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Arkansas finishes second day of Tyson Invitational with strong performances

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — No. 1 Arkansas closed out the Tyson Invitational with sensational marks in multiple events including an exciting finish to the women’s 4×400-meter relay Saturday afternoon at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.

Janeek Brown posted her second personal-best mark of the weekend, competing in the open section of the 200-meters. Following her run in the 60-meter hurdles (7.95) last night — currently, No. 5 in the world this season — the sophomore posted a winning time of time of 23.37 that is currently No. 17 in the NCAA.

In the Invitational section of the 200-meters, Payton Chadwick’s 23.15 led the Razorbacks earning her a fifth-place finish. Also competing in the Invitational 200-meters were Kethlin Campbell (23.44 – indoor PR), and Jada Baylark (23.64) who rounded out the event for Arkansas.

The Razorbacks returned to the track to post a near season-best in the 4×400-meter relay as Sydney Hammit (54.95), Morgan Burks-Magee (52.13), Payton Chadwick (52.82), and Kethlin Campbell (51.47) teamed up to run 3:31.35. Burks-Magee and Chadwick posted the fastest time on their legs in the race with their respective carries of the baton.

Rylee Robinson finished second in the open section of the pole vault with her clearance of 4.13m (13-6.50), while Desiree Freier finished fifth in the Invitational pole vault finishing with a best of 4.23m (13-10.50).

J’Alyiea Smith finished second in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.72m (5-7.75) that is a mere 1-inch off her personal-best in the event from earlier this season.

Arkansas returns to the track for the regular season finale – the Arkansas Qualifier – Feb. 15 with primetime action slated to begin at 5 p.m.

Softball rolls through Samford, Lipscomb in Cowgirl Classic in Louisiana

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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LAKE CHARLES, La. — It was another successful day on the diamond for Arkansas, who notched two more wins on Saturday after taking down Samford in 6-1 fashion and securing a 5-0 decision over Lipscomb.

The Razorbacks move to 4-0 on the season, outscoring opponents 24-4.

Up Next

Arkansas will face one last opponent in the Cowgirl Classic, seeing a familiar face in Campbell University. The Razorbacks and Camels, who met earlier this weekend in a 7-3 victory for the Hogs, will share the diamond once more on Sunday morning (Feb. 10) at 9 a.m.

Game 1: Arkansas 6, Samford 1

The Razorbacks did not trail for a single inning on Friday (Feb. 8), and they weren’t letting that streak end on Saturday, jumping out to a quick two-run lead after Ashley Diaz fired off her third double of the season into right center field. Diaz scored Danielle Gibson on the hit, who reached on a hit by pitch call earlier in the inning.

Now with Warrick on third, who’s single would put her on base just before Diaz’ hit, and Diaz on second, Kayla Green would draw a walk to load the bases full of Hogs. Sophomore Linnie Malkin stepped up as the designated player, and reached first base on balls as well, pushing Warrick across the plate for another Arkansas run.

Both teams would go scoreless through the second, third and fourth innings, and after Samford threatened with two Bulldogs on base in the fifth, the Razorbacks had to respond with another offensive spark.

Gibson would lead off the fifth inning with her first home run in the cardinal white, taking the first pitch over the right field wall, and giving Arkansas a little more breathing room on the scoreboard.

Only one inning later, Jackson kicked off the sixth with a single to shortstop, turning on the jets and beating out the throw from Samford. Malkin finds her way to first once again, this time with a pitch to the leg, Carley Haizlip would take Malkin’s place on first and with a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Haydi Bugarin, Haizlip and Jackson were now in scoring position.

With one out on the board, Maggie Hicks and McEwen would go back-to-back with singles, driving in a combined three more runs.

Samford would shut-down Arkansas’ shut-out attempt, with one run scored off a Razorback error and a single back to winning pitcher, Autumn Storms, but the Hogs defense held off the comeback attempt and held onto a 6-1 win over the Bulldogs in the end.

