This is the fourth in a week-long series of posts sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.
When it comes to personal preferences, I'm often an "obvious answer" kind of a guy.
Favorite pizza? Pepperoni. Favorite band? The Beatles. Favorite maracas-and-tambourine player? Why, Davy Jones, of course (man, could he shred those suckers!).
So it should come as no surprise that my all-time favorite Razorback gridiron hero is … (drumroll, please) … Darren McFadden. I know, I know - not terribly original. But there it is. (For the sake of surprise, I considered naming Gary "Peanut" Adams as my fav, but my vast staff of personal assistants talked me out of it).
His talent was simply breathtaking, and his list of legendary games is seemingly endless. I won't soon forget the way he sliced through Auburn in 2006 or the Volunteers a few weeks later. And his efforts in 2007 against South Carolina (323 yards rushing) and in the triple-overtime triumph over No. 1 LSU (206 yards rushing and 34 yards passing with one touchdown pass) are among my very fondest Hog memories. This sounds cheesy, but his talent was so rare that even after Hog losses, I could say to myself, "Well, if nothing else, at least I got to watch Darren McFadden play today" and feel a little better about the situation. Just a little, though.
On top of all that, he's got personality, a certain goofiness that is on display in this delightfully insane post-game interview and in this clip of him at home with his pit bulls (federally mandated joke: I sure hope Darren doesn't invite Michael Vick over to his house. Sorry, had to say it.). To be sure, he has some less-than-admirable habits, such as fathering out-of-wedlock kids and getting into the occasional bar fight, but I'll leave the preaching about his off-the-field ways to humankind's only perfect person - Bill Bennett. Besides, I can't be hypocritical - like a lot of bloggers, I've been the subject of my fair share of paternity suits and have gotten into at least a handful of barroom brawls.
But I digress: Who is your favorite Razorback football player? Don't be shy. Say it loud and say it proud.