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.

The Good

• The recent move by Willy Robinson to relocate Anthony Leon to outside linebacker looks like gold after this week’s performance.  “Juice” was a one-man wrecking crew, posting two sacks and four tackles for loss.  He looks like he can be a difference maker for this defense.
• Despite not getting to see punter Dylan Breeding, kickers Alex Tejada and Zach Hocker looked good.  Tejada’s four touchbacks showed that he can be a major weapon on kickoffs, while the true freshman Hocker looked comfortable making all six of his PATs. 
• “Good” from game day: Changing the music right before the Razorbacks run through the “A”.  Going from the old theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” to “Unstoppable” by E.S. Posthumus was a major upgrade.  Now if we can just kill the tired “I’ve Got News For You” intro before basketball games.
• Dear Jack Crowe: All is forgiven.  Sincerely, Razorback Fans.  Which leads us to…

The Bad

• No announcement of that score in Razorback Stadium?  Is the UA game production that scripted and antiseptic?  Do us all a favor, guys…lose the “kiss cam” and “Great Razorback Moments” for one timeout and give fans in the stands a few scores from SEC games.  Especially when an OVC team beats an SEC team for the first time since 1948.  Fail.
• As for the on the field “bad,” their wasn’t too much to complain about.  While we know the game was decided, we were a bit surprised with the lack of production by the second-team offense.  In recent weeks, QB Tyler Wilson and the second group had good success in scrimmages against the first-team defense.  Collecting only 46 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter was a disappointment.
• “Bad” from game day: Two thumbs down to whoever put together the video showing the defensive starting lineups on the big screen before the game.  Two players who actually earned starting nods in recent weeks (DT Alfred Davis and LB Anthony Leon) were completely omitted.  And Zach Stadther, who has been working on the scout team and didn’t even dress out for the game, was shown as a starter.  C’mon man.

The Ugly

• Ball security by the Hogs was bad…even if it was the first game.  The three fumbles (one lost) by the Hogs along with two interceptions and nine penalties for 64 yards marred what was otherwise a good game by the Razorbacks.  The nine penalties were the second most by any SEC team this weekend (Kentucky, 11).
• Drops of sure touchdowns by backup wide receivers De’Anthony Curtis and Maudrecus Humphrey were disappointing.  We’ll give Humphrey a pass because he’s a freshman but Curtis is a junior and can’t afford drops like that if he wants to stay in the receiver rotation.
• “Ugly” from game day: If you follow us on Twitter (and you do, right?), then you got the breaking news that Papa John’s pizza has been replaced in DWRRS by Pizza Hut pizza.  Uh…yeah…the aluminum pie pan and plastic cover (instead of a box) made the Pizza Hut pizza nice and soggy.  Downgrade.

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

Walking on Sunshine contributed to this post.

Sometimes they describe the offense as carrying the day, while other times they describe the defense as beating up on the offense.  It’s like they agree on the day’s theme and then all write about it.

I don’t envy those guy’s jobs.  They have deadlines to meet.  I couldn’t do that.  I was supposed to have this blog post done on Sunday afternoon and here I am writing it on Monday evening.

At any rate, what’s really going on at football practice?  Let me break it down real simple for you:  It’s year three of the Petrino era.  Everything is moving much faster.  Everyone, it seems, knows their job intuitively and no longer has to pause to think.  This is particularly true on defense.

Last Friday’s scrimmage was a good example.  The defense is quicker, faster — no, those are not the same things — and hitting harder.  The secondary play, both safeties and corners, appears much improved.  I like the look of the linebackers.

Most importantly, you can see that the defense doesn’t want to play the ‘drawback’ position on this team any longer.

What about all those big passing numbers the offense has been putting up?  Remember that the quarterbacks are mostly “hands-off” right now.  And, there’s a bit of a slow whistle.  In fairness, it’s hard to tell how good the protection or pass rush really is.  So those passing yards need to be taken with a grain of salt.

There’s been a lot of emphasis on the running game.  We are seeing various versions of the option that I can’t imagine Ryan Mallett actually running.  We have a great stable of running backs.  However, more times than not, the defense is getting the better of the offense in the running game.

Quarterbacks, however, seem to have lots of room to run out of the pocket.  Archie Manning would love the Petrino offense.

Tight end play is going to be solid.  The receivers are going to be good, just like last year.  De’Anthony Curtis adds a Bobby Jo Edmonds type flavor to the mix.  Not a receiver’s body, not a tight end body…but a real threat when matched up against a linebacker or safety.

