THAT GUY: Arkansas Edition

Only somewhat buried amidst the Arkansas rubble is the performance of Cobi Hamilton last week. He managed to break the SEC single game receiving record against Rutgers with 303 yards…and the team still lost. This is not unprecedented. The NCAA single game receiving record of 405 yards was set in 1998 by Troy Edwards of Louisiana Tech, and they lost to Nebraska by three touchdowns. Performances like this can be characterized by a combination of desperation, mismatches, and a receiver and quarterback establishing a perfect rhythm, regardless of how their defense is performing on the other side of the ball.

It’s clear that Tyler Wilson found his new favorite receiver in his first game back from injury. But Hamilton is not a sudden flash in the pan. He has been consistently reliable over the past three years in Petrino’s system. At 6’3", 209, he’s got the kind of combination of size and speed (he was a standout sprinter on the Razorbacks’ track team his freshman year) that makes him a threat on the outside. He has quietly been climbing the Hogs’ all-time receiving charts: he’s currently 8^th place in total yards and tied for 4^th with 17 TD receptions. He’s made a catch in 26 consecutive games.

With Knile Davis coming out of the backfield, and a very good receiving tight end in Chris Gragg occupying the middle of the field and the safeties, De’Vante Harris and Deshazor Everett are going to be tested on the outside. Tramain Jacobs may be called upon in the nickel package if safety help is not effective. Either way, we hope that Mark Snyder’s got the guys coached up to avoid an encore performance by That Guy:

Cobi Hamilton vs Rutgers 2012 (via JPDraftJedi)