.

So far, the Hogs have held six practices, with three in Week 2—including a big scrimmage on Saturday. 

Headlines From Week 2

The biggest headline from last week was the large-scale scrimmage the Razorbacks held on Saturday that spanned 101 plays.

The first three quarters were not played like a regular game, as the ball was placed between the 20- and 35-yard lines. Even if the offense made a big play, the next snap was placed back inside that 15-yard area of the field. The chains did not come into play until the fourth quarter.

The scrimmage had the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense, the No. 2 offense—with quarterbacks A.J. Derby and Austin Allen splitting time—against the No. 2 defense and the No. 3 offense—alternating Rafe Peavey and Damon Mitchell—against the No. 3 defense.

Players that were notably absent during the scrimmage were defensive end Trey Flowers, running back Korliss Marshall and wideouts Demetrius Wilson and Eric Hawkins.

According to Trey Biddy of HawgSports.com (subscription required), Bielema won't scrimmage Flowers this spring to avoid injuring the team's best rush end.

Marshall is dealing with an undisclosed injury and Hawkins, who is dealing with concussion symptoms from Tuesday's practice, only participated in drills. Wilson is still not ready for live contact after missing last year with a torn ACL.

Other notable players who did not scrimmage were receiver D'Arthur Cowan, who is not with the team this spring to focus on academics, and Kelvin Fisher Jr., who was seen sitting in the stands.

Position Battle Updates

Arkansas might have more position battles going on than any other team in the SEC after not winning a game in the conference for the first time since joining in 1992. 

The big one is at quarterback.

So far, Brandon Allen has separated himself from the rest of the group and had a very impressive outing in the team's scrimmage. The emerging junior showed off great accuracy, completing 17 of 20 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown.

His only blemish came on his last pass, which was picked off by safety Alan Turner. At one point, he connected on 12 straight attempts.

Bielema told the Associated Press that Allen has stepped up in a big way so far during the spring:

He looks different physically. He plays different. He's got so much composure. What I love there, not that I wanted to see it, but when we had a couple guys jump offsides, he really let the huddle have an awareness of what we needed to do and what was expected. You like your quarterback to step up in that fashion and I think he's done it.

Peavey, who many believed was Allen's biggest threat to win the starting job, threw just three passes, completing all of them for 36 yards. With the way Allen has been performing, it seems like Peavey is fighting an uphill battle.

You also have to give Derby his props. No one has really considered him a legitimate threat for the starting job, but he has continued to impress and had another solid day in the scrimmage, completing nine of 13 passes passes for 151 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Biddy reported that, despite Derby's progress, Bielema said the race between Allen and little brother Austin is "tight."

The Hogs are also looking for wideouts to step up behind Keon Hatcher and Wilson, and they saw some candidates Saturday.

Though he recorded no stats in 2013 as a freshman, Drew Morgan was the top receiver in the scrimmage, catching five balls for 108 yards. He has a great sense of where to exploit holes in the defense and has an uncanny ability to get open.

Cody Hollister has probably been the most impressive out of the bunch, considering Rivals.com ranked him as just a 2-star recruit out of the JUCO ranks. He has shown that ranking to be a fluke thus far, displaying great hands and route running. Hollister had three receptions on Saturday for 38 yards.

Freshman Jared Cornelius also had a nice day with four catches for 60 yards.

All three are making a case to have impact roles in 2014.

You also can't forget 2014 commit JoJo Robinson, who will make a big push for an impact role once he arrives in the fall.

Bielema is also looking for an impact tight end to line up opposite Hunter Henry, and Jeremy Sprinkle looks to be that guy. He has reliable hands and is a very good athlete. Sprinkle hauled in three passes for 74 yards in the scrimmage.

Other News and Headlines

According to Danny West of HawgSports.com, there were six recruits in attendance on Saturday. They included 2014 commit running back Juan Day, quarterback Ty Storey (2015), tight end Josh Moore (2015), defensive end Marquavius Lewis (2015), defensive end Daytrieon Dean (2015) and linebacker Deontre Hardwick (2016). 

With Flowers not scrimmaging this spring, redshirt sophomore Deatrich Wise started in his place at right end. Bielema has stated that Wise is making significant strides and that "physically, there's not a better-looking football player than Wise."

With his progression, the Hogs could have a formidable pass-rushing duo with Flowers. 

Offensive tackle Dan Skipper was pulled from the scrimmage after getting into a fight on the field and taking a couple swings. Biddy reported that phenom Alex Collins also got a little too emotional, throwing a punch at senior safety Tiquention Coleman, which resulted in him also being taken to the sideline.

Bielema noted that he wants his team to be aggressive, but not to the point where punches are flying.

Also, keep an eye on redshirt freshman running back Denzell Evans. He is going to have a hard time seeing a lot of carries in 2014 with Collins, Marshall and Jonathan Williams ahead of him, but he displayed surprising speed and elusiveness despite his 6'0", 222-pound frame. 

Bryan Heater is the featured columnist for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. Follow him on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

It's been a relatively quiet spring in the SEC this season, but that doesn't mean all has been quiet on the rumor front.

According to Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News Bureau, there were rumblings over Arkansas' spring break that star Razorback running back Alex Collins was unhappy with his place within the program.

When Neiswanger asked if Collins had mentioned transferring, running backs coach Joel Thomas was caught off guard by the rumors.

"That’s the first news that it’s been told to me,” Thomas said. “You’ll have to ask Alex on that if that’s the case.”

So far, Collins hasn't offered any public comment on this specific subject, but he has posted "WPS" (short for "woo pig, sooie") several times this week on his personal Twitter account.

WholeHogSports.com reported that he was suspended for one week during offseason conditioning in February, during which time he was also removed from social media.

It's never a good thing if your star running back who rushed for 1,026 yards as a true freshman in a woefully one-dimensional offense is debating his future. But if he is unhappy and either stays in head coach Bret Bielema's doghouse or moves on, Arkansas' running game will still be fine.

The primary reason is Jonathan Williams.

The rising junior running back had 150 carries for 900 yards and four touchdowns last season in the very same one-dimensional offense. At 6'0", 223 pounds, he's fully capable of taking the pounding between the tackles and has the juice to run away from opposing defenses when he gets out in space.

He can handle the load if given the opportunity.

Bielema's track record also bodes well for Arkansas' running game, regardless of who's toting the rock.

In his eight years as a head coach at Wisconsin and Arkansas, nine running backs have gone north of 1,000 yards for the season. Those offenses typically employed a run-first, run-second and run-third scheme, although there was a bit more diversity at Wisconsin than the Hogs showed last season.

Collins is a great running back in a great system for running backs. Williams is a very good running back in a great system for running backs. Either way, the system won't change.

If there's any truth to the rumors that Neiswanger referenced, it'd be more of a public relations hit than anything else. After all, it's not a good thing if the reigning Associated Press SEC Freshman of the Year is unhappy. 

On the field, though, fielding a competent running game is the last of Bielema's worries.

Williams' ability to shoulder the load, coupled with Bielema's resume that's loaded with 1,000-yard rushers, is the least of Arkansas' worries.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer for Bleacher Report. All stats are courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. 

Follow @BarrettSallee