Quarterback Mitch Mustain, the 2005 Parade magazine prep player of the year, will sit on the sidelines and learn the USC offense this season (2007). The bad news is, in accordance with NCAA rules, after transferring to USC from Arkansas, he is required to sit out a year. The good news is he will still have three years of NCAA College Football eligibility left. If he would have transferred to a non-division I school he could have played immediately.Mustain has been through a lot in his short college football career. He started for Arkansas as a freshman and went undefeated, winning his first 8 games, but was then benched in favor of Casey Dick, even after a November win against South Carolina. Mustain completed 69 of his 132 passes for 894 yards. He also had 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions during his short tenure at Arkansas.
The benching probably didn’t sit well with Mitch, and then, on top of that, his former high school coach at Springdale, Arkansas, Gus Malzahn, who was hired by the Razorbacks to run the Razorback offense, really didn’t get an opportunity to install his own offense, so (Malzahn) ran off and took a job coaching at Tulsa.
Another factor in Mustain’s departure might have been his embattled coach Houston Nutt, there was evidence that Nutt was having an affair on his wife Diana. Cell phone records surfaced showing Nutt, using a University of Arkansas issued phone, exchanging more than 1,000 text messages with a female television news anchor.
Regardless of the reason, Mitch Mustain has been taking a lot of criticism for his transfer, but he might have the last laugh. He won’t have it easy however, not only will he have to sit out a year, but in 2008, he will have to compete with a talented, firmly emplaced quarterback at USC, named Mark Sanchez. But even if he doesn’t beat out Sanchez, by the time he is a senior, he will almost certainly be the starting quarterback at USC. Playing under Coach Pete Caroll bodes well for Mustain's future. But then again, a lot can happen in three years.
Mustain definitely has the tools to be a successful college football quarterback with a little patience. The 6’ 3” 205 pound future NFL Prospect was the top rated signal caller coming out of high school where he completed 70 % of his passes as he led his team to an undefeated record and a state championship. It will be interesting to see what happens to Mitch Mustain, but if he can overcome all the adversity, he could emerge as an elite future NFL Draft Prospect, and despite everything else, that’s what really counts.
15 comments:
I just wish he would have transfered to Iowa. Cuz this kid can play and he'll be even better with a year of understudying under his belt.
I agree, I think Mustain will be good. He might even beat out Sanchez in 2008.
"but was then benched in favor of Casey Dick, even after a November win against South Carolina."
Ummm.. Mitch threw one pass against South Carolina. It was a pick. He was benched and Casey played the rest of the game..
Hard to give MM credit for that win..
And if you had watched ANY Razorback game this past year you would know that the Hogs won 8 straight DESPITE MM's play.. it was less than stellar. Can you say Darren McFadden?
Yes we all know about McFadden, Mustain had his bumps, as would any freshman, but I think he is still a talent.
I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if he all but disappears at USC. Mitch had a lot of trouble with the speed of SEC defenses. (10 TD, 9 Int.) The pressure on him at Arkansas was ridiculous. He came with his HS coach and 4 of his HS teammates and they all thought they'd get to run the HS coach's offense. His worst problem was his mom, who was WAY too involved in his life at Arkansas.
Your leaving out one important detail. Houston Nutt. Mitch wasnt prepared for his games because of Nutt. Everybody knows the only thing Houstons focused on is his running game. I mean who wouldnt be with McFadden in the backfield. But there is no way that Arkansas will be able to beat a team such as LSU or even Auburn without a passing game. Point is, Houston isnt able to prepare his team if he does not focus on the passing game
After Jones and McFadden graduates.....
can you saw "the demise of arkasans football"
they just lost williams and mustain, williams a 4 star recurit out fo high school and Mustain, winner of every single national player award....
Nutt should be fired and shot; cuz he just screw over the state's football program for the next 4-6 years.
Just watch, after the tailbacks of tailback U graduates....
arkansas will start to realize
holy shit, where is mustain and williams......where is our all-american qb.....
Brinkley
We are already saying where is the QB. We have no QB, primarily because of the lack of knowledge and experience at the position. Which is Nutt's fault, you should let Casey Dick fling a pass or two, atleast to give Jones and McFadden some rest. If you have no more faith in your QB, than has been shown thusfar, you may need to re-think your QB options and look further down the depth chart. I am as big an Arkansas fan as there is, as well as a Houston Nutt fan (his record speaks for itself), however I can see when a coach has gotten settled and that is exactly what Nutt has done. He has his bread and butter and that is what he is going to stick with. Whether it is working or not.
Go Hogs Go
WOOOOOO PIGGG SOOOOIIIIEEE
The truth is that there is a large majority of Razorback fans who are still angry because Nutt ran off Mitch Mustain and Gus Malzhon. Razorback football has gone downhill ever since. We still dream "what if..." What if Mitch had been allowed to keep playing - would we have been the SEC champs instead of Florida? What if Mitch were still there this year with Jones, McFadden, Hillis, and the rest of the awesome talent which has been wasted by Houston Nutt this year.
Who cares what happened with Mitch. He made a decision based on his experiences. Houston Nutt is not to blame, hell....who wouldn't use the running game with that duo. Maybe a young man who had a larger than life attitude towards his college career is to blame. Maybe his mother's meddlings into others' personal business. Whatever the reason, Mitch made a decision and he will have to live with the results. No sense in thinking what "could have been" for the hogs. There is no guarantee he would have ever played another down.
Go Hogs, Go LSU -->> National Champions. SEC baby....SEC.
Well Arkansas ended up with one Better than Mitch. Ryan is going to be a far more contributor to Razorback football than anything Mitch could have done! I think things worked out even better than keeping the spoiled kid.
i honestly can say that his luck in high school was only a senior thing before his senior year he really wasn't great i sacked him a number of times he isnt another vince young if that is what ya'll think he just happened to be playing for really good teams that even without him would have still been really good teams
I notice the previous poster states that Mustains's talent is strictly 'a senior thing'. I think I'll defer to Pete Carroll's analysis of Mitch's abilities, over someone who just happened to play Springdale and probably lost by a wide margin. Best of luck to the young man, and I hope he gets a chance to light it up at USC in 2008.
I think Mustains mom was WAY to involved in his life at Arkansas! Thats probably why he transfered to the other end of the country! If it wasn't for his mother he would most likely still be at Arkansas. Despite Houston Nutt ( which is gone now anyway)
This is d1 football.No coach should have to babysit players and their parents egos.Good riddance to this tripe.
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