RazorBloggers Network » Bobby Petrino

Petrino Reviews 2012 Signing Class

TipsterHog — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:39:01 +0000

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks Signing Class

The Arkansas football team and head coach Bobby Petrino announced its 2012 signing class Wednesday in the Miller Room at the Broyles Center.

Also:

WholeHogSports.com (Video): Paul Petrino, Paul Haynes
Chris Bahn: Razorback Staff Turnover Might Have Helped Late Push For Key Defensive Additions, Arkansas Finishes Outside Top 25, In Bottom Half Of SEC In Rankings
Matt Jones: Fifth class resembles first for Petrino
Logan Wilson: Razorbacks sign three cornerbacks
Robbie Neiswanger: No DGB? Arkansas Says No Problem With 2012 Class, Green-Beckham Says ‘Staying Home’ Felt Right

Live Blog:

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly — Tennessee

TipsterHog — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:35:53 +0000

Some random thoughts after the Razorbacks blowout win at home over Tennessee.

The Good

In what was the most amazing return we have ever witnessed, Joe Adams’ 60-yard punt return was one for the ages. Admit it…it’s the first time you’ve ever seen a player take his video game to the field. And it had to be spectacular to beat out Jarius Wright’s amazing ‘fight through pass interference to make a hot potato catch‘ play and earn the #1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.
No better way to send out 17 seniors than a 42-point blowout win. Adams and Wright are now first and second in career receptions. Senior safety Tramain Thomas snagged his 11th career interception and moved into a tie for sixth place all-time. And it was great to see senior running backs Brodrick Green (54 total yards, TD) and DeAnthony Curtis (59 yards, TD) finish their Fayetteville careers with a bang.
After an ill-advised fourth down attempt by Tennessee failed, we loved seeing Bobby Petrino go for the jugular on the very next play. Tyler Wilson’s 40-yard bomb to Joe Adams made the score 35-7 and left only the final margin in question.
Honorable Mention: Very good to have Tenarius Wright back out there returning from injury. …. The sellout crowd on Saturday — and really the Fayetteville crowds for all the conference games — have really been fantastic this season. And the in-game atmosphere (students, band, music, passing out pom-poms, etc.) has improved each game, as well. Kudos all around. Now finish up strong this week, Little Rock.

The Bad

Even in the blowout loss, the Volunteers surpassed their SEC season high in total offense by almost 100 yards. Looking every bit like a “bend but don’t break” defense, the Hogs held Tennessee to just one touchdown while allowing three plays of 45 yards or longer. And while we listed Thomas’ interception under “The Good,” it happened at the end of a very long 14 play, 72-yard drive by the Vols that took nearly seven minutes off the clock right before halftime.
Tyler Wilson’s overthrow miss of a wide open Joe Adams on what would have been a 71-yard second quarter TD technically qualifies as “bad.” Wilson may have, as Garrick McGee says, a “gift” to make good throws while on the run. Still…accurately throwing the ball 30 yards down the field without setting your feet is tough. But hey…no problem…Dennis Johnson scampered the 71 yards on the next play so all is forgiven.
Honorable Mention: Javontee Herndon’s block in the back penalty on what was going to be an easy touchdown run by Ronnie Wingo Jr.. …. Both defenses dropping easy interceptions that would’ve likely gone for touchdowns (Alonzo Highsmith for the Hogs and Eric Gordon for the Vols).

The Ugly

While the in-game atmosphere has been improving, Razorback Stadium could really use some food vendors right outside the stadium doing some typical game day street food. There are a lot of people milling around that aren’t tailgating — like me (HogBlogger) looking for tickets — that are hungry. And everyone can’t fit into the food court inside the stadium. (Plus…the prices are crazy stupid.)
Overturning the ruling on the field of a fumble by Da’Rick Rogers of Tennessee in the first quarter was just wrong. In the grand scheme of things, of course, it didn’t change the outcome of the game. But once again, we’re not sure why there’s instant replay if they’re going to overturn a call without clear visual evidence that it was the wrong call. And hey…SEC refs…look at this photo and tell us again exactly how the call on the field should’ve been overturned?

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.” What did we leave out?

Walking on Sunshine and HogBlogger also contributed to this post.

Reality Check

HogBlogger — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:40:35 +0000

Reality…what a concept!*

All the commentary and noise generated by the Hogs loss to Alabama has been interesting to me.

Comments about “not recruiting as well as Alabama” and “got out-coached” have been far too common. Razorback media and fans rode the pendulum from crazy high expectations to “all is lost” with one football game.

As for me, I was worried, didn’t stop worrying, and had my worry turn into downright fear. And as it turned out…with good reason.

So what happened and what’s going on?

Alabama more than dominated the Hogs physically as the game progressed. Football is still a physical game. The Arkansas coaching staff didn’t get out-coached, they got out-manned. Offensive line issues combined with the losses on the defensive front puts a team in a position of playing with alternating hands tied behind their back. Coaching makes no difference when you can’t physically execute.

The defense, all in all, isn’t that bad. Honestly, I’m okay with the defense. Other than a few plays, the performance against Alabama was pretty solid. With two men down our line is not what it needs to be, but it wasn’t that bad. The screen and the two dump off passes worked because we were selling out to the rush and deep coverage and leaving part of the field empty — defensive calls that are understandable, but always carry some risk.

The Hogs special teams play is predictable and can be attacked. Expect to see more special teams issues in key games at key points in the future. I warned about this after the Troy game and I’m warning again.

Garrick McGee questioning the ‘competitive spirit’ of the team this week was a bit unexpected. Apparently he has been appointed ‘bad cop.’ But…

Coach Petrino’s comments about looking for an “identity” on offense are especially worrisome at this point. Especially since we currently DO have a definite ‘identity’ on offense: short passing because we don’t think we can do anything else.

