Razorback Blogs

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

Source - UA Sports Information

 

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The University of Arkansas football team held its first practice of the spring Tuesday. Because of the heavy afternoon rain showers, the team practiced in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium instead of on the scheduled practice fields.

“It was a good first day,” said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. “I was happy with the way we came out and took the field. I thought we had a tremendous amount of energy and excitement. Our guys were well prepared and did a nice job in the meeting rooms. We are way ahead of where we were a year ago. The quarterbacks all took a lot of reps and got a lot of work. They didn’t do everything right. We have to slow down a little bit. Sometimes when you come out the first day and you throw the defense out there they try to do everything so fast. I thought I saw a lot of good things though.”

The Razorback defense returns nine starters, including each of the front seven, and all of its top 10 tacklers from 2008.

“I think defensively when you are not in pads it is all about communication, aligning and playing fast,” said Petrino. “I thought we did a good job with the linebackers getting us lined up. We are way ahead of where we were last year defensively, and we should be because all those guys back had a lot of reps and played a bunch. The secondary gave up some deep balls, but they were without a pass rush so sometimes that happens.”

The quarterback position is expected to get a lot of attention throughout the spring as the Razorbacks look for a starter. Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson and Jim Youngblood are each listed on the depth chart and are vying for time.

“I thought the quarterbacks for the most part made good decisions and had a good understanding of where they wanted to go with the ball,” said Petrino.

Special teams plays should also be an emphasis throughout workouts. In January, Arkansas added John L. Smith to the coaching staff, and as part of his duties he will coordinate the effort.

“We have guys who are going to be on the teams,” Petrino said. “Last year we knew we’d have a bunch of new guys. We worked hard today on blocking punts and working the technique of it.”

Arkansas returns to the practice field Wednesday with its next workout scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The session is open to the public and fans are encouraged to check ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information.

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Practices held on the outdoor practice fields or in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium are open to the public. However, practices held inside the Walker Pavilion will not be open to the public due to space constraints.

Fans attending spring practices should adhere to the following policies:

1. Fans should sit in designated seating areas
2. Due to the terrain of the seating areas, no lawn chairs will be allowed
3. The use of cell phones is prohibited
4. Any photography or video taping of practice is prohibited with the exception of media outlets during the first 20 minutes of the workouts
5. Children should not be left unattended at practice
6. No pets may be brought inside the practice field gates
7. No autographs will be allowed inside the practice field area
   

Spring 2009 Practice Schedule
Date	Practice Number	Time
Tue, Mar 24	Spring Practice #1	04:00 p.m.
Wed, Mar 25	Spring Practice #2	04:00 p.m.
Fri, Mar 27	Spring Practice #3	04:00 p.m.
Sat, Mar 28	Spring Practice #4	10:00 a.m.
Tue, Mar 31	Spring Practice #5	04:00 p.m.
Wed, Apr 01	Spring Practice #6	04:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 03	Spring Practice #7	04:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr 04	Spring Practice #8	TBA
Tue, Apr 07	Spring Practice #9	04:00 p.m.
Wed, Apr 08	Spring Practice #10	04:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 10	Spring Practice #11	10:30 a.m.
Tue, Apr 14	Spring Practice #12	04:00 p.m.
Wed, Apr 15	Spring Practice #13	04:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 17	Spring Practice #14	04:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr 18	Red-White Spring Game	06:00 p.m.

 

 

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With the conclusion of the Conference championship this past weekend, the 2008 Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball season is finally over. This season has been hard to stomach this year which has caused me to not blog too much about this season. I haven't even wanted to display the score blog posts.

This season has just left me thinking about what might have been. After the 2 big wins against Texas and Oklahoma, most fans were getting excited about the possibility that Razorback basketball might be back again.

Unfortunately, there were many factors in the Razorbacks downfall this year in my opinion. Youth definitely played a role in many of the problems and was probably an underlying reason for some the player's bad decisions. There were rumors of bad chemistry, fighting, coach-player altercations, problems with the law, and others.

I believe that there should probably be some coaching changes made to help with these issues.  I also would imagine there might be a couple players that will either transfer or be kicked off the team after their behavior this past season.

Hopefully, Coach John Pelphrey will make the changes necessary in the offseason to correct these problems. I am not sure that he can survive another 2-14 SEC Conference record next year.
 

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Marcus Thornton and LSU looked like a Top 25 team -- for about a half.