PHOTO BY RAZORBACK SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS

Game 2: Arkansas 5, Lipscomb 0

Once again, the Razorbacks wasted no time putting runs on the board, firing off five runs over the second and third innings, sparked by a single by Jackson.Jackson’s hit was followed by the same from Malkin, and now with runners on first and second, catcher Nicole Duncan laid down a sacrifice bunt- moving Jackson and Malkin into scoring position.

Hicks approached the plate and soared a line drive into left field, Lipscomb fumbled the catch and with the error Hicks had the chance to round two. The Lady Bisons were able to catch Hicks at third, but not before the End Rock, Ark. native earned two RBI with the scores of Jackson and Malkin.

Back at the top of the order, Gibson started the three-run inning reaching first base with a walk and advanced to third with a key double from Warrick. Diaz’ followed with a double of her own, her fourth of the season, scoring both Warrick and Gibson on the fiery hit up the middle. Haizlip would enter and take Diaz’ place on second.

Jackson singled through the right side, loading the bases with Hogs for Malkin. The Lady Bisons would make a defensive change in the circle, but the Razorbacks had no intentions on slowing down.

Malkin and Duncan would reach base on a walk and hit-by-pitch call respectively, scoring Haizlip in the process. Haizlip would be the fifth and final run for the Hogs, but that’s all they would need to take down Lipscomb, 5-0.

Starting pitcher Mary Haff pitched a complete game, for her 31st win of her career- moving her into seventh place in the all-time career wins.

Razorback Mile Relay delivers exciting finish to Tyson Invitational on Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas closed out the Tyson Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track running the 11th-fastest 4×400-meter relay in the NCAA this season.

The 4×400-meter relay of Jalen Brown (47.04), Hunter Woodhall (46.56), Travean Caldwell (47.22), and James Milholen (46.36) ran 3:07.17 to win section three while finishing sixth-overall in the event.

The 200-meter saw Rashad Boyd set a collegiate-PR in the one-turn race crossing the line in a quick 21.62 that led Arkansas in the open section of the 200-meters.

In the Invitational section of the 200-meters, Kris Hari was the quickest Razorback to the finish line clocking 21.50 – an indoor personal-best time.

Jeff Rogers and Sam Kempka turned in seventh and 11th-place finishes in the shot put competition that included the reigning NCAA Outdoor Champion in the event, Georgia’s Denzel Comenentia.

Rogers finished with a mark of 17.02m (55-10.25) – a season-best – while Kempka finished at 15.95m (52-4).

Arkansas returns to the track for the regular season finale – the Arkansas Qualifier – Feb. 15 with primetime action slated to begin at 5 p.m.

Hogs’ second-half double-digit leads collapses into 77-65 loss to Gamecocks

Andy Hodges
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Mike Anderson is going to have a tough time putting Saturday’s 77-65 loss at South Carolina off on the team’s youth, inexperience and other excuses.

Arkansas simply collapsed in the second half after building a 13-point lead with 15:37 left.

There’s really no way to sugar-coat or put a good spin on it. At least there’s not going to be any way to do it many of the fans will buy.

At times this year Anderson has put these down gaps off on youth and inexperience. That’s a cop-out at this point. As Isaiah Joe said earlier this week they aren’t freshmen anymore.

And when Daniel Gafford gets himself in foul trouble early and can only play 22 minutes, getting just eight points and five rebounds, the Hogs are going to struggle. He played just five minutes in the first half when he scored half of his points.

He was out-played by the Gamecocks’ Chris Silva (16 points, 8 rebounds). A.J. Lawson led everybody with 24 and Keyshawn Bryant had 17.

Anderson got out-coached by Frank Martin, who didn’t let his team throw in the towel when they were throwing the ball all over the court in the first half.

In the second half, South Carolina was hitting shots while the Hogs couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat.

