Razorback Blogs

The University of Arkansas football team continued spring practice Wednesday afternoon as the annual Red-White game draws closer.

“It was a good long hard practice and there was a lot of hitting today,” said UA offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Paul Petrino. “We started off with some tackling drills and that is when guys get a lot tougher and more physical. It will be good to watch tape. We had a long play action period and worked a lot of different things in our team section. I liked the way we came out and we have to keep grinding and working hard.”

Arkansas practices again Friday before the Razorbacks hold their spring game Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m.

“I’d like to see us come out and play with great effort Saturday,” said Petrino. “We’d like to have real good tempo in and out of the huddle, have no assignment mistakes and go make plays. When you talk about show time and making big plays that’s what we want to see. If we can have a great effort grade and be playmakers. When the lights come on and the stadium is full that’s when you ring the bell and see who has their best performance and we’ll see who does it.”

Quarterback is an area that should receive a lot of attention Saturday as fans will have the opportunity to see how each has progressed throughout the spring.

“I think Ryan has continued to improve,” said Petrino. “He’s made a lot of big plays for us. He has to continue to get better in his accuracy and get his completion percentage up higher. Ryan and Tyler both have really improved and got better. Both like to stretch the field and make the defense defend the whole field. It gives you more options on how to attack them.”

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The University of Arkansas football team went indoors Friday to close out its week of workouts. The Razorbacks focused on drills inside the Walker Pavilion before holding a scrimmage during the final half of practice.

“I was happy with the way we came out and battled on both sides of the ball,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “I think it was very physical, and the players did a great job of getting themselves ready. We came out with enthusiasm and a lot of emotion. We made some plays on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. That is what it needs to be. It needs to be a good battle. That is when we are getting closer to being the type of football team we want to be.”

At quarterback, Tyler Wilson finished the day 14-of-26 for 356 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Ryan Mallett was 15-of-28 for 144 yards and a touchdown.

“Tyler has great vision,” said Petrino. “He sees things, but has to get rid of the interceptions. He certainly threw some real nice touchdown passes and had some guys get open and make some plays.”

Brandon Barnett led the running backs with nine carries for 78 yards (8.7 avg.) and Joe Adams led the receivers with five catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns (36, 45 yards). London Crawford also had a big performance with three catches for 107 yards. Two of his receptions were for touchdowns (80 and 22 yards).

“The last two times we’ve scrimmaged we’ve seen when you get the ball in Joe’s hands he can really make plays for us,” said Petrino. “We have to be able to get it to him in a position where he can run and get down the field. His speed is starting to show up, but he needs to make every catch. I thought he played well today.”

On defense, the Razorbacks were led by linebacker Jerry Franklin who had eight tackles, including three for a loss. The defense combined for three sacks and eight tackles for loss.

“I thought the defensive front put a lot of pressure on the offense,” said Petrino. “Adrian Davis seemed like he was in the backfield all day long. Jerry Franklin was running around and making a lot of tackles. I really feel like in the last week Wendel Davis has taken some big strides and is executing better at middle linebacker for us.”

Following the team’s last practice on Wednesday, Coach Petrino emphasized the need for the team to do well in the first part of today’s workout.

“It was better and they focused on it,” said Petrino. “We did some inside run and 7-on-7 and I felt like they really focused and we got better at that part, which was good to see. A lot of times you let young men know what you want and they’ll go out and try to do that for you.”

Arkansas continues practice through next week with the spring game scheduled for April 18.

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The University of Arkansas football team continued spring practice as the squad worked through a tough session Wednesday in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“Today’s practice was about being physical,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “We worked a lot on tackling, our run game and what we call our perimeter drill. We are getting better, but we are not where we need to be. We are not physical enough, we don’t tackle well enough and we don’t get all 11 guys to the football on every play. We are improving though. Offensively, you have to run the ball to be able to throw it down the field. I think we’ll be able to throw it down the field, but we have to get a lot better running the ball. Defensively, we have to get where we are consistent.”

Arkansas returns to the field Friday and will use some of the workout for drills and the remaining portion to scrimmage.

“I’m looking for improvement and guys competing,” said Petrino. “We have put some new things in this week and that has slowed us down a little bit. I really want to see us concentrate and do a better job in the practice before the scrimmage. Last time we had practice before, I got the feeling everyone was saving themselves for when it was live. I want to see our concentration on getting better before the scrimmage starts.”