Thornton scored 28 points and made a key defensive play in the final minute to help the Tigers (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 23 AP) rally for a 72-69 win over Arkansas on Wednesday night. LSU, ranked this week for the first time in more than two years, trailed by 18 early in the game and needed an 11-1 run at the end to win its seventh straight.

"At this point in the season, it is all just repetition," LSU coach Trent Johnson said. "They know what they need to do and just have to execute."

With LSU ahead 70-69, Arkansas called a timeout with 55.5 seconds left. On the Razorbacks' next possession, Michael Sanchez was momentarily open down low, but Thornton was able to reach in and strip the ball for his seventh steal of the game.

The Tigers (22-4, 10-1 Southeastern Conference) couldn't breathe easy even then. LSU's Tasmin Mitchell missed a shot but was able to chase down his own rebound and was fouled with 16.2 seconds remaining. He then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but Garrett Temple came jumping in to snatch that miss for the Tigers -- their 20th offensive rebound of the game.

"We definitely knew going into the game they were going to be a very athletic, very strong team," Sanchez said. "We knew they'd be crashing the boards hard."

Thornton was fouled and made both free throws, and Arkansas' Rotnei Clarke missed a contested 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Mitchell finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Johnson scored 12 points with 12 rebounds and six blocks for the Tigers.

"It came down to rebounding -- as simple as it sounds," Arkansas assistant coach Tom Ostrom said. "Mitchell's just kind of a bull in a china shop. ... Obviously, up front, those guys are a load to handle."

Razorbacks head coach John Pelphrey was on the bench during the game but didn't meet with the media afterward -- he's been fighting bronchitis.

Clarke scored 17 points for Arkansas, and Courtney Fortson added 17 of his own -- all in the second half. Fortson hurt LSU with his ability to finish drives to the basket with his left hand. His layup gave the Razorbacks (13-11, 1-10) a nine-point lead with 7:49 remaining. They led 68-61 after Sanchez's three-point play with 5:05 left.

Arkansas didn't make another field goal the rest of the way.

Terry Martin started LSU's final rally with a 3-pointer for his only points of the game. Johnson and Thornton then made back-to-back layups to tie it.

After Arkansas' Michael Washington made a free throw, Mitchell made a shot from about 18 feet to give LSU a 70-69 lead with 1:43 remaining.

Thornton scored 20 of his points in the second half. He was the second player in a week to hurt Arkansas from the perimeter -- Kentucky's Jodie Meeks scored 45 points in a win over the Razorbacks on Saturday.

"There's two guys in this conference that are pretty special that play that position," Trent Johnson said.

Arkansas was in control through most of a sloppy first half in which the teams combined for 21 turnovers. The Razorbacks jumped ahead 7-0, and it took over 10 minutes for any LSU player other than Mitchell to score.

Arkansas led 26-9 after Clarke scored nine straight points, and the Tigers -- playing without injured point guard Bo Spencer -- had a difficult time with the Razorbacks' press.

"We were God-awful the first half," Trent Johnson said.

The Hogs led by as many as 18, but LSU rallied to trail 32-26 at halftime. The Tigers would have been in even better shape had they not gone 3-of-12 from the free throw line in the half. They finished 12-of-24 on free throws.

Fortson was back for Arkansas after a one-game suspension.

Source - AP

 

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Seven games against bowl teams, seven games inside the state and the first meeting with Texas A&M since the Southwest Conference days highlight Arkansas’ 2009 football schedule, which was released on Friday.

"We appreciate the patience of our fans in awaiting the official release of our schedule as we attempted to eliminate the open date in the second week of the season," Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "We explored every avenue to re-configure the schedule to benefit our football team. In the end, we were not able to find a feasible option for the upcoming season.

"Our 2009 schedule features non-conference and SEC games against some of the nation’s outstanding programs. It all adds up to what should be another exciting year of Razorback Football."

The tough schedule includes seven games inside the state of Arkansas, including the Sept. 5 season-opener against Missouri State in Little Rock. The other game in Little Rock is against Mississippi State on Nov. 21. The Fayetteville schedule includes games against Georgia on Sept. 19, Auburn on Oct. 10, Eastern Michigan on Oct. 31, South Carolina on Nov. 7 and Troy on Nov. 14.

