This guy ranks up with Matt Jones in popularity amidst the HOG faithful.

Just how many times did the crowd...not only the students, but the whole crowd..responded to a play with the yell of BOOOOOOOO-AH!

This guy better be all-SEC..no question about it.
WPS

Bua Goes All Out
Thursday, September 12, 2002

Column By Harry King

Arkansas News Bureau/RazorbackCentral

A full-bore competitor on every play, outside linebacker Tony Bua caved against Boise State.

With Arkansas leading 41-14 and time running out, Bua intercepted a pass at the Razorback 9 and then went into an uncontested hook slide at the 18.

"The guy doesn't like to be shown up, but he didn't want to show them up," said Chris Vaughn, the Arkansas assistant who coaches outside linebackers and strong safeties.

Before asking Bua to speak at a sensitivity seminar, know that he also told Vaughn there was no sense somebody getting hurt on a meaningless interception return.

Bua is driven, something that has been obvious since he arrived in Fayetteville in 1999.

"He worries every game, 'Am I going to play well,'" Vaughn said. "He's not one of those guys where it's automatic, 'Hey, I'm going to play well.' Everything he's gotten, he's worked for."

As a freshman out of River Ridge, La., Bua pestered the coaches to let him play. They decided to redshirt him, but halfway through the season he was still asking to run down on kickoff coverage.

Like many college freshmen, he was a star in high school who was back at the bottom of the totem pole. Because of his competitive nature, that was hard to accept. Prior to the final game of the regular season, it dawned on him that he would be bigger and stronger for his four years of eligibility and he was all smiles.

Whether the game is Madden 2002, spades or college football, Bua is competitive.

"Tony just has one of those attitudes, he's always out to prove something," Vaughn said. "On Saturday, he wants to prove to the other team that he is better than them ... A lot of people say, 'Boy, he's not very big or something like that. I believe a lot of his attitude comes from those things."

Bua is listed at 5-11, but he's almost 220 and he's thick from the waist down. In fact, Vaughn and others make fun of his big behind.

For the Boise State game, Bua was Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week. He blocked a punt that Bo Mosley returned for the Razorbacks' first touchdown and made nine tackles, including two for 12 yards in losses.

He also did other things. On a wide play toward the Arkansas sideline, a lead blocker knocked Bua back a step, but he bounced right back and continued to contain the play. When teammates arrived to make the tackle, he was elated. Vaughn said that play was just one example of the defense's emotion and passion. He called it contagious.

Although Bua started 10 games last year, it was only days before the opener that Vaughn told Bua he had beaten out Jimarr Gallon for the starting job.

"He was humble," Vaughn said. "One thing I let him know was that he earned it. He was appreciative of the fact that it was based on the way he performed."

Vaughn's players say he is a stickler for little things when it comes to handing out game grades. For instance, a player might argue that he made the play even though his footwork was bad. In Vaughn's gradebook, a misstep is a deduction.

Bua's grade was not 100 percent against the Broncos, but his productivity was superb. Mentally, he made few mistakes.

"You can look at it two ways, you can have somebody who grades out 100 percent and doesn't make any plays and you might have somebody who grades out 80 percent and has a lot of production," Vaughn said. "Well, I'm going to play the guy that's making a lot of production."

Vaughn said the SEC award will not swell Bua's head. "Tony is very self-conscious about those things," he said. "He's not a braggart, not a 'me' guy. One thing that Tony understands, all the accolades he gets, it's because of his teammates. The Tony Bua we see every day is different from the persona that people see on the field."

<small>[ September 12, 2002, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: calling_the_hogs ]</small>