Last season, tight end D.J. Williams led the Razorbacks in receptions with 61 and he has turned his focus this spring to developing his blocking skills. Williams is the only returning Mackey Award semifinalist to lead his team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2008.

“He’s getting better at it,” said Petrino. “He’s really concentrated on his technique and worked hard at it and has improved a lot. Ben Cleveland is going to help us and he has worked hard. He has not caught the ball as well as he should right now, but he has done a nice job blocking.”

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The University of Arkansas football team returned to the practice field Tuesday and with over half of spring workouts complete the Razorback offense is continuing to show improvement.

The Razorbacks used their last workout, which was held Saturday, to scrimmage and UA offensive coordinator/receivers coach Paul Petrino was asked by the media for his assessment Tuesday.

“I thought it was good to come out and see guys make big plays,” said Petrino. “We had a lot of yards after the catch. I thought both quarterbacks had times where they were really impressive. It was good to see Joe (Adams), Jarius (Wright), London (Crawford) and Reggie (Fish) catch the ball and run good after the catch. We had a part of the scrimmage where we didn’t play good enough, but that’s where we have to keep working and be consistent and become mentally tougher.”

The offense had big day Saturday with 11 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. In addition, four players totaled more than 100 yards receiving.

“They had a long scrimmage and it was physical on Saturday,” said Petrino. “I thought we started out a little slow today, but as guys got loosened up we got a little better. We are still not where we need to be execution wise. We have to continue to work better and expect more out of ourselves day in and day out.”

Spring practice continues this week with workouts scheduled for Wednesday and Friday. Next week the Razorbacks practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and the spring game is set for April 18.

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The University of Arkansas released the information that the ticket prices and concession prices would remain unchanged for the 2009 season.

"As we prepare for the 2009 season, I want the Razorback fans to know how important they are to the success of our football program," Petrino said. "All across the state and beyond the borders, the passion of the Razorback fans is evident and its fervor helps make our program special. Success in any program begins with winning at home and we need to maintain the great support we have in Fayetteville and in Little Rock while extending our home field advantage to Arlington for our game against Texas A&M. Our team is looking forward to the fall and the chance to play again in front of the Razorback fans."

Razorback Football remains one of the best sports buys in the state and region featuring all of the color and pageantry of college football in two of the best home venues in the nation. Arkansas’ standard bench seat price will remain $45 which ranks among the lower half of ticket prices in the Southeastern Conference. Last season, Arkansas ranked tied for seventh in ticket price among conference schools. In addition to keeping bench and premium seats in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium at the same price for the upcoming season, Arkansas also announced that concession prices would be held at the same level as last season.

"It was important in these uncertain economic times, that we maintain ticket prices at their current level and work to control other costs associated with the game day experience," Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "The Razorbacks are the pride of the entire state and we want do what we can to keep our games affordable. We are appreciative of the tremendous support of the Razorback fans and their continued passion for our program."

Arkansas sold out its season tickets allotment for both Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and War Memorial Stadium in 2008 and expects to do the same for the 2009 season.

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The University of Arkansas football team held a lengthy scrimmage Saturday morning in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. After the offense got off to a fast start, the defense stepped up in a workout that saw both units compete hard.

“It was a good scrimmage and we obviously have a lot of work to do on our consistent execution,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “That will be what we look for next week. We made some big plays, broke tackles, caught the ball, ran with the ball after the catch and that helps with the competitiveness at the positions. The defense came back in the middle to late part of the scrimmage and stopped the run. Basically, it has to come down to consistency and starting fast on both sides of the ball and finishing strong. It will be great video. We got a lot of plays so we’ll be able to study a lot and find out about our players.”

Quarterback Ryan Mallett finished 21-of-46 for 360 yards with five touchdowns and one interception while Tyler Wilson also had a big day by going 17-of-27 for 349 yards. He also had five touchdowns and one interception. Nine of the 10 touchdowns the two combined to throw were from distances of 25-or-more yards.

“Ryan got off to a fast start and did a nice job in his preparation and focus,” said Petrino. “He needs to relax a little bit and not get down on himself. I think his worst enemy is he expects so much of himself that when he makes a mistake he’s not able to put it behind him and move on. Tyler is doing some nice things. He is throwing the ball well and has the ability to move in the pocket. He has to be able to handle the blitz and continue to work on playing the position from underneath the center.”