The question is whether or not Ryan Mallett will use Curtis and the tight ends or prefer to look beyond wide open guys and throw way down the field like he did in the second half of the season last year.

Special teams?  Who knows.  I’m hopeful we’ll see improvement over last year.  I’ve learned that you can’t tell at the practices what the real on-the-field performance is going to be like.

If Petrino mixes up the ones and twos for the Red-White game we should see some interesting football.  RazorFest will be exciting for both young and old.  I recommend making the drive up to campus and checking things out Saturday.

On a day when the defense didn’t show the intensity of last Saturday’s scrimmage, they actually were responsible for the first score.  Defensive tackle Lavunce Askew (6-3, 290) rumbled 59 yards for a TD after catching the ball in mid-air when it slipped out of the hand of Ryan Mallett.

Overall, Mallett really didn’t have one of his better days.  (Although his scrimmage stats were still huge…31 of 51 for 380 yards.)

It’s obvious that the coaches are doing a balancing act right now with Mallett:  pushing him to improve his “total package,” while also determining what he does best so they can adjust their game planning appropriately.

Tyler Wilson showed again today that, in the shotgun, he can pick a defense apart.  But unfortunately, he seems to have gotten worse under center (if that’s possible) since camp started.  Today it wasn’t necessarily fumbled snaps, but a slowness in receiving the snap.

It’s like Wilson is telling himself at the snap: “Okay…I’ve got the ball…now I can run the play.”  And while we suppose that’s progress over fumbling, that slight hesitation can throw off the timing of a play and make for sloppy execution.

Freshman running back Ronnie Wingo, Jr. continues to look more comfortable running the football.  He is fast, elusive and starting to learn when to pick his holes and when to turn on the jets.  Based on what we’ve seen out of Wingo so far, we’re moving him up on our depth chart.

Of all the plays ran today, we did note an interesting one.  On a third down and short yardage, tailback De’Anthony Curtis was inserted at fullback and, after a play-action fake, dropped into the flat for a 32-yard TD catch.  Nice.

Overall, the offensive line is looking solid.  But the block of the day was made by…Ryan Mallett?  On a sweep play to the left, running back Dennis Johnson reversed his field back to the right.  Mallett was just standing there and then, well, he sort of…uh…JACKED UP unsuspecting defensive end Chris Berezansky.  Kind of unfair when the defense isn’t allowed to sack the quarterback, huh?

Receiver Carlton Salters had a great day today, catching nearly everything thrown his way.  Salters appears to be the early season possession receiver the Hogs will need while Lucas Miller heals from surgery on a broken collarbone.

The secondary didn’t have their best day as a group today.  But one thing is for sure…the defensive backs should be getting enough pressure from this offense to be ready for the passing teams the Hogs will face this year.

As for special teams, there was more emphasis today on ‘game situations’ with kickoffs and punts executed full speed.  Joe Adams sparkled for an 85-yard punt return TD after a poor line drive punt by Briton Forester.  It also appeared that several backup players were given a chance to step up and earn a spot on both the kicking and return teams.

After today’s 170+ play, 3+ hour scrimmage, Bobby Petrino joked (well…we think it was a joke) that he still wanted to go “a few more series.”  The man is downright relentless.

But we love the organization and attention to detail this staff displays.  There is no doubt they will have this team ready to play in two weeks.

HogBaller and TipsterHog also contributed to this post.

On behalf of all Hog fans, we should say thanks to Coach Petrino for allowing us to watch practice for 2 1/2 weeks — longer than any team in the SEC and maybe in the country, for that matter.  For those of us who live close, it has given us that ‘fix’ that we crave leading up to the season.  And we do our best here to share those impressions with those of you who follow from afar.

On the surface, it would be hard to match the intensity of last Saturday’s 170+ play scrimmage.  Players described it as a “game day feel.”  But the scrimmage this Saturday — which is now open to the public — should surpass the first.

Positions are still up for grabs, especially at linebacker and in the secondary.  Coaches also have to make up their minds pretty quickly on who’s going to redshirt and who’s going to be on the scout team.  Saturday’s scrimmage is another chance to “improve your résumé,” as Paul Petrino likes to say.

