ESPN.com: Arkansas whips Tennessee to stay alive in SEC West

Dennis Johnson accounted for 140 total yards and a pair of touchdowns to help No. 8 Arkansas beat Tennessee 49-7 for its sixth consecutive victory.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks down Tennessee on Senior Day, Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes (PDF), Post-game Quotes (PDF)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference
• ESPN.com (Video): Arkansas All Over Tennessee, 49-7, Joe Adams Punt Return
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Garrick McGee, Tyler Wilson, Joe Adams, Jake Bequette
• Razorback Nation (Video): Jarius Wright
• Chris Bahn: Don’t Let Amazing Plays Distract From Real Jaw-Dropper Of Razorback Win Against Tennessee, Two-Minute Drill, Look For Razorbacks Jarius Wright, Joe Adams On Your Top 10 Sports Highlight Packages
• Jim Harris: Razorbacks Make Most of Their Big Plays, While Bumbling Volunteers Don’t
• Matt Jones: Win a fitting farewell for seniors
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Overwhelms Tennessee With Firepower, Wade Suspended Again; Wright Returns
• Scott Faldon: Adams, Wright Highlight Senior Night With Big Plays

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The Good

• No one player is truly a superstar on this team but Dennis Johnson is getting pretty close.  Unlike the other running backs, Johnson has proven he’s a true “home run hitter” that provides more than just the threat of a running game.  And that doesn’t even account for his special teams prowess.  The outcome of the game may have still been the same, but without DJ, the Hogs would’ve certainly taken a different path to get there on Saturday.
• Using sprint outs of Tyler Wilson to minimize the effectiveness of the South Carolina defensive line was a small but brilliant move.  Unlike Ryan Mallett, Wilson has shown he’s very accurate rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the move.  (Garrick McGee says Tyler has “a gift.”)  Once the Gamecocks vaunted defensive line was neutralized, Wilson and his receivers were able to expose their less than stellar secondary all night long.
• Honorable Mention:  The package of using Brandon Mitchell in the red zone has been nicely effective.  Just one more thing for the opponents to prepare for in the remaining games.

The Bad

• For once, we’re going to let up on saying anything was “bad” this week.  While there were more than a few missed opportunities, the way this team played on Saturday is pretty much what we were expecting to see each and every week.  That’s unrealistic, of course…it’s a long season.  But there’s no better time than now to play your best football.  Finish.
• Honorable Mention:  Not sure if this showed up on the game broadcast but we couldn’t believe how bad South Carolina’s stud wideout Alshon Jeffery looked on Saturday.  Jeffery appeared lazy running his routes and his body language looked every bit like a guy who was just going through the motions.  Assuming he’s not injured, it appears Jeffery has already started counting his NFL money.

The Ugly

• Whether it’s scheme or coaching, the Hogs’ defense appears incapable of stopping a running quarterback again this season.  Some will say the dropped passes were “ugly” but those haven’t been a problem every week.  Keeping the quarterback contained has been a problem now for multiple seasons.  At this point, I guess it’s just something we should expect to see every time the Razorbacks face a dual-threat quarterback.
• While it doesn’t take away from the win, falling a spot after beating a top 10 ranked team shows how little we should pay attention to the BCS during the season.  ESPN might as well just declare weekly who Skip Bayless thinks are the top 25 teams in the country.  Sheesh.

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

The Good

• Dennis Johnson’s 52-yard touchdown run finally woke up the Hogs’ offense near the end of the first half.  And the irony that Johnson’s run was on a third-down and long (smoke!) draw play was rich.  But it was Johnson’s total contribution of 160 rushing yards that was key on a day when Tyler Wilson wasn’t as “on” as he has been this season.
• On a topsy-turvy day where two of the Top 10 teams in the country went down, an ugly win is much better than an embarrassing loss any day.  Still…it was a surprisingly lackluster team performance after hearing from Coach Petrino that the bye week was “as fast and as sharp as we’ve practiced.”
• Honorable Mention:  With his kick returns and open field running on Saturday, Marquel Wade is looking more and more like a young ‘Joe Adams in training.’  Wade has shown some of the toughness and elusiveness that are Adams’ trademarks, as well.  ….  Defensive end Trey Flowers has improved each and every week since he was forced into playing time by injury.  Flowers totaled three solo tackles Saturday, including a sack and two tackles for loss.  Good things ahead for the Huntsville, Alabama native.

