Hogs’ Johnson overcomes more than defenses

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas running back Dennis Johnson was done with football in Sept. 2010, when he laid in a Little Rock hospital bed.

He had suffered a life-threatening injury early in his junior season, tearing a bowel on a kickoff return in Arkansas’ win against Louisiana-Monroe.

Not long after undergoing emergency surgery, Johnson said he looked at his mom, thanked God he was still alive, and unveiled his plan.

“I told her I really don’t want to play football no more,” Johnson said in an interview earlier this year. “I was like, ‘This is serious.’ … She was like, ‘OK. Whatever you want to do I’m here for you and I support your decision.’”

More than a year later, everyone knows Johnson didn’t stick to that post-surgery plan.

BCS No. 6 Arkansas (9-1, 5-1 in Southeastern Conference) is fortunate, too, as it prepares for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5) in Little Rock. With Knile Davis out for the season because of a broken ankle, Johnson has emerged as a much-needed threat in the backfield to compliment the SEC’s top passing attack.

Johnson, who has a team-leading 508 rushing yards, has run for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the past four games. He is averaging 176.8 all-purpose yards over that period as well.

It’s the best four-game stretch of his career and there’s no doubt his continued success will be key to Arkansas’ hopes of winning its final two games.

“Dennis Johnson is a great running back,” Arkansas receiver Jarius Wright said. “Everybody on this team, everybody knew Dennis Johnson was a great running back. We had a lot of faith in him.

“He had some injuries. Now he’s back healthy and he’s running as hard as anybody in the nation.”

Johnson was not available for media interviews this week, but there must be some emotions swirling about Saturday’s game. It will be Johnson’s first in War Memorial Stadium since that ULM game, when he fielded a kickoff, was tackled, and fell awkwardly on the football.

The rest seemed like a blur. It felt like a bruised stomach at first. Then a broken rib.

But it didn’t take long for Johnson, or Arkansas’ medical staff, to know something much more severe was at work when his stomach swelled to where Johnson said he “six months pregnant.” The pain intensified. Then he began vomiting blood.

“His abdomen was inflamed and it was very tender,” Dr. Chris Arnold, an orthopedic surgeon who was one of three doctors tending to Johnson during the game, said last spring. “The game was over and he had gotten progressively worse. So we transported him immediately to UAMS, which is just a half mile away. They got a CT scan and it showed he had a ruptured bowel, which is an emergency.”

Arnold said it was a “blessing” the torn bowel was discovered as quickly as it was, calling it a “very rare” and “serious” sports injury.

Johnson didn’t know what was happening to him, but was admittedly scared. Johnson was taken to the hospital and surrounded by family members when told surgery was needed immediately.

“It was a pretty significant injury,” Arnold said. “One of those that you have to diagnose early and treat aggressively. I think he had his operation at two in the morning. That’s not one you want to wait until the next day because you get sick real fast. … If he had waited longer he probably would’ve gotten septic and could’ve compromised his playing career. Or his life.”

That thought shook Johnson as he waited for the procedure. The 20-year-old didn’t know what the future held as he was surrounded by family.

“It was a bunch of I love you and crying and all that,” Johnson said. “The room was pretty sad.”

Everything went well, though, leaving Johnson to think about his recovery — not football. The process would take time, of course, but Johnson was told he should be able to play again.

Standing up straight, Johnson said, was the biggest obstacle in the days after surgery. But he was able to do it in time. He progressed to walking. Then, he started jogging and running.

Johnson recovered enough to return to the Razorbacks for non-contact work late last fall. He wore protective padding around his stomach when he was cleared for contact last spring, but shed it after a few workouts. The first hit in the stomach was an important milestone for Johnson and soon, he was doing everything he used to on the field.

So what happened to his plan to call it quits?

“When I started getting back around the team and started seeing how much fun it was I just said, ‘I might as well go ahead and give it a try again,’” Johnson said earlier this year. “I missed it.”

Johnson does sport a five-inch scar on his midsection as a harsh reminder of the night.

But his performance this season has shown no evidence of lingering effects from the injury.

Johnson, who missed the first two games (including the Little Rock win against New Mexico because of a hamstring injury) has been driven to replace Knile Davis, who suffered a broken ankle in the preseason. Johnson hasn’t put up Davis-like numbers (1,322 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns), but his impact has been important for Arkansas.

“That’s been fun watching him grow up and go through the things that he went through, which are some extreme things for most college athletes, in his career here,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. “For him to be able to battle back from the injury he had last year and come and help us win games now is a tribute to his commitment to what we have going on here.”

Johnson has led Arkansas in rushing the past four games. He has at least one touchdown in five of the past six games, all of which have been Arkansas wins. Johnson is second in the SEC in all-purpose yards (149.1 yards a game), making an impact as a rusher, receiver and kick returner.

“Dennis is one of those guys you have to have a lot of guys around the ball and not let him get extra yards,” safety Tramain Thomas said about tackling Johnson. “When I see him running through guys on the field, it brings back memories.

“I like that he’s doing it to other teams.”

Johnson wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to play football again, but said after his 160-yard outing against Ole Miss last month he had dreams of big performances. He also said earlier this year last season’s life-threatening injury has given him a greater appreciation for everything.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said it’s evident on the field, as Johnson pushes forward to help the Razorbacks finish the 2011 season strong.

“He’s as strong and as fast as he’s been throughout his entire career,” Petrino said.