David Gordon, Rudell Crim and Anthony Leon appear to be making their move in the secondary.  Gordon has been taking the second team reps at Isaac Madison’s corner spot, as first team sophomore Greg Gatson holds on for dear life.

Questions still abound.  If De’Anthony Curtis is the fourth best tailback coming out of the scrimmage, do you redshirt him?  Can sophomore Grant Freeman hold the weak side offensive tackle spot…even after Ray Dominguez gets that ankle back to 100 percent?  Who’s your punter…scholarship-holding junior Briton Forester or walk-on freshman Dylan Breeding?

Two weeks from Saturday, it’s game time.  And minus the battle for punter (which may not be settled for a while), the scrimmage on Saturday most likely will produce a shuffled two-deep on Monday, when the Hogs start to game plan for Missouri State.

The Good

• Let’s start with Tyler Wilson.  After spending what seemed to be every series changing the color of his jersey, Wilson took turns shredding both the Red and the White teams combining for a 23-36, 301 yards, 2 TD performance.  Razorback fans have to feel good about depth at the quarterback position heading into the fall.
• Receivers Joe Adams (118 yards, TD), Jarius Wright (125 yards) and London Crawford (85 yards, TD) all showed flashes Saturday of good things to come.  All three, even the oft injured “LC,” can be electric playmakers with the ball in their hands.
• After watching the performances of safety Tramain Thomas and cornerback Andru Stewart, one was left wondering why they weren’t wearing red jerseys full-time.  Thomas picked off a Ryan Mallett pass and returned it 20 yards in the first quarter.  Both he and Stewart showed good skills and seemed solid hitting and playing the run.  Nice job.
• Three 2-minute drill TD scores capped the end of both halves Saturday night.  Wilson, who led two of the drives, and Mallett both looked sharp in these hurry-up situations.
• The defensive front four seems improved and showed as much Saturday night.  Despite all being 20+ pounds heavier this year, Adrian Davis (Sr., 6-4, 255), Jake Bequette (So., 6-5, 271), Zack Stadther (So., 6-1, 289) and Malcolm Sheppard (Sr., 6-2, 280) seem quicker off the ball.

The Bad

• Both quarterbacks tossed first quarter interceptions they wished they had back.  Quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee said Wilson missed a read, and Mallet was “just kind of being lazy back there” and threw one off his back foot.  Both correctable mistakes.
• Hope everyone enjoyed (and maybe even bought a piece of) the lush, green grass that is (was) Frank Broyles Field…since that’s the last time you’ll see it.  Construction on the new synthetic surface for RRS begins next week.

The Ugly

• After suffering through a freshman campaign plagued by critical fumbles, De’Anthony Curtis tempered his rushing success Saturday (10 rushes, 103 yards, 2 TDs) by throwing it on the ground twice.  If Curtis wants playing time in the fall, he’s got to work on securing the ball.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Smith rolls through Blue Grass but Razorbacks fall

Mike Hartline’s two touchdown passes in the final five minutes rallied Kentucky to a 21-20 victory over Arkansas in Southeastern Conference action on Saturday.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes
• ESPN.com: Kentucky’s wild rally leads to first win over Petrino
• ArkansasSports360.com: Kentucky Rallies Past Reeling Razorbacks, Secures 21-20 Victory, Two-Minute Drill

Razorback Central

• Alex Abrams: Bluegrass Madness
• Robbie Neiswanger: Defensive Collapse Dooms Razorbacks
• Nathan Allen: Without Smith, Hogs Can’t Finish
• Kurt Voigt: Wildcats Complete Improbable Comeback
• Harry King: Too Much Time For Hogs

WholeHogSports.com

• Tom Murphy: Lexington letdown
• Bob Holt: Arkansas’ defense gets its signals crossed late, Instant replay
• Rob Keys: Without Smith, wheels fall off
• Wally Hall: Hogs run out of Smith just before finish line
• Nate Allen: Self-inflicted wounds

Other Sites and Blogs

• Lexington Herald-Leader: Wildcats show some Hartline, Story: Hartline picked fine time to step up, Clay: Cats scratch ‘back
• The Courier-Journal: Cats pig out late, stuff Hogs, Crawford: Cats’ season is salvaged in a few minutes

Updated 10/19/08 11:30 a.m.

We were not disappointed.  What a pleasure it is to watch a Bobby Petrino team practice.  Organized, fast-paced, attention to detail…it was all there.