Point guard Jalen Harris led Arkansas with 17 points, Mason Jones had 15 and Joe was just 4-of-11 from the field.

The bench scored just eight points for the entire game.

The Razorbacks were 38.6 percent from the field in the game (South Carolina). The Gamecocks shot 54.2 percent, 60.7 percent in the second half.

The loss drops the Hogs to 14-9 overall and 5-5 in the SEC. They will go back on the road to the other Columbia, facing Missouri on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Arkansas falls to Golden Hurricane in second match of season

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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TULSA, Okla. — Arkansas dropped its second match of the season, falling 4-1 at Tulsa Saturday afternoon.

The Razorbacks dropped the doubles point in straight sets, with Tulsa clinching the point at the No. 2 position.

Tulsa went up 2-0 at the No. 6 position, as Shwetha Prabakar fell 6-1, 6-2 to Marina Davtyan. The Golden Hurricane got within one as Lauren Alter fell 6-1, 6-4, before No. 78 Tatum Rice earned Arkansas’ lone point of the match with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 third-set victory.

Freshman Miruna Tudor dropped her match 7-5, 6-3 at the No. 6 position, clinching the match for Tulsa. Play on the final two courts was suspended due to the clinch.

The Hogs will return to the court next weekend at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

For more information on Razorback women’s tennis, follow @RazorbackWTEN on Twitter.

Tulsa 4, Arkansas 1
Doubles Results – Order of Finish (1,2)
1. #10 Martina Okalova/Vera Ploner (TLSW) def. Tatum Rice/Martina Zerulo (ARK) 6-2
2. Martha Matoula/Manon Meulenberg (TLSW) def. Lauren Alter/Miruna Tudor (ARK) 6-2
3. Marina Davtyan/Megan Hopton (TLSW) vs. Jackie Carr/Shwetha Prabakar (ARK) 4-4, unfinished

Singles Results – Order of Finish (6,3,2,5)
1. Martina Okalova (TLSW) vs. Martina Zerulo (ARK) 4-6, 6-1, 4-2, unfinished
2. #78 Tatum Rice (ARK) def. Martha Matoula (TLSW) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
3. Vera Ploner (TLSW) def. Lauren Alter (ARK) 6-1, 6-3
4. Shura Poppe (TLSW) vs. Jackie Carr (ARK) 6-1, 6-6 (2-4), unfinished
5. Megan Hopton (TLSW) def. Miruna Tudor (ARK) 7-5, 6-3
6. Marina Davtyan (TLSW) def. Shwetha Prabakar (ARK) 6-1, 6-2

Razorbacks open season with back-to-back wins at Cowgirl Classic

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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LAKE CHARLES, La. — Arkansaswas in mid-season form Friday, taking down both opponents on day one of the Cowgirl Classic.

Now sitting at 2-0 one day into the 2019 campaign, the Razorbacks opened with a 7-3 victory over Campbell and capped their day with a statement 6-0 win over McNeese. Junior Autumn Storms and sophomore Mary Haff each recorded a win in the circle.

Up Next

The Razorbacks will return to Joe Miller Ballpark on Saturday (Feb. 9) for day two of the Cowgirl Classic, taking on Samford at 12:30 p.m. and Lipscomb at 3:00 p.m.

While Lipscomb is a never-faced opponent, Arkansas has matched up against Samford once before, defeating the Bulldogs in Hattiesburg, Miss. in 2009 (6-2).

Game 1: Arkansas 7, Campbell 3

Arkansas came out strong; with Hannah McEwen reaching first base on balls, sophomore transfer Danielle Gibson followed with a single through the right side.

With Hogs on first and second, senior Katie Warrick stepped up to the plate and sent one up the middle, loading the bases for hot-hitter Ashley Diaz. Diaz hit her first double of the game, a grounder up the middle, scoring McEwen and Gibson.

