Calling the Hogs

Razorbacks outfielder Collin Kuhn just hit a last-strike, last-out walk-off grand slam homer to lift the Hogs to a 17-16 victory over Kentucky. The Hogs take the series 2-1.

FAYETTEVILLE — Watching the Arkansas Razorbacks first scrimmage of spring football drills was kind of like asking your best friend what’s his/her favorite sports team.

You knew the answer before you asked — the jersey or cap they wear all the time was big hint — but you just needed a confirmation to be sure.

Well, the Hogs confirmed some things today in may mind, and it was stuff we already knew or a least suspected.

That’s good, and it’s bad.

The Hogs are loaded with outstanding receivers. Even with perhaps their two best receivers — Greg Childs and Joe Adams — nicked up, the Hogs have plenty of play-makers to catch the ball no matter if it Tyler Wilson, Brandon Mitchell, Nick Petrino or Ryan Mallett throwing them the football.

Today the star was Cobi Hamilton, who only gave us a glimpse of his ability last fall as a freshman. The kid has top-notch NCAA 200-meter dash speed, the most natural hands of any Hog receiver since Anthony Lucas and a little bit of nastiness when he goes up for the ball.

When asked if he got away with some contact when going up for the ball, he said, “Yeah, there was some. I’ll probably hear about it in the locker room. But it happens. You have to go get the football.”

In my book, if Cobi Hamilton were a grade of beef, he would be , well, Kobe.

De’Anthony Curtis also stood out today working with the third-team offense after moving from running back to receiver. On three or four different third-down situations, he made plays to move the chains. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said he will have a role with the team this fall.

Along with the receivers, Arkansas’ quarterbacks played well. Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell both looked good, and Nick Petrino, yes Bobby’s son, looked sharp, too. In terms of sheer execution of the plays, he may be the best of the bunch. In the last 20 years, Arkansas has started less polished — but perhaps more physically gifted — quarterbacks.

That’s the good, but the bad was that the Hogs’ defense still struggles. It struggles stopping the run and it struggles stopping the deep ball.

That’s a double-whammy folks that does not add up to the 10-win, BCS-bowl type season some fans are expecting, no matter how prolific Mallett ends up being.

The defense performed much better when it was allowed to blitz, but as Petrino said, the defense has got to perform better in its base set.

Now, the defense was without linebacker Jerry Franklin, defensive in Tenarius “Tank” Wright and cornerbacks Isaac Madison and David Gordon, who are all expected to start or at least be in heavy rotation once the fall rolls around.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was rankled that the defense seemed to wilt right when things got toughest. The last third of the scrimmage was a pure smash-mouth session of down-hill running.

For a while the defense held its own, but ultimatly the offense wore them down with Knile Davis, Broderick Green and Dennis Johnson pounding away at the seams.

While the offense got the better of the defense in that run session, Arkansas’ running game is still suspect in my mind. Over the course of their SEC schedule last year, the Hogs were not able run the ball successfully when they had to nor when they wanted to. They did sometimes, but not consistently. As Petrino said, the Hogs’ running game must improve.

Now, just because there are issues on defense and with the running game four practices into spring drills, does not mean the Hogs can’t improve and that those weaknesses can’t be buffed up.

But it does mean there is a lot of work to be done and improvement to be accomplished between now and September, and it’s also a warning that expectations should be kept within the realm of reality.

Unofficial Stats from April 3 Scrimmage

Rushing:

Ronnie Wingo 6 for 4 yards

Broderick Green 11 for 47, 1 TD

Knile Davis 11 for 26, 1 TD

Dennis Johnson 8 for 76, 1 TD

Brandon Mitchell 2 for 11

De’Anthony Curtis 3 for 26

Jacoby Walker 2 for 11

Nick Petrino 1 for 4

Ronald Watkins 1 for 0

Passing:

Tyler Wilson 9 of 13 for 166 yards, 1 TD

Nick Petrino 8 of 9 85 for yards, 2 TDs

Brandon Mitchell 7 of 13 for 115 yards, 2 TDs

Jacoby Walker 3 of 5 for 38 yards

Receiving:

Cobi Hamilton 4 for 154 3, TDs

De’Anthony Curtis 5 for 65

Greg Childs 3 for 45, 1 TD

Joe Adams 2 for 66

Jarius Wright 2 for 40

D.J. Williams 2 for 11, 1 TD

Chris Gragg 3 for 23

Ronnie Wingo 2 for 10

Mitchell Bailey 2 for 6

Broderick Green 1 for 14

FAYETTEVILLE — O.K. today is the day all Razorbacks gridiron junkies have been waiting for since the list whistle of the Liberty Bowl — the Hogs strap on full pads for spring practice.

