McFadden Olajubutu and Jones Named Hogwired.com Players of the Week

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Freshman tailback Darren McFadden, junior linebacker Sam Olajubutu and freshman tailback/kick returner Felix Jones were each named Hogwired.com Players of Week after showing strong individual efforts against defending national champion Southern California.

McFadden earned offensive honors after he led the team in rushing against the Trojans. He picked up 88 yards on 13 carries, giving the North Little Rock, Ark., native a career-high game performance. He registered three runs that were over 10 yards, including a 14-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Olajubutu was given defensive accolades after he recorded a career-high and team-leading 14 tackles against No. 1 ranked USC. Eleven of his tackles were unassisted and he also had one tackle for loss.

Even though Jones, the special teams player of the week, started at tailback against USC for the first time this season, his immediate impact was felt at the kick returner position after he ran back four kickoffs for 147 yards. He averaged 36.8 yards per kickoff return, making his performance the best single game average by an NCAA player this year. His 67-yard return on his first attempt of the game was the longest for Arkansas since Lawrence Richardson had a 98-yard return against Weber State in 2001 and Jones’ long return help set up a UA touchdown.

He also rushed 12 times for 66 yards against the Trojans. His total of 224 all-purpose yards against USC is the 15th-best all-purpose total in NCAA Division I-A this year. This is also Jones’ second Hogwired.com Player of the Week honor. He was named the offensive player of the week after the Missouri State game.