The impressions of Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones were all the same.
“I didn’t think he was that fast.”
“He’s stronger than I thought.”
“He had deceptive speed.”
The Texas Longhorns got more than they bargained for when Jones turned an early-season showdown into his personal showcase in a 38-28 shocker last year in Austin. Now the lone returning starter on the Razorbacks’ offense, Jones has lost the ability to surprise.
The Longhorns know. They must stop Jones on Saturday night.
“We definitely underestimated them because we didn’t know he was such a good athlete,” said Texas safety Michael Huff, who was burned for 54 yards on a Jones pass in last year’s game. “We knew he played basketball, but he was a better athlete than we thought.”
At 6 feet 6 inches and 237 pounds, the wide-shouldered Jones is built more like a defensive end than a quarterback. He turned down numerous scholarship offers to come to Arkansas because coach Houston Nutt promised to give him a shot at quarterback.
“It didn’t take a lot of convincing,” Jones said. “We ran a lot of option in high school, so recruiters may have looked at me differently. I think a lot of people perceived me as an athlete.”
One game into his final season, Jones is already the most prolific running quarterback in Arkansas history with 1,950 yards. But he also displayed a deft passing touch in the 63-13 season-opening win over New Mexico State. Jones completed 13 of 16 passes for 195 yards and ran for 38 yards and another score. He has 58 career TDs, four fewer than the Razorbacks’ career leader, Clint Stoerner.
Texas coach Mack Brown referred to Jones as a future NFL quarterback, something Brown didn’t have to tell his players who had no answers for Jones’ quick feet and improvisational skills in the 2003 meeting.
Three plays from that game pointed to Jones’ ability and are well-remembered in Austin:
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In the first quarter, Jones wrested himself from a sure sack to complete an off-balance 18-yard touchdown pass to George Wilson.
In the third quarter, Jones was backed up to his own end zone facing third down and 30 when he connected with George Wilson for 54 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Jones raced 60 yards to the Texas 1 — he said he would have scored had he not suffered a hip flexor injury three days earlier in practice — on a bootleg play that put an end to Texas’ comeback hopes.
“He was a huge problem for us,” said Texas safety Phillip Geiggar. “He looks so big and heavy. You don’t expect him to move that well. He can run.”
Jones finished with 241 yards of offense (139 passing and 102 rushing) in a game that propelled the Razorbacks toward a 9-4 finish and a 27-14 Independence Bowl win over Missouri. Rankled by the talk of being underestimated by the Longhorns, Jones is confident in his team’s chances this weekend.
“I don’t think you can overlook any team in the SEC,” he said. “We were able to go down there, and we play a pretty solid game. This year we have a lot of young players on our team, and we need to see how they will react to mistakes. It’s important because we know every game we play when conference starts will be tough.”
Jones, described by Nutt as the vehicle of Arkansas’ offense, entertained thoughts of turning pro after his junior year but returned this season to improve his draft position. He has started 23 games.
While the book on Jones is similar to that of his Texas counterpart Vince Young — a great athlete who may run first and throw later — he has worked on his passing skills, according to Nutt, who calls his quarterback a difference maker.
“He has improved so much in our passing game,” Nutt said. “We know he can run, but his decision-making is much better in the passing game now. He’s underrated because he’s not your typical quarterback.”