Arkansas renews its rivalry with former SWC foe Texas A&M on Oct. 3 when the teams meet in Arlington, Texas at the brand new Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium. The teams have not met since 1991, Arkansas’ final year in the Southwest Conference. The Razorbacks lead the all-time series 38-24-3.

After opening with games against Missouri State and Georgia in Arkansas, the Razorbacks play four of their next five games on the road. Arkansas goes to Alabama on Sept. 26 before the trip to Dallas for the Texas A&M game. Following the home game against Auburn, the Razorbacks go to Florida on Oct. 17 and to Ole Miss on Oct. 24.

Arkansas ends the year with four of five games in the state. Eastern Michigan, South Carolina and Troy visit Fayetteville on Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, respectively, followed by the Mississippi State game in Little Rock and the season finale at LSU on Nov. 28. The Eastern Michigan game will take place on homecoming weekend.

Opponents which earned bowl bids in 2008 include Georgia (Capital One), Alabama (Sugar), Florida (BCS Championship), Ole Miss (Cotton), South Carolina (Outback), Troy (New Orleans) and LSU (Chick-Fil-A).

View 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule

Source - UA Sports Information

 

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Senior Marcus Monk will not return to competition for the University of Arkansas men's basketball team it was announced on Friday.

"Unfortunately, Marcus is no longer a member of the University of Arkansas basketball team," Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "We appreciate his contributions to the Razorback program and respect that he completed his undergraduate degree while competing as a student-athlete. We wish him well in the future."

Monk had been withheld from competition since Jan. 24 pending a review of an issue affecting his eligibility. University of Arkansas administrators have worked with the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs staff regarding this matter.

"Upon initially receiving information that a student-athlete was possibly involved in a rules violation, the University of Arkansas took appropriate action to withhold Marcus from competition and worked exhaustively to review the matter in a thorough and fair manner," Long said. "The University of Arkansas is committed to compliance with all SEC and NCAA rules and will continue to monitor and enforce all rules."

The University plans to have no further comment on the matter. 

Source - UA Sports Information

 

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As if things couldn't get any worse for the Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball team, Coach John Pelphrey announced at his press conference today that Courtney Fortson would be suspended indefinitely and would not play against Kentucky this Saturday.

Pelphrey would not elaborate on why Fortson was being suspended. Pelphrey stated that it had nothing to do with the school, the SEC, the NCAA or anything else. When asked why he suspended Fortson he said, basically, that Arkansas deserves a “disciplined program.”

Officials whistled Fortson for a technical after he fouled out of Wednesday's 75-62 loss at Auburn. He also was called for an intentional foul 18 seconds into the game.

Pelphrey said he was not suspending Fortson specifically for the technical.

 

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Arkansas (13-9, 1-8), which has lost four straight games, has blown two straight double-digit leads in the second half. The Razorbacks had a 15-point halftime lead at Mississippi State before losing.

Tay Waller and Lucas Hargrove scored 14 points apiece and Auburn overcame a 10-point second-half deficit, beating Arkansas 75-62 on Wednesday night.

The Tigers (15-9, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Razorbacks 37-15 down the stretch and didn't allow a field goal over the final 6:33.

Arkansas reclaimed a 60-57 lead on Stefan Welsh's back-to-back 3-pointers, but it was short-lived. The Tigers scored the next eight points, capped by DeWayne Reed's 3-of-4 performance from the line during one possession after Razorbacks point guard Courtney Fortson fouled out with 4:23 left and was then called for a technical.

Welsh and freshman Rotnei Clarke led the Hogs with 14 points each while Fortson had 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Junior Michael Washington was limited to two minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. He had no points or rebounds in the first period, and finished with six points and nine boards.

The Razorbacks play host to Kentucky on Saturday at noon in a game nationally televised by CBS Sports.

Source - AP

 

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Bobby Petrino completed a great 2009 football recruiting class. The 2009 class is one of the best football recruiting class the Arkansas Razorbacks have ever had. The class was ranked #15 by Rivals and #20 by Scout. There were a few big names in this year's commitment list such as signing the highly recruited Darius Winston (CB) out of West Helena, AR and Ronnie Wingo (RB) of St. Louis, MO. Broderick Green (RB) from Little Rock, AR who transferred from Southern Cal was a part of this great group of commitments..