Without a solid offensive line, it’s difficult to execute any offense. And the Hogs’ offensive line doesn’t have the experience at this point to be “solid.” Having said that…

There aren’t enough running plays being called. I know people will think I’m crazy, but the Hogs need to run the ball more. Put a battering ram into the game and run a few smash mouth plays. Don’t worry about looking for yardage, just keep the opponent’s defense honest. Even no gain stretch plays serve a purpose to set up play-action.

Go double tight ends, put in the fullback and run Kody Walker. Be physical. Give’em something to think about other than playing ‘bend but don’t break’ pass defense and knocking the receivers heads off after the catch.

My preseason predictions not only called for a loss to Alabama, but also a follow-up loss to Texas A&M. My reason for these picks was my concern about the offensive line. Hopefully the line will be more seasoned by the Auburn game. If they step it up on Saturday, the Hogs can beat A&M.

We all got totally and unreasonably carried away about the potential of this year’s team. Perhaps the coaches and the players did, as well. With that said, there’s no reason for folks to get all negative about the program. Yes…the Alabama game was bad. But it shouldn’t be viewed as a commentary on the state of the program.

Sometimes when you get a little too high on yourself, you get brought back to reality. And reality is that, without an offensive line, lot’s of things can go wrong in a football game. Reality is that, when you get physically beat up on the football field, the game is probably going to go badly for you in a number of ways.

Everyone needs to get real. The Hogs have a talented, but inexperienced offensive line. This is not new news. Time will correct this.

* – Robin Williams

The Good, The Bad and The Very Ugly — Alabama

Walking on Sunshine — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:00:13 +0000

Some random thoughts after the Razorbacks’ very ugly loss to Alabama.

The Good

On a day when there wasn’t much to cheer about, the Hogs second quarter goal-line stand was encouraging. The defense bowed up and stopped ‘Bama from the 1-yard line on three consecutive plays, with Alonzo Highsmith breaking free to make two of the stops in the series.
Say what you want to about Tyler Wilson, but Saturday he proved he’s one tough hombre. The Tide never let up in its pursuit, chasing and hitting Wilson until he was wisely removed from the game early in the fourth quarter. Of course, we’d all prefer that Wilson stay as clean as Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron did for most of the day.
Honorable Mention: Cobi Hamilton’s amazing, acrobatic third quarter touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Ranked #6 on ESPN Top Plays of the Day. …. The Hogs only got into the Red Zone twice, but did at least convert both for touchdowns. For the season, they have converted 15-for-15 in the Red Zone with 12 TDs.

The Bad

For a team that didn’t need any more injuries, the defense suffered three more Saturday. Defensive end Tenarius Wright, cornerback Isaac Madison and safety Tramain Thomas suffered injuries that did not allow them to finish the game. Wright’s fractured left arm injury appeared to be the worst…possibly season-ending according to Quinn Grovey on the radio broadcast.
You don’t realize how far away the Hogs are on defense until you see the Tide do their thing. Bama’s ability to play a Tampa two-deep zone (sometimes even three-deep) with six defensive backs for much of the game…and STILL hold the Hogs to 17 rushing yards on 19 carries speaks volumes. They are in a league of their own.
Honorable Mention: Not calling timeout before the successful Alabama fake field goal. Bobby Petrino admitted afterwards, “I did think of calling timeout and didn’t get it done. That’s my fault.”

The Ugly

The Hogs’ punt coverage team includes two offensive lineman who would have trouble covering anything but a breakfast buffet. The bumbling attempts by the entire unit to tackle Marquis Maze on his 83-yard touchdown return was painful to watch. With the depth of skill players on this team, there’s no reason why the Razorbacks shouldn’t have excellent kick coverage units.
There are some things as a defense you should never do, and stunt and loop with your defensive linemen in goal line situations is one of those. Eddie Lacy’s 4-yard touchdown walk in the third quarter was right through a hole vacated by defensive tackle Byran Jones who was looping to the outside. Go watch the film…it happened. Willy, you’ve got to do better than that. C’mon man.

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.” What did we leave out?

TipsterHog also contributed to this post.

What…Me Worried?

HogBlogger — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:26:34 +0000

Obviously the Razorbacks were looking past Troy on Saturday and already had their mind on this week’s game against Alabama.

The defense played ‘vanilla’ with soft coverages and only pulled out the real stuff for a few plays along the way. Coach Petrino was only showing the offense he wanted Alabama to see, not the one they are going to see next week.

The Razorbacks are a much better team than they showed against Troy.

Really?

While certain parts of those first two paragraphs were true during the Troy game, I saw some other things during the game that I also think are true.

The offensive line is not ready for primetime against Alabama. My worry from the beginning of the season has now progressed into downright fear. It’s clear to me that the quick, short pass, possession-type of passing game that the Hogs are having success with is a cover-up for the fact that we can’t protect well enough to have consistent success with the mid-range and longer passing game.

With two weeks to prepare, the Troy coaching staff did their homework and the homework for every SEC team we will face down the road. From the safety blitz — counting on Coach Petrino’s habit of going long after a turnover — to the well-disguised corner blitzes that plagued the Hogs all game long, Troy managed to vex the offense on many occasions. Which clearly led to…

Tyler Wilson struggled more than I expected. He is missing things in his pre-snap reads and struggling with his progressions. One is leading to protection problems and the other is due to protection problems. His pulling the ball down and running with it so much is a sign that he’s feeling lost out there.

The ‘pick six’ was a great example of Wilson simply missing the proper read of the coverage.

As Sunshine said in his post earlier today, Ronnie Wingo is beginning to ‘get it.’ He is hitting holes quicker and seems more intense. Longer term, however, I expect to see more Kody Walker in the second half of games in situations where the Hogs need to run clock.

