To Arkansas fans, it’s the Wild Hog.To Ole Miss fans, it’s the Wild Rebel.But to LSU junior wide receiver Brandon LaFell, the Tigers’ formation using a halfback at quarterback to deceive the defense is called something different, and something expected.”We call it the Wild Tiger,” LaFell said. “Everybody calls it whatever their mascot is. We rarely ever run it. But when we do, we get a couple of yards off it.”The Tigers have utilized the formation sparingly this season, most recently against No. 1 Alabama two weeks ago.Sophomore running back Richard Murphy plays what LaFell calls the “McFadden position,” named after former Arkansas halfback Darren McFadden.Although LSU has only run the ball with Murphy behind center this season, LaFell said the Tigers have plays designed to have Murphy throw passes out of the formation.”Richard Murphy’s a great athlete,” he said. “You give him the ball, and he can run it, and he can pass it. He can definitely throw it. We might even throw it this weekend.”One reason why LSU may have chosen to put the formation in its playbook this season is because of the success opposing teams have had using it against the LSU defense.LSU first saw the Wild Hog in its 2006 win against Arkansas.In that game, the Razorbacks rushed for 298 yards against the Tigers in a 31-26 LSU victory.But former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt’s combination of NFL players Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis, didn’t fall short of victory in 2007 when Arkansas came into Tiger Stadium and used the formation on their way to 394 rushing yards and overtime 50-48 win.LSU senior defensive end Tyson Jackson said the deception of not knowing whether the quarterback or the halfback has the football is what makes the formation so successful against LSU.”It’s just confusing,” he said. “A defense like ours is really gap control, so that formation makes the gaps uneven. It’s hard because it makes our linebackers and our defensive ends be out of place.”With Nutt now at Ole Miss, LSU expects to see a heavy dose of quarterback keepers this weekend when the two teams meet in LSU’s home finale.Ole Miss has run its version of the formation this season with junior receiver Dexter McCluster and freshman halfback Brandon Bolden splitting time at the quarterback position.The duo has combined for 857 rushing yards this season and six touchdowns. But McCluster and Bolden haven’t had the success throwing the football that McFadden had, and the Ole Miss duo is just 1-for-5 on the season with a pair of interceptions.McFadden was 14-of-21 passing in his career with seven touchdowns and one interception.LSU senior linebacker Darry Beckwith said the version of the offense Arkansas used mirrors the one Nutt now uses at Ole Miss.”It’s the same offense,” he said. “Just put your running back at quarterback and send another running back in motion.”While spreading through the college game, the Wild Cat has also made its debut in the NFL this season.The team who has used it most frequently has been the Miami Dolphins, who have improved on their 1-15 season in 2007 to a 6-4 start this season behind halfbacks Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams’ use of the Wild Cat.LSU coach Les Miles said he isn’t surprised by the formation’s evolution into the pro game.”I thought it would catch on,” Miles said. “There’s plenty of deception. They bring the wide receiver in motion. They start the flow to one side and can come back across the grain. They have any number of reverses. They can attack you right up the gut with a quality ground game, so it’s a very capable formation.”With the formation just beginning to take hold in Baton Rouge, LaFell said he would not be surprised if LSU broke out a few new wrinkles this weekend to see if Nutt’s defense could stop the formation he’s mastered.”We love running it,” he said. “We like to get a little trickeration around here, so we’re going to see a lot of it from those guys this weekend. Hopefully we bring our best version of it out this weekend, too.”—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]