The workout begins at 4 p.m., and it is open to the public if the workout remains outdoors, but if the predicted thunderstorms arrive, expect the Hogs to work in the Walker Indoor Pavilion. If that is the case, then the practice unfortunately will be closed to the public. If you are in the area and have the time, it’s worth a drive by Razorback Stadium to check to see if the Hogs are outdoors.

Honestly, if you live outside of the general Northwest Arkansas area, I don’t know that I would risk an afternoon drive to Fayetteville just for the practice today. There will be other opportunities. But then again, there are some fine restaurants in town that would be happy to serve you if the outdoor practice is cut short.

Plus, Dave Van Horn’s Diamond Hogs are hosting Kentucky at 6:35 p.m. Baum Stadium has great drainage and the Hogs will try to play that game if at all possible.

Now, back to the hitting. I’m really interested to see the play of senior middle linebacker Jermaine Love in live drills. At the moment that spot is the biggest question mark on the team.

I’m also looking forward to seeing what type of damage a confident and assured Anthony Leon (6-4, 230) can do at safety. Linebacker/safety Jerico Nelson (5-10, 205) is one of my favorite Hogs because like TNT, he packs a lot of power in a small package.

On offense, I’ve been impressed with receivers Cobi Hamilton (6-3, 209) and Lance Ray (6-3, 207). Hamilton seem more sure-handed thus far in spring and Ray is a physical specimen. He’s the second fastest Razorback in their most recent testing to cornerback Ramon Broadway and he one of the strongest receivers as a red-shirt freshman. Ray will be in the picture as a return man, possibly for punts and kick-offs.

Speaking of kicking, Alex Tejada was 6-of-6 on his field-goal attempts in Wednesday’s workout.

FAYETTEVILLE — Injuries creates opportunities. It’s one of the ugly little truths of football on any level. One man goes down and another joins the fray.

With expected starter Tenarius “Tank” Wright (6-1, 241) out for the spring with a foot injury, senior junior college transfer Caleb Evans (6-4, 254) moved into the starting defensive end spot that graduating senior Adrian Davis vacated.

Evans said he hoped to learn working behind Wright this spring before the injury but the Memphis sophomore on the shelf, but now Evans is seeking to get the most out of his chance at additional reps this spring.

“Tank and I are friends,” Evans said. “I hate that he’s hurt. I was really hoping to learn from him, but I was going to be competing with him and trying to earn my way onto the field. It would be better for the team if he were on the field, but I’m going to make the most of the situation I have.”

Evans, a Custer, Mont. native, came to Arkansas by way of Palomar (Calif.) College. He joined the team in August and was thrown into the mix without the benefit of the voluntary summer workouts to help ease his transition.

“He’s a good athlete for the position,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said. “He was a late arrival and got lost in the mix last year with A.D. [Davis] starting and Tank playing a lot. Tank wasn’t a fallback from A.D., when he needed a break ,and we still expect big things from him when he is healthy. But Caleb has the opportunity to get a lot of reps. This is a positive thing for him.”

Evans stayed confused most of last fall. He was even uncertain if his scholarship would be renewed prior to Arkansas’ practices before the Liberty Bowl, when he and other backups got extensive work.

“I really didn’t know what my situation would be,” Evans said. “You wonder about things, but things got a lot better in the bowl practices.”

Evans said the pieces have truly started to fall together for him under the guidance of Arkansas’ first-year defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell, a veteran of many of Phil Fulmer’s staffs at Tennessee.

“I’m really glad that Coach Caldwell is here,” Evans said. “He’s a new coach here, but the way he does things, the terminology and his coaching style are like the way I had been taught everywhere else that I’ve played. It’s really about the communication.

“He doesn’t just tell you the technique, he show it to you. Where to step. How to use your hands. He really gets the message across, and it makes things so much better for the players to learn.”

FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks take this afternoon off before putting on full pads for Friday’s practice. Twelve of the final 13 practices can be in full gear, and no doubt the Razorbacks will take advantage of it. A portion of Saturday’s 10 a.m. practice will be devoted to a scrimmage.

You could tell Arkansas defensive coordinator was eager for the pads to start popping when he spoke to the media Wednesday evening, but it was also evident that he liked a lot of what he saw on the first two days of practice.