With the bases loaded, Gibson returned to the plate in the second inning, where she put the ball in play, allowing Sydney Parr and Maggie Hicks to score.

Warrick reached first on a fielder’s choice and Diaz followed with her second double of the game. The Razorbacks now had two in scoring position, with two outs, and Kayla Green up to bat.

A Campbell error would send Warrick and Diaz over home plate, giving Arkansas a 6-0 lead after two innings of play.

It would be in the sixth inning, that Gibson reached on a triple down the left-field line, putting her in prime scoring position for Diaz. Diaz beautifully executed the sacrifice fly, floating her hit deep into right field, giving Gibson the chance to score.

The Fighting Camels were not going down without a fight, rallying in the sixth inning for three runs. Storms and the Razorbacks regrouped and closed out the inning with a 5-3 play by Bugarin.

The seventh inning would yield no additional runs for either team and Arkansas would escape a feisty Campbell comeback attempt and hold onto the 7-3 victory.

Game 2: Arkansas 6, McNeese 0

It was a defensive battle from the start for the Razorbacks and Cowgirls, as the two teams entered the fourth inning scoreless.

Warrick would be the one to step up to the plate and take a 1-2 count from McNeese’s Alex Flores over the left field wall for Arkansas’ first run of the game.

The Razorbacks saw two Cowgirls on base in the fourth, but a leaping catch by Hicks would send the runners back to the dugout as Arkansas held onto its one-run lead headed into the fifth inning.

Arkansas wasted no time pushing its lead out to six runs, batting through the lineup in the fifth inning. The rally began with one out on the board and Hicks and Parr on first and second. McEwen soared a 1-0 pitch over the right-center wall, clearing the bases and giving the Razorbacks a 4-0 lead.

Gibson followed suit and hit a double off the right-center wall, forcing McNeese to make a call to their bull-pen. The Cowgirls would sub out junior Alex Flores for her sister, freshman right-handed pitcher Saleen Flores.

Warrick used her power at the plate once more, to single in right center and score pinch runner Carley Haizlip. Freshman Sam Torres would be called upon to pinch run for Warrick and would make her way around the bases to score, thanks to a ball in play by Diaz and a single to left center by Green.

Now leading 6-0, the Razorbacks had only to hold strong defensively to outlast the McNeese Cowgirls, and that’s exactly what they did.

With Haff on the mound, the Razorbacks allowed only one hit from the Cowgirls, a short fly ball onto the green in left field. Freshman Sam Torres tore up the turf and dove to make the catch, but the perfectly placed ball fell just short of her glove.

Arkansas did not loosen the reins until the shutout was complete, burning through the sixth and seventh innings with a defensively strong hold. Not only did McNeese go scoreless on their home turf tonight, a feat that has not been achieve by an opponent since April of 2017, not a single Cowgirl reach third base through seven innings of play.

Arkansas’ series with McNeese advances to 3-1 with the 6-0 win, the shutout is Haff’s 12th of her career.

Razorbacks set variety of personal records on first day of Tyson Invitational

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks went to work at Randal Tyson Indoor Track and Dempsy Indoor in Seattle, Washington, on Friday night.

“Today was a great meet with great competition across the board,” said assistant coach Doug Case. “Obviously the sprints were incredible. I think overall if you look at our team, our hurdlers ran really well, in particular, Carl Elliot III ran a PR of 7.81 which is a good run. the 400-meter guys ran very well.

“They ran into some traffic in some of those races with a little bump and go going on, but overall where we’ve trained and the way we’ve prepared we’re ready to run really fast. we’re obviously shooting for SEC that weekend. The 800-meter group ran well as a whole today, Kieran Taylor ran a PR of 1:49.46.

“As a whole, I think we’ve made some progression in the right direction, we’re getting better and better every week with the goal being the SEC meet here in two and weeks and then the NCAA meet two weeks after that.”