I saw things in the punting game that troubled me. If not fixed, I expect that we will have a punt blocked or a fake punt used against us at some key point in the future.

While some see the second half as a ‘let down,’ I saw it more as a bad practice session. The first offensive possession went pretty well, but the later possessions seemed more focused on working on the running game and showing a few wrinkles to keep future opponents off guard.

The defense definitely went into more of a ‘soft’ mode. I think the coaches pulled back and then the players pulled back a bit more than the coaches planned.

Troy exposed some things that, stated in the positive, will hopefully make Alabama overconfident. Stated in the negative, these things will have Alabama chomping at the bit.

So yes, I remain worried. Better defense and special teams play will be hard-pressed to make up for the fact that the offense is not as good at this point as the offense was last year.

The Alabama game may not be very pretty to watch for Hog fans.

Nice Job Guys

HogBlogger — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:35:35 +0000

If you’re not watching “Inside Razorback Football with Bobby Petrino” on a weekly basis, then you are missing a treat.

The “All 22″ view of the game — from both the sidelines and the end zone — is my favorite way to see the replay of a football game. I really enjoy hearing Coach Petrino explain what is happening (or what is supposed to be happening) on the field.

For those of you that pay really close attention to the games, you know that Coach Petrino tends to not replay things that didn’t go quite as well as planned. That fits exactly with what we’ve learned about Petrino — he really works the positives.

Which begs the question: What are the positives we’re learning about this Razorback football team?

Overall, the program under Bobby Petrino is developing a “nice” (a favorite Petrino word) level of maturity. It’s great to see continuity and growth rather than having the feeling (as we did for years) that each year was a brand new adventure full of angst, conversations about ‘bus drivers‘ and only one or two stars that the entire season depended upon.

This growth is really obvious in the play of the defense and special teams. You get the feeling that this Razorback team can win games from the performance of these units even if the offense has a tough outing.

An overly simplistic (but unbelievably important) point is the fact that we are seeing a Razorback team that both knows where to line up and how to execute the plays that are being called. We are not seeing very many missed assignments. Players are playing very fast, with purpose, and without having to stop and think about things along the way. The playbooks may be a city block wide, but apparently everyone knows what they are doing.

What’s really “nice” about the program is that there are quality players — ready to play — two to three deep. The Hogs are like shark’s teeth. The next one is ready to pop into place when needed.

Against the Lobos last week, the Hogs had the luxury of sitting players that were slightly dinged. Others quickly stepped up. The days of angst and anguish over losing one particular star are just a distant memory.

Recruiting news is good. Outstanding players are attracted to programs that are going to provide quality opportunities to contribute. Coach Petrino mentions a lot of names on his show. It is obvious he places a lot of importance on the role that everyone on the team plays.

It helps that we have an offense and defense that prepares players for the NFL. Really good recruits like that.

While this team has obvious ‘stars,’ even the stars play workmanlike roles. Watching the pride players like Jarius Wright and Greg Childs put into their blocking assignments tells you a lot. This is a team. Every job is important.

I like how Coach Petrino puts different players in front of the press each week. You can tell how mentally prepared these guys are by the way they present themselves both on and off the field. Fundamentally, sports are about developing character and success traits. It is obvious the Razorback program has this as a foundation.

Win, lose or draw, the Razorback football program is in excellent shape right now. The guys really are doing “a nice job.”

In One Era And Out The Other?

HogBlogger — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:35:57 +0000

There is absolutely no doubt we have entered a new era of Arkansas football.

Hog fans are anticipating a season that should rank right up there with the best the program has ever seen. Excitement is in the air. The RazorBloggers’ own HogBaller even predicted a National Championship. (And no one told him that he was completely crazy.)

Bobby Petrino has brought attitude and expectations far different from those that were being voiced just prior to the retirement of Frank Broyles and departure of head coach and helmet-lover Houston Dale Nutt.

At the kickoff luncheon last Friday, Petrino exuded confidence and repeated his familiar “expectations” refrain.

“It’s OK to have high expectations,” Petrino said. “Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t win. Don’t let anybody sell you short. I think that’s what we learned as a group, as a football team, as a coaching staff, as a state. It’s OK to have high expectations.”

Notice he’s not just talking there to the people in the room. He’s talking directly to you and me — “as a state” — and telling us that it’s okay to believe.

And it’s true…the whole notion that Hog fans’ expectations should be to finish regularly at the mid-tier level of the SEC seems absurd today. Almost as absurd as Chuck Barrett’s radio show commentary in 2007 that Houston Dale’s departure “would set the program back 10 years.”

But for me — you know…the guy that still hasn’t really gotten over the fact that I moved from my chair to the floor at the start of the 4th quarter of the ’69 Texas game and cost the Hogs the game — I’m a bit worried about this season.

I know what you’re thinking. The defense is going to be even better than last year. We are finally two-deep on the D-line with SEC-caliber players. No doubt we have the best receivers in the nation. Our quarterback is going to be accurate and mobile and could easily make everyone quickly forget about “Ryan what’s his name.” Sure we lost a great running back for the year, but we have plenty of quality available to man the position. The field goal kicker goes days without missing in practice.

So, why am I worried?

I’m worried about the offensive line. If it doesn’t come together until midway through the season, the Alabama and Texas A&M games are going to be hard to win. Lose those two games and the Hogs would have to win out and have a bit of help to win the SEC West.

While it’s true that we have outstanding talent that could make up an excellent O-line, solid offensive line performance is also a function of experience and continuity. Our experience is a bit scattered and we have two freshman competing for starting jobs. With all the juggling around in practice, we couldn’t even spell continuity if you spotted us everything but the vowels.

Adding to my offensive line worries are my usual Razorback worries. Just when you begin to believe the Hogs are about to accomplish something really, really amazing and special, they let you down. The Sugar Bowl performance last year did nothing to dispel this traditional worry.