Robinson’s comment that it looks like we are going to have a fast defense is more telling than it may sound on first thought. Sure, these guys are fast or they wouldn’t be on an SEC roster. But when he said fast, he wasn’t talking about pure physical speed. Robinson was commenting on how quickly the players read and respond to what they see from the offense.

Last year Arkansas’ defense had a tough time recognizing what an offense put in front of them. In the time it took to think about what was there, they were beat.

While the true physical nature of the game has to be added to mixture for us to get a full picture of how much the defense has improved, you can see the Hogs’ recognition is much better.

That recognition has lead to more batted down passes in practice and a few more interceptions. That shows there is carry over from last season that Arkansas did not have the benefit of a year ago when all four spots were up for grabs in the secondary after cornerback Isaac Madison’s season-ending injury.

For the first time in the Bobby Petrino era, the secondary is not starting from scratch.That should make some difference in the Hogs’ early SEC matchups with Alabama and Georgia.

Speaking of Isaac Madison, he appears to be picking up right where he left off before his ACL injury last August. His ball skills are better than any other Razorback corner, and he hasn’t lost a bit of the speed that got him on the field as a full-time starer in 2008. His presence last fall would have helped the secondary great last fall.

But, it is too soon to say that Madison is all the way back. Even though, cornerback is not at a heavy-hitting position, he does have to show that there is no hesitancy with his knee once everything is live. All signs are that he get over that hump easily, but he has to do it before he be declared all the way back.

Safety Anthony Leon is a guy you can’t miss in the secondary. At 6-4, 230 pounds, he kind of looks like a defensive end lost in the secondary, and last fall he played like one while he was adjusting to SEC football. But he has shown his speed early in practice and the mental aspect of the game is coming together for him as well, according to Robinson.

Leon’s nickname is “Juice.” He has carried it since his days in pee-wee football. He played running back then, and friends and family members compared his running style to that of O.J. Simpson. And, no, Anthony does not drive or ride in a white Ford Bronco.

Leon said he is eager to strap on the pads because he is “all about making a big hit.”

It will be interesting to watch the competition between Arkansas’ offense and defense. While everyone has to remember that spring football is practice and that it is all about improving the players rather than giving the fans and media preview of next fall, you can see trends develop.

Last spring, Arkansas’ offense ran the defense ragged, particularly in the passing game. If the band had been at practice, it would have been playing a lot.

While Ryan Mallett won’t be throwing because of his toe injury, Arkansas’ receiving corps is deep and talented, and they will be a good test for the Hogs’ secondary. If the secondary can cover their offensive mates this spring, it should have a least a shot of doing a better job against SEC opponents in the fall.

The move into Razorback Stadium for the Hogs’ second workout seemed to be a good one. Both quarterbacks Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell look much sharper in their passing.

Wilson completed a little better than 50 percent of his passes during the team workout, by my unofficial count, and Mitchell was better. Mitchell, who redshirted last season, completed seven of his first eight passes in the team drill.

The Hogs aren’t in pads yet, but there was a dust up between two of the larger Hogs. Back-up offensive tackle Anthony Oden (6-8, 328) and back-up defensive end Colton Nash (6-6, 261) had a slight dust up when it appeared Oden fired off the ball and knocked Nash to the ground. Nash was not ready to back down, but cooler heads prevailed and the two tentatively shook hands.

When asked about the exchange new defensive end coach Steve Caldwell said he just told Nash that he has to be smart with his aggression and that getting back at a guy isn’t worth getting thrown out of a game.

Sophomore receiver Cobi Hamilton continued to impress with his rout running and hands, as did last year’s leading receiver Greg Childs. Joe Adams also had some nice catches.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson remarked that the Razorbacks appeared faster on defense this spring, but that he would hold his judgment until the Hogs don full pads on Friday.

Check back into the site later tonight and tomorrow morning for more from today’s practice.

The Razorbacks are getting stretched out for their second of 15 workouts this spring. It appears they will be going inside Razorback Stadium today.

The weather is sunny and warm in the Ozarks, but the wind is howling like a banshee. All that bluster wreaked havoc on the passing game and punting during the Hogs’ first workout on Tuesday.

Punts would rise so far and then a wind shear would begin pushing the ball back toward the ground, making the punt return candidates look foolish trying to judge the ball. It also hampered the long passing to a great degree than Arkansas head football coach Bobby Petrino would have preferred.

Though Petrino doesn’t have the clout to control the weather, perhaps, the stadium will deflect at least some of the wind today.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson will address the media today with Petrino being off limits until after Saturday’s 10 a.m. workout. While a full-blown scrimmage may not be in order Saturday, expect a good bit of hitting.

