Nutt praises Cobbs' work ethic

LITTLE ROCK - An arrest on traffic and drug charges helped Arkansas running back Cedric Cobbs focus on football during spring pratice, Razorback coach Houston Nutt said Tuesday. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s affected him in a very good manner,&#39;&#39; Nutt said in a teleconference with other Southeastern Conference coaches. ``His life is on the right track.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Cobbs was supposed to go on trial Wednesday on charges filed after a Jan. 8 traffic stop in downtown Little Rock, but his case has been postponed until July 3. <br> <br> Cobbs set a school record for an Arkansas freshman when he ran for 668 yards in 1999 and was the Most Valuable Player in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 2000. The following year, he made 291 yards in three games before he was sidelined with a separated shoulder. <br> <br> He received a medical hardship and, as a sophomore last year, was the team&#39;s third-leading rusher with 340 yards on 102 attempts. He missed several weeks with a pulled hamstring. <br> <br> Most of the SEC coaches said their spring practices went well. <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t know if anyone ever feels they had a bad spring,&#39;&#39; said South Carolina coach Lou Holtz, a former Razorback coach. <br> <br> ``I felt like we had a good spring and we had some guys who showed up with good attitudes and work ethic,&#39;&#39; Nutt said. ``Like almost every other coach, I wish we had a few more days.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> He also said it should be clear to Matt Jones that he is behind the other quarterbacks on his footwork, mechanics and watching game film. ``He found out the other two guys have gotten ahead of him,&#39;&#39; Nutt said. <br> <br> Jones, Ryan Sorahan and Tavaris Jackson are in the fight for the starting job. Jones made several big plays last year as the backup for Zak Clark, who transferred to Central Arkansas after starting nine games for the Razorbacks. <br> <br> But, in a major scrimmage on April 13, Jackson led all quarterbacks with 108 yards passing and a touchdown. Sorahan completed 4-of-9 for 64 yards and Jones went 2-of-3 for 2 yards. <br> <br> Nutt said Jackson has a strong arm and makes good decisions. He said Sorahan understands the offense and knows how to execute the plays. <br> <br> Nutt said Tuesday that he is closer to picking a starter and that the one who wins the job will be ``the one who will put the team in the end zone, not necessarily make the super man plays, but just take care of the ball.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Arkansas opens its season Sept. 7 against Boise State at Fayetteville.

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