Here are a few of our casual observations made while watching the two hour practice:

– Freshman wide receiver Jarius Wright and running back De’Anthony Curtis were expected to impress…and did not disappoint.  Both look like major contributors.

The newcomer that really surprised me, though, was freshman running back Dennis Johnson of Texarkana.  Johnson (5-7, 195) is cat quick and showed an elusive burst that is going to make him hard to bring down.  For those who have not seen him, just imagine a younger, less experienced version of Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chip Gregory also looked much improved at running back after his injury-hampered spring.  Running hard and breaking tackles with strength is not a problem.  Hanging onto the ball, however, continues to be as Gregory fumbled again during one of the Hogs tackling drills.

– As for the quarterbacks, Tyler Wilson and Jim Youngblood are good prospects.  Both have strong arms and showed flashes.  But both probably need to redshirt if the Hogs can get by without playing them.

Wilson needs to improve his strength (especially in his lower body) and Youngblood needs to improve his mechanics.  Both of those deficiencies, of course, are pretty typical for most incoming freshman quarterbacks.

Ryan Mallett is just off the charts.  He will be a superstar when his time comes.

Finally, while other units were running their drills, quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee was taking two five-minute periods to work with all the quarterbacks on making the proper pre-snap check (audible) after a defensive shift.  Very interesting and fun to watch.

– On the defensive side, I felt a little better about the linebackers after getting a closeup view of Ryan Powers, Jermaine Love, Jerry Franklin, and Freddy Burton.  These four along with senior captain Elston Forte might be okay as a group, but they are so ‘smallish’ by SEC standards that it’s still an area of concern.

Some of the tackling drills on Saturday seemed to indicate that true freshman Tenarius Wright (6-2, 230) was taking a small step back for the moment.  It’s obvious that junior Wendel Davis needs to get healthy again over the next few weeks.

Heavy rains in the Fayetteville area forced the Hogs inside for the second practice on Saturday.  Expect some shakeups (like the move of Wade Grayson to first team) after the coaches review the film of Sunday’s scrimmage.  It should be a fun week to watch the depth chart.

So how can a team rebound after losing that kind of talent?  Enter stage left…the Class of 2008.

With Razorback players officially reporting August 3rd, the buzz around Fayetteville is all about the incoming skill players in this freshman group.  And after seeing the offensive and defensive systems put in by Bobby Petrino this spring, there are three positions that will need help immediately.

Wide Receiver — It’s hard to recruit wide receivers when kids can tell you don’t really know how (or want) to throw the ball effectively.  Let’s be honest…what the former regime left us is a stable of quality possession receivers and virtually no playmakers.  There is no ‘Percy Harvin‘ in the barn.

You can tell Coach Petrino is hoping for help in this area, especially from Joe Adams (6-0, 175, 4.4, CAC) and Jarius Wright (5-11, 180, 4.4, Warren).  These guys have the speed and quickness to play right away.

Some compare Adams to former Razorback Gary Anderson.  Looking at his highlight video, I can’t argue with that comparison.

Joe Adams Highlights

Linebacker — The most glaring question mark on defense is the lack of size and experience at the linebacker position.  After some transferred and others found themselves in trouble, the lines are painfully short here.

Speed is not a problem, as returning players Elston Forte, Freddy Burton and Jerry Franklin can hit hard and run like the wind. Bringing some much needed size, though, will be Tenarius Wright (6-3, 231, 4.6, Memphis Whitehaven).

Injured almost half of his senior year, Wright was a steal and signed with the Hogs over Miami, North Carolina and Memphis.  With the reduced numbers at linebacker, Wright could help out immediately.

Running Back — In the spring, starting tailback Michael Smith showed that he’s ready.  With elusive speed and quickness, Smith will be a very important part of the offense.  But at 5-7, 173, can he ‘tote the rock’ 25 times a game and hold up?  Not a chance.

De’Anthony Curtis (5-10, 211, 4.4, Camden Fairview) will be option ’1A’ before season’s end.  The sixth-ranked high school running back in the nation (Rivals.com) has the size and speed to share the load with Smith.

Several teams in the SEC employ a running back tag team due to the physical nature of the conference.  And judging by these highlights, Curtis looks ready to move up the Hogs depth chart quickly.

De’Anthony Curtis Highlights

It’s hard for freshmen to come in and contribute right away…but the elite ones can do it.  Expect these former Friday night stars to step up and play a prominent role on Saturdays for the Razorbacks this season.