FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - Sophomore quarterback Zak Clark, who started the Cotton Bowl and nine other games for Arkansas, was granted a release Monday by the school, clearing the way for him to transfer. <br>
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Television stations KFSM in Fort Smith and KTHV in Little Rock quoted unnamed sources as saying Clark would apparently play football and baseball at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. With a wide-open offense under second-year coach Clint Conque, UCA made the Division II playoffs last season. <br>
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``Zak is an outstanding individual and has made a positive impact on our program,'' Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said Monday. ``He helped lead us to a dramatic turnaround this season and a berth in the Cotton Bowl. We wish him the best of luck in whatever he decides to pursue.'' <br>
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Clark can transfer to a Division II school and play immediately. <br>
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During the Razorbacks' 7-5 season, Clark completed 49 percent of his passes for 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. He was 2-of-12 in the 10-3 loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 1. <br>
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Clark started the season opener against Nevada-Las Vegas, but Ryan Sorahan was the quarterback on the game-winning drive and started the next two weeks. Sorahan was injured against Alabama and Clark moved back into the starting role. Freshman Matt Jones demonstrated big-play capability against Weber State and the Razorbacks won six in a row alternating Clark and Jones. <br>
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The day after the Cotton Bowl, Nutt made it clear that he hoped the Razorbacks could settle on one quarterback who can run the entire offense next year. <br>
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With Clark, the offense was conventional; with Jones, there was more option. <br>
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``The thing that you want to get to is where you have one guy who can run everything that we're doing - sprintout, a little bit of option, dropback, play action, that's what you're looking for,'' Nutt said Jan. 2. ``It's easier for a defense to say, `OK, he's coming in so we're going to do this; he's coming in, we're going to do that.' <br>
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``The thing that's the toughest is when you've got one that's doing both of them,'' he said. <br>
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Nutt also said the Razorbacks would not ask Clark to run the option and was quick to point out that Clark helped the Razorbacks win a lot of games. Still, it was obvious from his remarks that Jones would best fit the bill. <br>
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Jones will be a sophomore in the fall. Next year, Tarvaris Jackson will be a redshirt freshman if he gets a medical hardship exemption and Sorahan will be a junior.