2009 Football Commitment List:

#	Signee	Rivals/Scout	Position	Size	40 Speed	School
1	Alvin Bailey	*** / **	OG	6'4" 300 lbs	5.30	Broken Arrow High (Broken Arrow, OK)
2	Neal Barlow	*** / ***	WR	6'7" 190 lbs	4.55	Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, AR)
3	Colby Berna	**** / ****	OG	6'4" 275 lbs	5.10	Fayetteville High (Fayetteville, AR)
4	Shauntez Bruce	*** / **	OT	6'5" 300 lbs	4.94	Lincoln High (Tallahassee, FL)
5	Ryan Calendar	*** / **	DE	6'8" 220 lbs	4.90	Caddo Mills High (Caddo Mills, TX)
6	Rudell Crim	**** / ***	CB	5'11" 195 lbs	4.37	Butler Community College (El Dorado, KS)
7	Knile Davis	**** / ****	RB	6'1" 210 lbs	4.50	Fort Bend Marshall High (Missouri City, TX)
8	David Gordon	*** / ***	CB	6'0" 175 lbs	4.40	Tulsa East Central (Tulsa, OK)
9	Cobi Hamilton	*** / ***	WR	6'3" 190 lbs	4.56	Texarkana High (Texarkana, TX)
10	John Henderson	** / *	DT	6'1" 300 lbs	4.90	College of the Sequoias (Visalia, CA)
11	Rickey Hughey	*** / **	DE/TE	6'5" 220 lbs	4.80	Lafayette County High (Lewisville, AR)
12	DeQuinta "DD" Jones	**** / ***	DT	6'4" 305 lbs	4.92	Bastrop High (Bastrop, LA)
13	Anthony Leon	**** / ****	S	6'3" 230 lbs	4.55	College of the Sequoias (Visalia, CA)
14	Kevin Lowery	*** / **	DT	6'3" 285 lbs	5.00	Gainesville High (Gainesville, FL)
15	Brandon Mitchell	*** / **	QB	6'4" 220 lbs	4.50	Amite High (Amite, LA)
16	Jerry Mitchell	*** / **	CB	6'2" 198 lbs	4.50	Mandeville High (Mandeville, LA)
17	Austin Moss	**** / ***	LB	6'3" 210 lbs	4.64	Rockwall-Heath High (Rockwall, TX)
18	Colton Nash	*** / **	DE	6'6" 240 lbs	4.80	Sulpher Springs High (Sulpher Springs, TX)
19	Anthony Oden	**** / ****	OT	6'8" 319 lbs	4.87	Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, VA)
20	Ross Rasner	*** / **	LB/S	6'0" 200 lbs	4.60	Reicher High (Waco, TX)
21	Lance Ray	*** / ***	WR/DB	6'2" 185 lbs	4.35	East Gadsden High (Havana, FL)
22	Andru Stewart	*** / ***	CB	5'11" 190 lbs	4.45	College of the Sequoias (Visalia, CA)
23	Travis Swanson	*** / ***	OT	6'5" 271 lbs	5.45	Kingwood High (Kingwood, TX)
24	Austin Tate	*** / ***	TE	6'5" 230 lbs	4.80	Harrison High (Harrison, AR)
25	Robert Thomas	*** / **	DT	6'3" 300 lbs	4.89	Muskogee High (Muskogee, OK)
26	Zhamal Thomas	*** / ***	OL	6'4" 315 lbs	5.00	Navarro College (Corsicana, TX)
27	Terrell Williams	*** / ***	LB/S	6'3" 215 lbs	4.56	Union High (Tulsa, OK)
28	Turell Williams	*** / ***	RB	6'2" 215 lbs	4.50	Helena-West Helena High (Helena, AR)
29	Ronnie Wingo	**** / ****	RB	6'3" 212 lbs	4.40	St. Louis University High (St. Louis, MO)
30	Darius Winston	***** / *****	CB	6'0" 180 lbs	4.38	Helena-West Helena High (Helena, AR)
TF	Broderick Green	**** / ****	RB	6'1" 230 lbs	4.57	USC Transfer (Little Rock, AR)
TF	Adrian Moore	*** / ****	ATH	6'0" 205 lbs	4.45	OSU Transfer (Pine Bluff, AR)
TF	Andrew Norman	*** / ***	WR	6'2" 175 lbs	4.46	Tulsa Transfer (Springdale, AR)
TF	Jovan Davis	NR / ***	ATH	6'2" 210 lbs	4.46	Houston Transfer (Dallas, TX)

* TF - Transfer from another school

 

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