Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones is not your typical signal caller.
Jones, at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, possesses an unusually long stride which gives him deceptive speed (4.4 in the 40-yard dash, according to the Arkansas media guide). He also has a knack for running the option and even playing a little at receiver.
He even moonlights as a Razorback basketball player when he’s not on the gridiron — all the more reason for LSU head coach Nick Saban to be concerned as the Tigers invade Little Rock on Friday.
In comparison to Alabama quarterback Tyler Watts and Auburn signal caller Jason Campbell, Saban said it’s no contest.
“Matt Jones is by far the fastest,” Saban said. “This guy is really fast. He doesn’t look fast because he’s a big ol’ guy, but when he starts running with the ball, he’s as fast as anyone on the field. [Last year] there were a lot of fast guys chasing him that couldn’t catch him.”
Jones has rushed for 553 yards and averages 5.4 yards a carry. Last year as a true freshman, Jones rushed for 592 yards, but boasted an 8-yard-per-carry average.
“He’s very deceptive because of his size, in terms of his quickness, his ability to make you miss and his ability to accelerate — probably more so than any mobile quarterback,” Saban said. “He makes a lot of plays because of it and one thing, it takes athleticism to play against these kind of quarterbacks.”
Sophomore defensive end Marcus Spears agrees.
“I’m going to run with him,” he said. “I’m going to try to stop him before he gets started. That’s the main thing.”
One area Jones has improved in is passing. Last year, Jones completed just 44 percent of his passes. However, this season Jones is over 54 percent for the season and has thrown 14 touchdown passes.
But Jones has weapons to work with in the running game, particularly when running the option. Running back Fred Talley gains more than six yards every carry and has 963 yards. Redshirt freshman tailback De’Arrius Howard has seven touchdowns.
After Alabama was successful in running the ball against LSU two weeks ago, the Tigers hope to be able to defend the option well.
“[Jones] doesn’t look that fast when he’s running, but he’s really fast,” said cornerback Corey Webster said. “It will be a good challenge for us.”
Saban also said the offensive line is what makes it happen for the Razorbacks.
“I think this is the best offensive line we’ll play against all year,” Saban said. “They do a good job, and they’ve got good runners. The offensive line plays well together, especially run blocking.”
It’s a challenge the Tiger defensive line hopes they are up to.
“You just have to be more responsible against the option because there’s a lot of things that can hurt you,” Spears said. “It’s a challenge. Any good football player or any competitor wants those kinds of games. If they are the best [offensive line], and coach said that, then we’re going to show them how good our d-line is.”