In the 60-meter hurdles, Elliot III was the top Razorback on the day finishing fourth in the final with his aforementioned PR of 7.81. Tre’Bien Gilbert finished 14th overall running 7.94 in the prelims.

Josh Oglesby and Kris Hari advanced to the semifinal of the 60-meter flat, finishing with identical times of 6.82 for 17th and 18th, respectively.

Jalen Brown and Hunter Woodhall set new personal-best in the 400-meters running 46.70 and 47.07, respectively,  for fifth and seventh-place finishes.

Kieran Taylor led the way for a Razorback sweep in the 800-meters running a personal-best of 1:49.65, followed by Chase Pareti (1:50.93) and Kevin Wilkinson (1:51.38) in second and third-place.

Erich Sullins streak of wins came to an end Friday night in the men’s weight throw despite Sullins turning in a third-place finish with a best of 21.05m (69-0.75) that is just short of his season-best and school record mark from earlier this season.

In Seattle, head coach Chris Bucknam and crew got a lot done at the Husky Classic as Ethan Moehn posted a top-20 finish in the mile at 4:04.49 followed by Colin O’Mara at 4:08.07.

Cameron Griffith finished seventh in the 3,000-meters (7:52.79) in a season-best time that fell just a few seconds short of his lifetime-best in the event. Griffith was joined by Matt Young who finished 20th in 8:04.30 – a personal-best.

Gilbert Boit was the top Razorback in the 5,000-meters with his mark of 13:42.95 that is a personal-best.

Arkansas will return to Randal Tyson for day two of the Tyson Invitational tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m.

Arkansas gets third sweep of season, downing SMU on Friday afternoon

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas men’s tennis team earned its third sweep of the season, defeating SMU at home Friday night.

The Hogs got off to a quick start, taking the doubles point in straight sets. The team went up 2-0 as Josh Howard-Tripp earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory, and Alex Reco put the team within one at the No. 3 position.

Josh Howard-Tripp made quick work in the second position over Jan-Simon Vrbsky, 6-2, 6-2 as the Hogs took a 2-0 lead. Alex Reco would give the Razorbacks a 3-0 lead as he topped Roberto Rosales 6-3, 6-4.

Oscar Mesquida clinched the match at the No. 1 position, while Jose Dominguez Alonso put the team at 5-0 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory. The final two matches went to the tiebreaker set, as Enrique Paya defeated Tomas Vaise and Maxim Verboven earned a comeback win over Michael Smith in the five spot.

Arkansas will return to the court Sunday afternoon, hosting No. 6 Texas at 1 p.m.

For more information on Arkansas men’s tennis, including in-match updates, follow @RazorbackMTEN on Twitter.

Arkansas 7, SMU 0

Doubles Results – Order of Finish (3,2)
1. Enrique Paya/Maxim Verboven (AR) vs. Jan-Simon Vrbsky/Tomas Vaise (SMU) 6-6, unfinished
2. Oscar Mesquida/Alex Reco (AR) def. Carles Sarrio/Roberto Rosales (SMU) 7-5
3. Jose Alonso/Pedro Alonso (AR) def. Blaise Fagan/Avery Pennywell (SMU) 6-4

Singles Results – Order of Finish (2,3,1,6,4,5)
1. Oscar Mesquida (AR) def. Carles Sarrio (SMU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) def. Jan-Simon Vrbsky (SMU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Alex Reco (AR) def. Roberto Rosales (SMU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Enrique Paya (AR) def. Tomas Vaise (SMU) 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (10-7)
5. Maxim Verboven (AR) def. Michael Smith (SMU) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Jose Alonso (AR) def. Andrew Buhelos (SMU) 6-3, 6-2

No. 22 Razorbacks fall in home meet to eighth-ranked Crimson Tide on Friday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 22 Arkansas gymnastics team fell to No. 8 Alabama 196.700-195.800 Friday night inside Barnhill Arena.

The Razorbacks were short a competitor as sophomore Sarah Shaffer sat the meet out with an injury.