There’s also the historic notion that the Hogs’ better seasons and performances have tended to come when little was expected of them. Don’t forget that Sports Illustrated cover that proclaimed the Hogs preseason number one following the previous year’s most unexpected beating administered to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

I want to be optimistic that the Bobby Petrino era will be different from the past. Having and embracing high expectations feels really good. I’m a huge fan of Petrino, as well as big believer in him. This team has a great chance to accomplish really amazing and special things.

I really wish I could stop worrying.

2011 SEC Football Media Days — Arkansas

TipsterHog — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:45:55 +0000

SECSports.com: Bobby Petrino Quotes (PDF)

Petrino: “I’m not afraid of high expectations. I’m excited with the fact that two years in a row now we have very high expectations. Number one, our players have high expectations. Certainly our coaching staff does. Our fans in the state of Arkansas do. Our administration does.

“It’s fun to approach the year that way, that, hey, we’re going to go out and be a contender, be a good football team, see what we can do to win ourselves a championship. I think it motivates you throughout the off-season, throughout spring ball, throughout the summertime.”

Also:

SECSports.com: Arkansas Player Quotes (PDF)
ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks at SEC Media Days
ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Bobby Petrino Press Conference, Tenarius Wright, Jarius Wright, Knile Davis
AP: Arkansas QB has luxury of skillful players
RBN: 2011 Razorbacks Football Media Guide Released Online
Chris Bahn: Razorbacks Say Summer Should Alleviate Petrino’s Concerns About Leadership
Jim Harris: Ten Minutes With Arkansas Running Back Knile Davis
ArkansasSports360.com: League Releases Start Times For Hogs’ First 3 Games
Robbie Neiswanger: Petrino, Razorbacks ‘Not Afraid’ Of Expectations, Receiver Says Recognition Rewarding
Razorback Nation (Video): Bobby Petrino, Jarius Wright
Memphis Commercial-Appeal: Arkansas Razorbacks set to let quarterback Tyler Wilson take over
al.com: Razorbacks already looking ahead to Alabama game
Louisville Courier-Journal: Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino high on the Hogs for SEC, national titles

Scrimmage Report — 4/9/11

Walking on Sunshine — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:41:20 +0000

A few notes after attending the Razorbacks 195-play football scrimmage on Saturday morning.

In keeping with the trend this spring, the defense ruled the day again Saturday. The highlight without question was the first defense stopping the first offense on SEVEN straight fourth-and-1 plays. All the plays were running plays…and most ended in tackles for loss.
The seven straight fourth-and-1 plays were a classic Petrino moment. What started out as a “run it again” opportunity after the first failed attempt, turned into a test of wills between the two units. The defense showed tremendous heart and togetherness as the second and third team reserves chanted “Red Swarm! Red Swarm!” on the sideline. Great moment.
Smack dab in the middle of most of those plays was sophomore transfer defensive tackle Robert Thomas. Thomas (6-3, 325) has got unbelievable size and quickness from his interior spot, and showed he’s a playmaker time and time again Saturday.
Staying on the defensive side, safety Tramain Thomas turned in an ‘ESPN Top 10 Plays’ interception to thwart a Tyler Wilson touchdown pass. Thomas leaped straight up at the goal line and snagged the pass one-handed, a play that drew wild applause from the 1,000 or so fans in attendance.
The offense was not without their share of playmakers. One player that stood out above all others was sophomore wide receiver Julian Horton (9 catches, 94 yards). Horton showed great hands making catches in traffic while working the middle of the field.
True freshman offensive tackle Brey Cook continues to look better and better. Working every day against the likes of Jake Bequette and Tenarius Wright will do that for you…if you can survive. Cook (6-7, 317) appears quicker than junior college transfer Jason Peacock (6-4, 334), who is also vying for the starting tackle spot.
Ronnie Wingo, Jr. got most of the first team reps on Saturday, with Knile Davis running mostly with the second team. Both looked good running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield. Wingo appears to be running with a new determination and perhaps is poised to be a bigger part of the offense next season.
The overall consensus of the RazorBloggers in attendance on Saturday was that, unlike the past few years, this scrimmage didn’t look like Petrino was playing PlayStation out there. The days of wide receivers and backs running uncovered in wide open spaces, making long runs and scoring at will are gone. The defense is dictating the tempo this spring — and that’s a sign of good things to come in the fall.

Also:

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Second scrimmage in books for Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino Press Conference (Video)
Chris Bahn: Adams Starts Razorback Offense Off Right, Defense Improves
Robbie Neiswanger: Defense Stands Strong in Second Scrimmage, Four Downs: Notes From Saturday’s Scrimmage
Matt Jones: Defense Holds Its Own Again
Jimmy Carter: Defense Steps Up Early in Scrimmage

Petrino Agrees To New Seven-Year Contract

TipsterHog — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 00:38:18 +0000

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Arkansas and Petrino reach new agreement

The University of Arkansas and Bobby Petrino have agreed upon the terms of a new seven-year contract that will extend through the 2017 season, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long announced on Saturday.

Also:

Matt Jones: Petrino Agrees to 7-Year Extension
ArkansasSports360.com: Petrino, Razorbacks Agree To New Contract Through 2017
Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas, Petrino Agree to Seven-Year Deal
ESPN.com: Arkansas, Petrino agree to new seven-year deal

Nice Weather For A Change

HogBlogger — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:35:43 +0000

The Bobby Petrino era of Arkansas Razorback football came of age last Saturday in Little Rock against the LSU Tigers.

Fans can argue whether it happened on the long touchdown passes to Cobi Hamilton. Or the 39-yard ‘hitch and go’ touchdown pass to Joe Adams on 4th down and three in the fourth quarter.