The Hogs will be in shorts again today before taking Thursday off and then donning full gear for Friday and Saturday’s workouts. Obviously, there’s not a lot you can tell when the players aren’t in pads, but running back Ronnie Wingo, tight end Chris Gragg and safety Anthony Leon, certainly look the part of big-time college football players.

Petrino will be looking for a new high school relations coordinator as Dean Campbell is leaving the post to become the head football coach at Hyde Park Baptist School in Austin, Texas. The move is heading home for Campbell, who played for the Long Horns back in the early 1970s.

Well, it’s time to head out to practice. Check back in later this evening to hear what Robinson had to say about the defense and some updates from a few players.

One of the deepest positions on the Arkansas Razorbacks football team is tight end, and the leader of the group is All-SEC performer D.J. Williams. The Hogs tight ends are a tight knit group, according to Williams, and you can tell that’s true from their nicknames.

“We’re all good friends,” Williams said. “We call ourselves The Dawg Pound, and we all have our different Dawg names. We take pride in that. We wan to be the best tight end corps in the country, and that all starts here in practice and we have to work on it every day.”

Williams said the nicknames are about fun, but they do describe the players in on way or the other.

“Chris Gragg, we call him’”The Great Dane’ because he is long and lanky,” Williams said. “Ben Cleveland is ‘The German Shepherd.’ He seems all cute and cuddly, but if you mess with him, he’ll bite. Van Stumon is ‘The Rottweiler.’ You can look at him and know that he is all about his business. Austin [Tate] is the ‘New Pup.’ He’s working his way up. He’s getting a lot bigger and he had a great off-season so we are going to have to incorporate another name soon.”

As for Williams, “I’m ‘the Mutt,’ obviously, because I’m mixed [ethnicity],” he said with a smile.

Keep checking back in for more news later.

It’s the day all Hog football fans have been waiting for since the Razorbacks struggled their way to a victory in the Liberty Bowl against East Carolina.

Yes, spring football begins today. Bobby Petrino’s Hogs will be on the practice field today at 4 p.m. to make their first moves toward challenging for a SEC crown.

Spring football consists of 15 workouts including April 24’s 6 p.m. Red-White scrimmage, which is the final workout.

The Hogs are generally scheduled to practice Tuesdays and Wednesday and Fridays and Saturdays through April 24, although there is no practice scheduled for Saturday, April 10.

Weekday practices are at 4 p.m. and the Saturday workouts are at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend all workouts not held in the Walker Pavilion. Neither pets nor autographs nor cell phones are allowed, and the UA asked that fans not to allow their children to be unattended at practice. The players are big, and they will be running full speed, and when heading out of bounds, they can’t stop on a dime.

The Razorbacks will be without starting quarterback Ryan Mallett this spring, whose left toe and shoulder are still on the mend, but competition has been Petrino’s byword through off-season workouts despite Arkansas returning nine starters on offense (including Mallett) and seven starters on defense.

Third-year sophomore Tyler Wilson will guide the starting offense under center, but red-shirt freshman Brandon Mitchell (6-4, 230) adds mobility to the quarterback position that neither Mallett nor Wilson possess. It will be interesting to see if his mastery of the Hogs’ passing game will progress enough for him to be used next fall.

The Hogs must find a starter at middle linebacker and Petrino had rather not move starting weak-side linebacker Jerry Franklin to the middle to do it. Veteran Jermaine Love will get the first shot. Arkansas has more depth and experience in the secondary, but play there has been a sore spot dating back to the Houston Nutt era.

Offensively, there will be a four-man battle between Ronnie Wingo Jr., Dennis Johnson, Broderick Green and Knile Davis for the starting tailback job. Wingo opens practice in the No. 1 spot, but nothing is set in stone.

Petrino wants his talented arsenal of receivers to perform more consistently and his offensive front to be more physical in the running game.

The Hogs have new coaches at three spots with Steve Caldwell, veteran line coach who made a name for himself at Tennessee, working with Bobby Allen; on the defensive front; Chris Klenakis with the offensive front and Kris Cinkovich with the wide receivers. It will be interesting to see how their personalities and coaching styles meld with the rest of the staff.

And overall, Arkansas’ defense, which ranked next to last in the SEC a year ago, has to make strides if the Hogs are to truly challenge for a Western Division title. Spring drills is where the coaches and players begin to sort out the answers to those and other questions.