First Rotation: Alabama Bars: 49.225, Arkansas Vault: 49.050

Arkansas again broke the 49 mark on the vault as Sydney McGlone led the Razorbacks with a 9.900 on the event. Freshman Kennedy Hambrick posted a 9.875 en route to a 39.375 all-around score. Fellow freshman Amanda Elswick anchored the rotation with a 9.800.

Second Rotation: Alabama Vault: 49.150, Arkansas Bars: 48.975

Hambrick led the Razorbacks on bars with a 9.900 which set a new career high for her as the Gymbacks put up their highest score of the season on the event. Sophomore Sophia Carter also set a career high with a 9.825 as junior Michaela Burton anchored the rotation with a 9.850.

Third Rotation: Alabama Floor: 49.225, Arkansas Beam: 48.750

Arkansas started strong on beam with a pair of 9.875’s from Hambrick and junior Jessica Yamzon. Arkansas was forced to count a low score on the rotation as Burton again anchored the rotation with a 9.850.

Fourth Rotation: Alabama Beam: 49.025, Arkansas Floor: 49.025

Carter garnered her fifth floor title in six meets with a 9.900 to end the meet for her fourth 9.900 or higher this season on the event. Freshman Savannah Pennese posted a 9.750 in her first appearance in the event as McGlone recorded a 9.875.

Up Next

Arkansas hits the road again to face the Auburn Tigers in Auburn, Alabama. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15.

Arkansas’ Brown joins sub-eight club one of few highlights at Tyson Invitational

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks competed near and far at Randal Tyson Indoor Track and in Seattle, Washington, at Dempsey Indoor on Friday night.

“We had some highs, I wouldn’t say we had lows, but we didn’t run to our expectations,” said associate head coach Chris Johnson. “Obviously, we traveled [last weekend] and I’m not a coach to make excuses but that’s a part of it.

“When you travel, you come back and have a short week to get ready and then you have teams coming in ready to run fast, and obviously, that’s a testament to who they are and the level of caliber of athletes that they have. We just had to go out and compete, and sometimes it doesn’t go bad, but it doesn’t necessarily go your way.

“We’ll build from that, take a look at it and see what we need to do to be better and get ready for the conference meet. I don’t think it was bad by any stretch of the imagination, the bar is really high for the times that the ladies and I have set for themselves. I think we’re very consistent, and that’s going to lead to success.”

Day one action at the Tyson Invitational was highlighted by the final of the 60-meter flat and the 60-meter hurdles as Arkansas qualified two through to the final in each.

In the 60-meters, Kiara Parker and Jada Baylark finished fourth and fifth, respectively, running times of 7.28 and 7.31 as LSU’s Kortnei Johnson grabbed the win in 7.17 – two one-hundredths slower than Parker’s season best of 7.15 she ran at the Razorback Invitational.

“Obviously, Janeek PR’d in the hurdles, which was a very big PR for her, so we now have two hurdles under eight-seconds flat so I think that’s fantastic,” said Johnson.

The 60-meter hurdle final saw its second athlete post a sub-eight time in the event as Janeek Brown turned in a huge PR of 7.95 for a second-place finish. Payton Chadwick, who ran 7.93 last season en route to the NCAA title finished eighth in 8.17.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t Payton’s day, but that happens with the territory and I’d rather have it happen here and now so we can make some corrections moving forward to the conference meet and the national meet,” Johnson finished.

Morgan Burks-Magee was the top finisher for the Razorbacks in the 400-meters, running 53.71 for a fifth-place finish while teammate Sydney Hammit turned in a top-10 finish running 54.08 for ninth-place.

Alex Byrnes continues to shave time off her personal-best in the 800-meters meet after meet, finishing the Tyson Invitational with a lifetime-best of 2:06.85 for third-place.

Kelsey Herman pieced together a series of jumps that ended with a days best of 5.96m (19-6.75) for fifth-place.