Some will say it was the 65 yards rushing by Knile Davis in the first half that made all the difference. Others will say the Hogs’ defensive performance was the key. No one will argue for special teams.

All very valid points. But for me…it was the 13-play, ‘smash mouth’ drive that ate up just over six minutes of the fourth quarter. That really pushed it over the top.

When it was all said and done, the better team won the football game. The Hogs were better coached, in better shape and mentally tougher than LSU.

Expectations embraced led to expectations realized.

In three years, Bobby Petrino has managed to do what most thought was impossible at ‘poor little Arkansas.’ He has accumulated SEC-level talent and depth at every position. The backup quarterback threw for over 300 yards against the number one team in the nation and the regular quarterback is going to leave early to be an NFL first round draft pick.

Once it was thought the Razorbacks could not possibly have an outstanding pool of receivers. But now the coach can call “next” and a Cobi Hamilton steps up.

People can complain about Willy and the defense, but it’s an order of magnitude better in depth and speed than anything we’ve seen from the Hogs in a long time.

For the first time I can remember in my 40+ years of watching Arkansas football, the Razorbacks have a coach that doesn’t ‘poor mouth’ the team or throw players under the bus. His favorite phrase is, “He’s done a nice job for us…”

For the first time I can remember, the Hogs don’t rely on emotional highs and ‘hope’ to win a big game. They ‘expect’ to play well and win. Other than the overall domination of John McDonnell and the glory days of Nolan, we have seldom seen this type of attitude and expectations brought to Arkansas sports by a coach.

A college sports program is going to be a reflection of the capabilities, ambition, motivation and expectations of the head coach — in that order. If you doubt that, just take a look at the Razorback basketball program.

The Arkansas fair weather fans are getting what they wanted from the football program. Do they really realize this? Do they appreciate it? Will they pay up to keep it?

Let’s enjoy and appreciate the great weather. It has been a long time coming. I’m hoping it will be quite a while before it changes.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly — South Carolina

Walking on Sunshine — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:35:48 +0000

Some random thoughts after the Razorbacks’ dominating win over South Carolina.

The Good

Finally the Hogs had the complete game we’ve all been looking forward to seeing. The Hogs perfect execution of great game plans — on both sides of the ball — was truly fun to watch. The offense scored on four of the five first half possessions, while the defensive focus to stop Gamecock running back Marcus Lattimore (11 rushes, 30 yards) was the difference in the game.
Elton Ford’s stop of the second quarter fake punt was the turning point on Saturday. Only down 10 points at the time, Steve Spurrier’s failed fake attempt sealed the deal, as the Hogs drove 38 yards for a Knile Davis 21-yard touchdown to make it 24-7.
Russellville’s own Zach Hocker is money in the bank. Going 2-for-2 on field goals Saturday, Hocker has now hit 10 out of 11 (90.9 percent) for the season. His 51-yard field goal in the third quarter was the longest field goal by a Razorback since Kendall Trainor’s 58-yard kick in 1988 (Miami).
It was really good to see players stepping up to replace injured starters. With Greg Childs injury last week, more was going to be expected of Cobi Hamilton and he delivered (111 receiving yards, TD). And after the first quarter leg injury to starter Ramon Broadway, reserve junior cornerback Greg Gatson turned in the best game of his Razorback career. Gatson notched five total tackles, including four solo, had two passes broken up and his first career interception.

The Bad

The Hogs did little on Saturday to stop the season-long flood of yellow flags. The 11 penalties for 90 yards were fewer than the previous week against Vandy (13-130). But they continue to be a thorn. Three personal fouls, including two by Andru Stewart on special teams, accounted for half of the yards.
The late fumble and gift touchdown by Tyler Wilson was a bad call. While we’re sure Coach Petrino was just trying to get Wilson some stats late in the fourth quarter, with 3:52 to play and a 41-13 lead, run the ball and take your win. The final score was definitely not indicative of how lopsided the game truly was.

The Ugly

The season-long ugly calls by the SEC refs continued on Saturday. Even the NFL doesn’t have the “in the grasp” rule anymore. (If it did, the Patriots might’ve won Super Bowl XLII.) But apparently SEC referee Tom Ritter still thinks it should be called. Fortunately for the Hogs, Carolina didn’t capitalize after Gamecock kicker Spencer Lanning hit the left upright from 29 yards out.

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.” What did we leave out?

TipsterHog also contributed to this post.

Reality Check

HogBlogger — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:35:39 +0000

One-third of the way through the regular season, it’s time to evaluate the areas where the Hogs need to improve.

With a 3-1 record, things really are pretty good. Hog fans should take great delight in the fact that our team is now a part of the national college football conversation. Huge credit goes to Bobby Petrino and Ryan Mallett for making this possible. I love the direction the program is going.

Unfortunately, that one loss on the record was a pretty tough one to take. Hog fans need to remember that we played the #1 team in the nation last Saturday. As Alabama proved — these guys are good.

The Tide’s “Been There, Done That, Got the T-shirt” experience level was simply too much for the Hogs. The Razorback program under Bobby Petrino doesn’t have the experience level yet to play to the level of Alabama. The fact remains that most teams have to knock at the door a couple of times before they’re able to break through.

——————

The trend by the ‘talking heads’ for the past few weeks has placed much of the fault at the lack of a running game. Folks, the running game is a symptom of other problems. The lack of success passing in the later stages of the Alabama game is a symptom of other problems. Truth is…the Razorback offense was making mistakes against a very talented and well-coached Alabama defense.

As is my habit for games like this one and the Georgia game, I went back to my trusty DVR with slow motion and watched most of the plays several times to try and figure out what was going on. Here are the things I’m seeing with the Hogs offense that become more important as the game progresses:

Blitz pickup — Georgia and Alabama brought some type of blitz on just about every play. As the game progressed and the blitzes became more complex, Mallett started getting a bit lost on making calls.