Sophomore fullback Mitchell Bailey led the team in rushing with 15 carries for 110 yards including an 80-yard touchdown run early in the scrimmage. De’Anthony Curtis also contributed with 14 carries for 93 yards. Broderick Green had two rushing touchdowns of one-yard, and Adrian Moore found the end zone on a one-yard carry as well.

“I’ve always liked Mitchell,” said Petrino. “I liked him last year when he was a walk-on and a true freshman. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s very competitive and he’s got to learn how to stay healthy. He’s a guy I like a lot because he can play running back and fullback and catch the ball out of the backfield. Probably the thing I was most impressed with about him from today was his ability to protect the passer. He stepped up and took the blitzer on three times and did a nice job with it.”

Four Razorbacks had over 100 receiving yards, including sophomores Jarius Wright and Joe Adams. Wright led the unit with eight receptions for 162 yards and touchdown catches of 44 and 27 yards. Adams had seven receptions for 156 yards and four touchdowns (45, 25, 26, 10). Senior London Crawford had five catches for 129 yards and a 67-yard touchdown catch, while senior Reggie Fish had four catches for 123 yards and touchdown receptions of 40 and 27 yards.

“Joe (Adams) made some great plays and unbelievable plays after the catch,” said Petrino. “He has an ability to run with the ball that is real exciting. He needs to be consistent and we have to get him the ball. He’s electrifying with the ball in his hands. He looks like the quickest player out there.”

Defensively, senior linebacker Wendel Davis led the way with nine tackles, including one for a loss, one sack and a pass break up. Senior free safety Matt Harris had eight stops and junior cornerback Andru Stewart had seven. Junior cornerback Isaac Madison and sophomore free safety Tramain Thomas each had an interception.

The Razorbacks are at the midway point of the spring and continue work next week with practices scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

“I think we’ve taken a lot of strides in two weeks and we have two weeks left to go,” said Petrino. “We will come back next week and install some more and put some more scheme in and we’ll see who can go from there. It was a little different with the installation this week. I didn’t put a lot in. I wanted to go back to last weeks and get better at it. I feel like we did that, particularly defensively, and in the deep passing game in the offense.”

Source - UA Sports Information

 

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The University of Arkansas football team continued practice Wednesday in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The session saw the Razorbacks scrimmage for the second time this spring.

“We needed to put more into the practice part of today’s workout,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “In the scrimmage, I thought the defense ran well to the ball, tackled well, played very base and didn’t make mistakes. The offense made some big plays, but made mistakes and cost themselves touchdowns and had to settle for a bunch of field goals. I feel like the defense got the upper hand in the scrimmage.”

Linebacker Jerry Franklin led the defense with seven tackles and the unit finished with three sacks and five tackles for a loss.

“Malcolm Sheppard is always an active guy and causes problems to the offensive line,” Petrino said. “I think both defensive ends are doing a good job. They are both providing pass rush and playing the run very well. Jerry Franklin and Jerico Nelson seem like they are around the ball all the time. I thought the corners held up. They gave up a couple of big plays, but they held up for the most part.”

At quarterback, Tyler Wilson was 16-of-30 for 263 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Ryan Mallett finished 17-of-30 for 210 yards with two interceptions. Wilson’s touchdowns were to Greg Childs on a pass of 30 yards and Ben Cleveland on a six-yard pass. D.J. Williams led the team in receiving with seven catches for 64 yards and Dennis Johnson led Razorbacks in rushing with eight carries for 41 yards.

“I did feel like Tyler Wilson had a good day and made a lot of plays,” said Petrino. “He did a good job moving in the pocket and throwing the ball in some awkward positions. We need to run the ball better like we did a week ago.”

Coach Petrino also updated the media following practice on the status of Knile Davis. The freshman running back suffered a broken ankle in Tuesday’s practice. He will have surgery and will miss the remainder of the spring.

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The University of Arkansas football team returned to the practice field Tuesday for its first workout of the week. Arkansas’s last practice was Saturday and the Razorbacks used a portion of it to scrimmage.

Following today’s session, UA offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, Paul Petrino, was asked for his evaluation of Saturday.

“I think we did some real nice things running the ball and some guys did a good job breaking tackles,” said Petrino. “It showed that if you can run the ball and throw the ball deep you always have a chance to be successful. Now we’ve just to be more consistent in our timing and quick passing.”

