Make no mistake about it. Knile Davis is starting to look over his shoulder, and he’s looking for Ronnie Wingo Jr.

The talk around Fayetteville, Arkansas this postseason has been the position battle at quarterback. Both Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell have drawn strong praise from the Razorback coaching staff, and both came into the spring with a real shot of winning the starting job in the post-Mallett era. Mitchell was reportedly gaining on Wilson, who became an insta-star after his performance in a losing comeback effort against Auburn last season. Wilson was solid day to day, but Mitchell was gaining some ground, practice after practice.

Then the spring game happened. After the Red-White Spring Game that denotes the last of 15 spring practices, Tyler Wilson showed why he’s been atop the depth chart since the first day of spring practice and why he’s exiting in exactly the same fashion.

Oddly enough, it’s the running back position that could be up in the air when the Hogs kick their season off against Missouri State on September 3.

It is odd because Knile Davis finished as the SEC’s leading rusher from the running back position with over 1300 yards last year. Considering he didn’t become a staple of the running attack until the fifth game into the season and didn’t become a true workhorse until the seventh, his numbers- which include 14 total touchdowns- are all the more impressive. Davis blistered defenses to the tune of 6.5 yards per carry last season.

Davis, considered by many to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate this upcoming season, had a solid spring, and without question entered camp as the starting running back. He probably will exit as the top back on the depth chart as well, but Ronnie Wingo Jr. closed the gap. If the spring game is any indication, he did so significantly.

Practice after practice, the reports were the same. The coaches thought Knile Davis performed admirably, but Wingo always seemed to get some added praise. Wingo had always been the best receiver out of the backfield for the Razorbacks, but he added several dimensions to his game this spring.

Most notably, Ronnie Wingo showed with consistency the style of play that Bobby Petrino wants to see out of a big back. At 6-3, 230 pounds, Wingo fits the big-back build that Petrino loves. Prior to this offseason, however, the St. Louis product had struggled running between the tackles, especially when the lanes were congested. Previously, Wingo would try to bounce too many runs to the outside and rely on his speed and athleticism. The light bulb seemingly turned on before spring practice this year. Apparently, it stayed on. If you backed the Razorback coaching staff into a corner, they would probably tell you that Wingo outperformed Davis during their series of 15 spring practices.

Wingo was clearly the best back in the spring game for the Razorbacks. Despite having roughly only half of the starting offensive linemen blocking on his behalf (Knile had the other), and going up against the majority of the starting defensive front, Ronnie Wingo shined brighter than all of the other backs. His 5.6 yards per carry in the Red-White game doubled Knile Davis and his 2.8 yards per carry. Wingo was effective rushing to the edge and up the middle. He was effective on short yardage plays, one of the few areas where Arkansas has struggled offensively the last two seasons. A stat that will make Bobby Petrino very happy is that he didn’t have a single negative yard in the scrimmage. To Knile Davis’s credit, neither did he.

Wingo’s emergence comes at a very good time for the Razorbacks. Broderick Green and his 250 pound frame spent the last two years as the short yardage back and second half grinder for Petrino and the Razorbacks. Green, however, suffered an ACL tear late in the spring and will most likely miss all of the 2011 season. Wingo is the most likely back to fill that void. The bowling ball of a back, Dennis Johnson, has returned from last year’s torn bowel injury. By all accounts, he is in great shape and should be a major contributor yet again for the Hogs this upcoming season. Dennis Johnson is considered a “gamer” and has played some of his best games against the best opponents. He also is one of the best kick returners in the nation when he is at full speed.

But for now, all eyes are on Ronnie Wingo to see if he can continue to close the gap on Knile Davis.