Many of the zero yardage running plays have been due to running right into a blitz and not getting the play blocked correctly. Most of the time the first defender to make contact with the ball carrier is a linebacker or safety that wasn’t even blocked.

Offensive diversity — Okay…I know this will not be well-received…but here goes. As sophisticated as the Razorback offense is, it doesn’t seem to have a lot of diversity. Have we run out of the pistol this year? Last Saturday we ran one — one! — draw play and it worked really well. Screens? Did we see any on Saturday? Hot reads (slants) into the empty slots being left by the blitzers? Exactly one.

Have we really made a commitment to having a running game? Running plays are pretty base. Even Petrino admitted on his show that the Alabama players were calling out the runs, as the Hogs were always running to the motion side in the first half.

It doesn’t appear that we are giving opposing defenses enough to think about. They are not afraid to blitz us on every down. As has been my sense for the entire Petrino period at Arkansas, he tends to get a bit outcoached by opposing NFL- level defensive coordinators at times (think Nick Saban, not the kid serving as front man).

The quarterback — First, let me say that Ryan Mallett is amazing. However, I’ll hurry on to say he’s not quite there as a total quarterback.

Greg McElroy seriously outplayed him Saturday. Good quarterbacks exhibit strong field generalship and keep the chains moving. While Mallett had a number of very excellent plays, he also had some serious mental lapses when under pressure.

McElroy got the chains moved while under pressure in the fourth quarter and kept drives alive. Of course, he also had Mark Ingram and the Wildcat formation to change up the ‘look’ and create a lot of yardage. Offensive diversity was definitely on McElroy’s side to aid him. Plus, the turtle has a habit of beating the rabbit.

Unfortunately, the ‘book’ on Mallett for the rest of the year will be to get him confused and rattled with pressure so that the Arkansas offense begins stopping itself as the game progresses. My take is that while Mallett may be more than physically ready for the pros, he has a long way to go to be mentally ready for the NFL.

——————

Just about everyone’s preseason picks called for the Hogs to lose this game. We definitely played much better than I expected. While I wish we had won, overall I was very pleased.

The Hogs have some things to improve on the offensive end. Otherwise, we will have more opposing defensive coordinators influencing our offense to shut itself down. I expect our defense and special teams will continue to improve.

The Razorbacks are in the national conversation. We’ve knocked at the door. I believe with Bobby Petrino, we will get it kicked down. There’s a lot of season left to go.

Setting Expectations

HogBlogger — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:35:48 +0000

In Razorback history, the football program has typically disappointed when expectations were high and only occasionally delighted when expectations were low.

Many fans I’ve talked to recently know this. They aren’t certain whether they should embrace or even have high expectations for the upcoming season.

As my father told me the other day, “After all, this is Arkansas we are talking about.” His view, formed over 60 years of watching Arkansas football, is pretty simple: “Just when it looks like they are really going to accomplish something…they’ll let you down.”

But Coach Petrino is encouraging and even embracing high expectations this preseason. I like that. In my 40+ year memory of Arkansas football, I can’t recall a coach and team so publicly embracing high expectations. Usually all we’ve heard is worry and a lot of poor-mouthing.

I think I know what this team is capable of accomplishing. What I wonder is what they will actually do. So…I thought back to last year. What were the really “big deal” things that stood out about that team (at least in my view) that could make or break this year’s team. I decided to frame these in the positive since, after all, we’re embracing expectations.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. Not only can you not take nine women and have a baby in one month, you can’t win every game at once. While the sayings are trite, they are true. “Stay in the present.” “One play at a time.” My view of last season is that the offensive success the Hogs had in the first game stunted the development of the offense for weeks afterwards. The big plays came too easy, leading us to look for big plays all the time. We forgot to remember to…

Move the chains on a consistent basis. We had a lot of issues last year in this area. Some memorable examples: Overlooking wide open receivers on short routes for easy first downs while throwing incomplete down the field; the quarterback sliding on third down in the red zone just 2 yards short of a first down, leading to a missed field goal; and still getting stuffed at times on short yardage.

The mentality this year has to be first downs or die trying. And speaking of dying, the defense must take the approach of…

Bend, but don’t break. A team is not apt to win the game on any particular defensive play. Unfortunately, we proved last year that we could certainly lose the game on a particular defensive play.

I won a bet last year by taking the over when the over/under on long plays given up was 80 yards. Scheme, players…I don’t care who was responsible. If it’s not fixed this year, we’ll all be sad. Speaking of sad, all of this will be for naught unless the Hogs…

Win the battle of special teams. Two extra made field goals last year would have been worth two wins. Our punting margin was terrible. If there is not significant improvement in this area, it won’t really matter how good the offense and defense play. Special teams can change the result of the season by three or four games easily.

Unfortunately, even while attempting to stay positive, I still find myself worried about all four of these. What do you think?

Call To Action

HogBlogger — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:05:48 +0000

It’s an old, trite country sayin’: “If you want to dance, you have to pay the fiddler.”

The “Answer the Call” initiative, featuring the cleverly named Razorback Seat Value Program (RSVP), was previewed in the recent athletic department annual report and detailed in full at a media event on Wednesday.

Rather than explaining to Arkansas fans why they should be happy finishing higher than 8th in the SEC, Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long has been busy during his time on The Hill focusing on finding more money for the athletic programs.

Whether it’s been through the consolidation of the men’s and women’s athletic departments, revamping the old Arkansas Razorbacks Sports Network, changing leadership at the Razorback Foundation, or adding ribbon boards to Bud Walton Arena and Razorback Stadium — the common denominator has been bringing in more cash to fund the athletic programs.

While some Razorback fans may complain about the seat license increases, the question on the table is, “Do you really want to dance?”