Two of the three offensive starters lost from the 2008 season were on the offensive line as this year’s unit will use the spring to find replacements for Jonathan Luigs and Jose Valdez.

“It has to be a fist and be five guys that all work together,” said Petrino. “It is a growing process, but they just need to keep working hard and keep grinding. (Seth) Oxner and (Grant) Cook have been going back and forth day in and day out and if you have that at all five spots you are in great shape. That is where we are at with them and that’s where we want to get to. That’s really helped at the running back position. I think that battle is real good and it will make them both a lot better.”

Arkansas returns players that accounted for 97 percent of its receiving yards last year, and the unit  is using the spring to build chemistry with the quarterbacks.

“We’re starting to see it,” said Petrino. “There are some guys (Ryan) Mallett feels good about and I thought Tyler (Wilson) made some nice throws today. He had a couple of good shots. They start getting a feel for the guys they like and it is just a matter of all of them getting a feel for each other.”

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The University of Arkansas football team used a portion of its Saturday session inside the Walker Pavilion to scrimmage for the first time this spring.

“It was a good day,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “I was again happy like I was yesterday. I thought the defense ran around and got guys to the ball. There looked like there were some plays and sacks where you don’t hit the quarterback. I thought our running backs ran the ball well. I thought we broke tackles, which is something we’ve been emphasizing along with yards after contact and spinning. De’Anthony Curtis had a great run, both the young big backs had some good runs and Dennis Johnson had a real explosive run.”

Ryan Mallett finished the day 11-of-25 for 164 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Both of his touchdown passes were to Jarius Wright from distances of 24 and 27 yards. Wright led the receiving unit with four catches for 59 yards.

“Ryan showed his ability to move in the pocket, keep his vision down the field, and hit some big plays,” said Petrino. “We threw the deep ball well. I wasn’t happy with the consistency of our quick pass game, and we have some work to do there.”

Broderick Green led the running backs with 10 carries for 59 yards and a one-yard touchdown. Curtis also ran well with six carries for 56 yards and a 30-yard touchdown. 

 “It definitely helps De’Anthony’s confidence,” said Petrino. “He knows his emphasis this spring is when he has contact to keep his legs driving and get yards after contact. I thought yesterday he took a step forward and I thought today he took a bigger step forward. He is going to work as hard as he possibly can.”

The defense had four sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and six pass breakups.  Ramon Broadway had seven tackles to lead the unit. Jerico Nelson and Tramain Thomas each had six, and Thomas added a pair of pass break ups.

“I think we are learning a lot about our team chemistry and our energy,” Petrino said. “I like our enthusiasm and how physical we are. Last year, I thought that it was like pulling teeth to get us to hit and concentrate on the physical part of the drills. This year, they are real eager and excited about it. They see the success and any time you see success you can build off of it.”

Arkansas continues practice at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. All spring workouts are scheduled to take place outdoors and are open to the public, weather permitting.

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For the second straight day, the Arkansas football team practiced in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium as the team continued its workouts through a light rain Wednesday evening.

Arkansas offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Paul Petrino spoke to the media following practice and discussed his thoughts on the first two days as well as a few players who have stood out.

“There are a lot of bright spots and definitely the guys understand the offense a little better so it is letting us put some more in,” said Petrino. “I think (Ryan) Mallett has had a good first two days, and has done some nice things. Jarius (Wright) made some big plays out there today and I saw Joe Adams moved around and caught the ball.

Although Michael Smith is not listed on the spring depth chart due to a hamstring injury, the Razorbacks are deep at the running back position with several players looking for time.

“You see the depth at running back, which is real exciting,” said Petrino. “You see them on film from yesterday’s practice and today. They know there are more guys so they are all competing against each other and that makes them work harder. That is really our ultimate goal at all positions. When you get enough talent and enough competition that they all know you really don’t have to say a word to them. You can pull a guy out and put the next guy in that is when you know you are where you want to be.”

Entering spring drills sophomore Chris Gragg was one of a few players who changed positions as he switched from wide receiver to tight end.

“He’s a lot bigger, faster and stronger,” said Petrino. “That’s a matchup when he is on a linebacker that will be tough to defend. He’s someone we are excited about, and he’s got to continue working with it.”

View 2009 Spring Practice Schedule

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