On the west coast at the Husky Classic, the Arkansas distance crew laid down PR after PR after PR. Lauren Gregory and Taylor Werner led the way in the 3,000-meter with their personal-best times of 8:55.97 and 8:56.97 that finished fourth and fifth overall. Devin Clark (9:20.59) and Sydney Brown (9:27.05) also notched personal-best times in the 3K Friday night.

Arkansas will return to Randal Tyson for day two of the Tyson Invitational tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m.

Nick Saban not most powerful man in college football anymore … Tom Mars is

Andy Hodges
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The kangaroo court in Indianapolis that has wallowed around in its own hypocrisy for decades has apparently just finally shrugged and put the rulebook in the bottom desk drawer.

Some say the NCAA has been there for years.

But Friday’s ruling that Ohio State can put former Georgia quarterback Justin Fields on the field this coming season is maybe the most laughably hypocritical move the NCAA has ever made.

Seriously, 14 months ago Fields was in high school and now he’s on his second big-time college. The former five-star recruit couldn’t beat out Jake Fromm with the Bulldogs so now, well, he’s going to try his luck with the Buckeyes.

Before you jump into never-never land, there is no blame from this corner for Fields. He’s doing what he thinks is best for him.

All of this is just a couple of weeks after the NCAA apparently got so mad over Missouri self-reporting a tutor they put nearly a fourth of the athletic department on probation and banned them from the postseason. North Carolina did almost the same thing and got off with no penalties because it was available to everybody in Chapel Hill.

The NCAA’s punishment for the Tigers was so egregious the all-too-familiar jock-sniffer Jeff Long was aghast from his new perch in Kansas. Apparently he finally opened his eyes to the fact that sucking up to folks ain’t the way to get anything done.

It’s always better to have a good attorney who happens to be a pit bull for whoever’s paying him (and that’s not a negative from this view … that’s what you want from your lawyer). The NCAA punished Ole Miss by dragging things out for years … not the actual penalties, the overwhelming majority of those were already self-imposed.

Nick Saban isn’t the most powerful person in college football anymore … Tom Mars in Little Rock is. He’s the attorney that got six former Ole Miss players immediate eligibility and now has somehow beaten down the NCAA for Fields.

I don’t blame Mars, either.

Until just two or three years ago if you had eligibility left you had to sit out a full year before you could get onto the field in a game. Ask former Razorback and current UA Board of Trustee member Steve Cox. He started at Tulsa, transferred to Fayetteville, sat out a year and finally got to play.

If the NCAA made an exception to that rule, I don’t recall it.

At least the rule originally was an attempt to allow players at a school that was hit with penalties to get away from all of that.

The NCAA changed the rules last spring to make it easier for transferring athletes to find an immediate path to the playing field. Now a player can be granted a waiver to play immediately if he can show “documented mitigation circumstances” that the change of schools was made to better impact his “health, safety and well-being.”

Apparently Mars can show those circumstances better than anybody else these days.

Part of this is because the NCAA’s track record in court is miserable. Maybe they should pay a bigger portion of the millions they pay the top guy to better lawyers.

Now I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been around long enough to know that “documented mitigation circumstances” opens the gate and “health, safety and well-being” widens it enough to turn a semi around in a complete circle.

There’s no way of knowing what Mars is charging for this immediately-eligible legal work. If his law firm is doing all of this pro bono, well, that would be interesting. No, I’m not setting anyone up for a punch line there.

But who IS paying the legal bill for this stuff if it’s not being done pro bono? Are these players coming up with the money on their own and is it really that inexpensive to get done?

And I’m assuming the schools receiving the transfer player wouldn’t be allowed to pay the legal fees.

That assumes, of course, there’s actually a rule left that prohibits that. Assuming there ever was one in place to handle something that didn’t exist until a little over a year ago.

But it is an interesting question.

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