To bring the question into clearer focus — “Do Razorback fans want to have a ‘big-time’ football program?”

In order to have a nationally competitive football program, you must have both broad and strong financial support. Under Frank Broyles, the approach was based on a few huge donors with a broad number of very small donors within the Razorback Foundation.

What do I mean by “broad and small” as compared to “broad and strong?” Well…$150 for a 50-yard line seat license at Arkansas versus $1,300 for a 50-yard line seat license at Alabama is a pretty good example. Even Vandy charged more than the Hogs.

Besides bringing in less money to the program, the low, low price for maintaining seat location meant that Foundation members willing to pony (or should that be hog?) up more donation money could not be rewarded with better seat locations. Why bother giving more if you don’t get anything for it?

The new RSVP program is just the beginning to finding out the real willingness on the part of Hog fans to give to the program.

To really bring the question into crystal clear focus — “Do Razorback fans want to keep Bobby Petrino?”

It’s pretty simple. Bobby Petrino is going to coach somewhere that gives him the chance to not only win the National Championship once, but to win it multiple times. If Arkansas can be that place, we can keep him. If Arkansas fans are not going to provide the ongoing support to make that possible, we are going to lose him.

We’ve seen what buying coaches on the cheap (and not being able to afford sending them away) has done to the Razorback basketball program.

Sorry to be the one to bring the news, but players play for coaches, not schools. If a school can afford to have the kind of coach that attracts quality student athletes, then they can afford everything else the player is looking for, as well.

If the school doesn’t have all the other stuff (locker room, training room, educational opportunities and facilities, practice facilities, stadium) that a player is looking for, then it probably won’t have a coach that outstanding student athletes want to play for anyway.

To coin another country sayin’, “It’s time to fish or cut bait.” How the Arkansas fans respond to this initial phase of a fundraising initiative that will go on for years to come will be critical to the future of the program.

Open For Business

TipsterHog — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:35:30 +0000

Bobby Petrino has the reputation of having a guarded personality. But when it comes to access to his team’s preseason practices, he’s the most welcoming coach in the SEC.

Starting Thursday and going until August 21st, the Razorbacks could (weather permitting) have up to 22 practice sessions open to the public. No other football program in the SEC allows more fan access to fall camp. In fact, no one else even comes close.

There are six teams in the SEC that allow no fan access — zero — to preseason practices: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Some of these coaches don’t even allow news media in to watch their preparations.

New head coach Joker Phillips and the Kentucky Wildcats are only opening one practice this year, while first-year Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell will open just two preseason workouts. (Although Caldwell might be entertaining enough on the practice field to charge admission.)

If you want to go to Starkville to watch a Mississippi State practice (and why wouldn’t you?), you better go to one of three open workouts this week because the rest are closed to the public.

The only other SEC programs that come close to the access afforded to Hog fans are Ole Miss and South Carolina, who each allow their supporters to attend only the first week of fall practice.

While Razorback fans have become accustomed over the last several years to being allowed to attend some preseason practices, the growing trend around the country is to hold all workouts behind closed gates. Florida State, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State are just a few of the programs outside the SEC that have shut off all access.

And in a world where instant access to information is even more, well, instantaneous…it’s a safe bet that opening up fall practices to the public will someday be a thing of the past.

All the more reason to take advantage of this generous opportunity again this year, Hog fans. You never know when the day may come when it will be taken away from us.

Keeping Focused

Walking on Sunshine — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:35:58 +0000

At the halfway point in the Razorbacks spring practice work, everything seems to be going to plan. The 164-play scrimmage last Friday seemed to please Coach Petrino after what was an up and down week of practice.

“I think we are on track,” Petrino said. “We had one day where we didn’t do things right on the practice field. Usually that starts with your focus and your concentration in the meeting room. We didn’t progress the way we needed to that day. I am sure you all know what day that was.”

That day was last Tuesday (practice #5), as the coaches spent much of the day verbally roasting everybody within earshot for their lack of effort. The display also included Petrino heaving a non-NCAA football up into the stands, and numerous player scuffles which were followed by wind sprints with the offending players being sent to the showers early.

You can almost set your watch by these ‘bad practices.’ They usually occur sometime during practices 3-6, both in the spring or fall. Players start to get a little sore and maybe feeling a little sorry for themselves. Position battles cause little flare-ups that draw the ire of coaches outwardly, while there must be a little part of them that likes to see that spirit.

These ‘bad days’ are always followed by days of progress where coaches tend to build them back up after tearing them down. All in all, it makes for an entertaining 2+ hours of ‘theatre’ every practice.

Here are a few things that have caught our attention:

After the knee injury to starting guard Wade Grayson, redshirt freshman Alvin Bailey (6-5, 323) has more than stepped into that starting spot and performed extremely well. Bailey, who was set to challenge at one of the guard positions anyway, may be hard to unseat now. Wally Pipp anyone?
While Ronnie Wingo, Jr. was awarded the starting tailback spot before spring practice began, it appears that there is little separation between him, Knile Davis and Broderick Green. In the two scrimmages to date, all three have posted similar numbers. And unless something drastically changes in the next few weeks, a running back by committee approach seems likely.
With starting quarterback Ryan Mallett on the sidelines, the tight ends appear to be seeing a few more passes thrown in their direction. D.J. Williams (82 yards, 2 TDs), Chris Gragg (90 yards, TD) and Austin Tate (60 yards, TD) combined for 22 catches in Friday’s scrimmage.
We’ll give the defense a few more days to work before rendering a final verdict, but Friday’s scrimmage was not good for the men in white. 164 plays equates to roughly two games of plays. The 947 yards and 14 TDs were great for the offense, but would average out to 473.5 yards and 49 points per game on defense. Yikes!

Petrino seems upbeat about the work the Hogs have put in thus far, but knows there is much to be gained over the next few weeks.

