An 8-0 record, 853 yards passing and 10 touchdowns simply was not good enough for Mitch Mustain to retain his position as the University of Arkansas’ starting quarterback. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt pulled the true freshman from Springdale, Ark., after he threw an interception on the first offensive series Nov. 4 against the University of South Carolina. Following the turnover, Nutt inserted sophomore signal caller Casey Dick who has since led the Razorbacks to consecutive victories against South Carolina, the University of Tennessee and Mississippi State University.
“I could tell throughout the week [Mustain] was a little bit different – the timing, speed and defenses that he is seeing now,” Nutt said after his team’s 26-20 victory against the Gamecocks. “Teams are going to be getting better. It’s just experience.” Since Dick replaced Mustain, Arkansas’ offensive production has not receded much. During Mustain’s stint as the starter, excluding the game against South Carolina, the Razorbacks averaged 34 points per contest. Since the South Carolina game, Dick has won two-straight starts and helped Arkansas score 31 and 28 points against the Volunteers and Bulldogs, respectively. Now as Arkansas’ No. 1 quarterback, Dick said he has been enjoying every moment of his team’s success. But the opportunity to start this season has been a long-awaited moment for Dick. To close the 2005 campaign Dick, who was a true freshman at the time, started the final four games for Arkansas and went 2-2. His final start of the season came against LSU as the Tigers held on late for a 19-17 victory in Tiger Stadium. “He did a good job [last year],” LSU senior defensive end Chase Pittman said. “They came into our stadium well-prepared, and it looked like they had a good week of practice. They came in and did some things on us.” Dick’s final stats from 2005 were indicative of a promising quarterback. He completed 53 of 99 passes for 584 yards, seven touchdowns and only four interceptions. The back end of Arkansas’ 2005 schedule gave Dick important gametime practice as he was slated to be the Razorbacks’ starting quarterback in the 2006 season opener. But a small stress fracture in Dick’s back limited his practice in offseason workouts and pushed him down the team’s depth chart. Because of the injury, Dick had to wait his turn to start while the true freshman Mustain took center stage as Arkansas’ quarterback. “I went through some times when I really didn’t know what was going to happen,” Dick said. “But I just had to maintain a positive attitude and go out there and have fun and do what [I] could do for the team.” Sitting on the sideline was not the worst-case scenario for Dick, who said he learned more about being an unselfish player. “Probably one of the biggest things [I learned] is you have to put the team before yourself,” he said. “And you always have to back the team and always know without them we wouldn’t be where we are at this point now.” Nutt said he was impressed with Dick’s maturity while he patiently waited his turn to regain the starting quarterback role. “He was very supportive,” Nutt said. “He’s been the ultimate team player – to sit there after starting the last four games and just basically support Mitch through those times was definitely difficult.” Now as the season closes and the Razorbacks look primed to play in a big-time bowl game, Nutt said Mustain has learned how to deal with the backup position in a bit of a role reversal. “Mitch Mustain has handled everything very well,” Nutt said. “He’s practiced very well – that’s what I go by. No one is happy to be benched, especially quarterbacks – they are very competitive.” Now that both Dick and Mustain personally know what it is like to be a starter and a backup, their advice to one another has been useful. “We kind of help each other out, joke around, just try to take the pressure off everybody and just go out there and have a good time,” Dick said. “He’s given me some advice, and some of it has worked. And he’s backed me the whole time just like I backed him.”
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