“We are pushing these guys hard. It’s time to step up the intensity and step up making sure we are doing things right and playing with great effort.”

The Hogs’ spring game is set for April 24th at 6 pm. The game follows RazorFest activities that, weather permitting, should make for a fun day in the Ozarks.

Tempo And Perfection

TipsterHog — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:35:46 +0000

Is there anyone right now that has more of their fingerprints on the Arkansas football program than Bob Petrino? And no…we don’t mean the Hogs’ head coach.

We mean the head coach’s dad: Bob Petrino, Sr.

The elder Petrino coached at tiny Carroll College in Helena, Montana from 1971-1997. And by all accounts, his 163 wins in 26 seasons helped establish a winning tradition that has carried over into five NAIA national championships won in the last eight years by current coach Mike Van Diest.

Most Hog fans had never heard of Carroll College before Bobby Petrino arrived in late 2007. But with the hiring of Chris Klenakis as offensive line coach last week, Arkansas now has four coaches on staff who played for Petrino, Sr. at Carroll College.

The others are new wide receivers coach Kris Cinkovich, strength and conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp and, of course, head coach Bobby Petrino, himself. (And Cinkovich is replacing Paul Petrino, who also played for his dad.)

Now…we’re not trying to imply that Petrino, Sr. is actually running the Razorback program. There’s no question that his son is completely in charge. But imagine if four former players of Nick Saban were now on staff at Arkansas? Wouldn’t you want to know a little more about the things they learned from him?

Veltkamp, who has been the Hogs’ strength and conditoning coach for the past two seasons, played for Petrino, Sr. in the mid-90s. He cited the similarities between the father and son during an interview with Richard Davenport in 2008.

“With both of them, tempo is the name of the game,” Veltkamp said. “That’s the way old coach Petrino was, everything was about tempo, tempo, tempo and perfection and asking more of kids. It’s funny…a kid can make a great catch but be taken down by a shoe-string tackle. A lot of coaches will pat on the back and say ‘Great catch’ instead of ‘You should have broken that tackle and gone to the end zone.’ That’s what old Coach Petrino was about.”

Petrino, Sr. was a man of few words and demanded the utmost for from his players, traits that Veltkamp has picked up and adapted.

“He wasn’t into talking any talk,” said Veltkamp, who was a two-time All Conference selection in college. “He was speak softly and carry a big stick and go out and perform. There’s always more. You always have more in you than you think you do. Obviously growing up that way, Coach Petrino learned that from his dad.”

We’ve seen a visiting Bob Petrino, Sr. at practice a few times since his son arrived in Fayetteville. He usually stands and watches the action intently, well away from the coaches and players. He is a small man in stature, but we noticed that he still has the gait of a confident coach on the sidelines.

Now, with four of his former disciples coaching this team, there’s no doubt that the demand for “tempo and perfection” from players will be higher than ever before. Maybe even higher than the lofty expectations of Razorback fans for next season.

Petrino’s Name Surfaces After Meyer “Resigns”

TipsterHog — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:26:01 +0000

ESPN.com (12/27): Meyer has change of heart

Florida coach Urban Meyer changed his mind Sunday and said he was taking an indefinite leave of absence instead of resigning.

Previously (12/26):

ESPN.com: UF’s Meyer resigns for health reasons
Brandon Marcello: Plan on hearing Petrino’s name connected with Florida job
Chris Bahn: Could Petrino Get a Phone Call About Meyer’s Resignation At Florida?
Robbie Neiswanger: Petrino Mentioned After Meyer’s Resignation, Bobby Petrino and the Florida Question
ESPN.com SEC: Stoops, Petrino, Mullen all worth watching

Under The Microscope

TipsterHog — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:05:12 +0000

For coaches, the amount of time between the final game of the regular season and the bowl game is always too short. For the rest of us, it’s obviously just way, way too long.

As Bobby Petrino prepares his team for what will hopefully be his first bowl victory at Arkansas, the manner in which he’s going about that preparation certainly seems to be even more heavily scrutinized than usual.

Apparently, there’s just so much time before the bowl and so little else for all of us to talk about. (Basketball team? No, thanks.) And the headlines late last week sure amped it up.

“What? Tyler Wilson got most of the first-team snaps on Friday? What’s wrong? Did Mallett break another finger? Has he already declared for the draft? Was he partying on Dickson Street too late again?”

Of course, perhaps it could be that Wilson simply needed the extra work. You would think anyone who saw him regress in a disappointing performance against Eastern Michigan would completely understand. Wilson has always, as the cliché reminds us, been ‘just one play away’ from being the starter.

Then again — if one scrutinizes a little deeper — maybe it was because Bobby Petrino is upset with Ryan Mallett and wants him to quit thinking about the NFL and work harder in bowl preparations. Yeah…that’s much more plausible.

As the chief scrutinizer of statewide sports media, Wally Hall filled his Sunday column (subscription required) with plenty of grist like that for the mill. He also opined about transportation late Saturday night on the fount of free wisdom that is his Twitter feed:

“Ryan needs to get on board and forget his next trip This isn’t a connecting flight. It is the direct one to where he wants to go.”

It’s that kind of succinct advice that we would all aspire to give to “Ryan” via Twitter at 11:40 p.m. on a Saturday night.

Of course, Wally lets us know that it’s all Bobby Petrino’s fault that we’re even discussing this. Petrino could’ve cleared all this nonsense up but nooooooooo…he couldn’t find the time to meet with the gaggle as scheduled on Saturday.

Following scrutinizing logic, that obviously must mean Petrino has something to hide. Hmmm…maybe…stay with me here…maybe he was out looking for a junior college quarterback to come in next month after Mallett goes pro! Yep…we knew it…that must be it…book it.

Ugh…January 2nd can’t get here soon enough.