The Bad

• Apparently this team’s motto has become, “It’s not how you start.  It’s how you finish.”  And nearly every week’s ‘finish’ has been hard to complain about en route to a 6-1 record and a top 10 BCS ranking.  But still…
• Having to even contemplate for one second that the Hogs’ season would be ruined by a loss to Houston Nutt was bad.  Very bad.  All week long, this team talked about how the Ole Miss game was just another one on the schedule for them.  But trust us…if the Hogs would’ve come back home without a victory, the players and coaches would’ve found out very quickly how playing against a Houston Nutt team will NEVER be “just another game” to Razorback fans.  Okay then…let’s move on to Vanderbilt now, shall we?
• Honorable mention:  While Dennis Johnson provided a spark in the first half, his fumble inside the five yard line kept the Hogs from landing the knockout punch late in the third quarter.  ….  The decision by Houston Dale (er…David Lee) to run a slow-developing stretch play when backed up in their own end zone was a classic head-scratching play call that we all remember so well.  Certainly the easiest safety the Hogs’ defense will ever earn.

The Ugly

• The Razorback defense was so bad in the first half, they even made Rebel quarterback Randall Mackey look efficient.  Mackey, who came into the game completing only 47.1 percent of his passes, hit 10 out of his first 12 against what can only be described as ‘very soft’ coverage by the Hogs’ cornerbacks and virtually no pass rush.  It was a very ugly start against an offense ranked 108th nationally.
• The “Good Hands” kickoff return team certainly didn’t live up to their name on Saturday.  That’s because in order to have “good” hands, your hands actually have to touch the ball when the other team attempts an onside kick.  Credit Ole Miss for good execution, but there’s no excuse for how meek the effort was by the Hogs to go up and grab the ball in the air and seal the victory.

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

Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

The Good

• Welcome to the party Ronnie Wingo.  After rushing for 109 yards on 20 carries (2 rushing TDs), it looks like the light may be starting to come on for the junior running back.  Wingo hit the hole faster and tried to make the ‘one cut and go’ move better than he ever has.  A promising sign.
• The fast tempo and quality of execution on the Hogs’ first drive of the game was impressive.  The five play, 80-yard fast break — which included a fantastic 37-yard catch by Cobi Hamilton — should have even impressed Hog Basketball Coach Mike Anderson.
• Tight end Chris Gragg had a nice night with four catches for 68 yards.  Gragg’s freak athleticism and running ability after the catch makes him yet another weapon for this team on offense.  And like he was against Troy, Gragg can be Tyler Wilson’s safety valve when teams try to blitz the Hogs’ quarterback.
• Honorable Mention:  Great to see Dennis Johnson back out there after injuries kept him out of the last 13 games. …. Fullback Kiero Small made some monster blocks again on Saturday night.  Harry King took notice and was impressed with the “squatty fullback with a linebackers mentality.”

The Bad

• The Hogs’ secondary finally got tested on Saturday night…and they failed to meet expectations.  While the coverage was usually pretty tight on the Troy receivers, defensive backs Tevin Mitchel, Darius Winston and Isaac Madison failed several times to actually turn their head and try and make a play on the ball.  While Mitchel is a true freshman and still learning, there’s no reason for that lack of execution by the other two veteran defenders.
• Giving up that many yards to a Sun Belt team brought back some bad memories of Willy Robinson’s defense from a few years ago.  Not sure which is worse…the 457 yards allowed or the fact that just one sack was recorded after saying we were going to “turn the defense loose.”  Not what you want to see before heading into the Alabama game.

The Ugly

• In a game where the play got incredibly sloppy at the end, several first half quarterback-center exchange problems were mildly disconcerting.  We were hoping Tyler Wilson, who has had his share of problems taking snaps under center in the past, had moved past those issues.
• The game clock and replay system problems in the second half were embarrassing and added to the sloppiness of the last 30 minutes of the game.  C’mon man…this is not War Memorial Stadium!  Luckily, there’s three weeks to get the problems fixed before Auburn comes to town.

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.

The Good

• On a sun-splashed day in Fayetteville, Bobby Petrino got his wish.  Earlier in the week, Petrino had asked for 30,000 fans to fill up Razorback Stadium for the ESPN audience.  Hog fans delivered and then some with an estimated 42,000 filling the stands.  Count us as present and impressed.
• It was very good to see junior running back Dennis Johnson back out there toting the rock.  While DJ didn’t break any long ones during the scrimmage (14 carries, 56 yards), his change of pace running style is a welcome addition/return for this offense.
• With former All-American safety Ken Hamlin watching from the sidelines, senior safety Tramain Thomas showed out.  Thomas, who had an excellent spring overall, had a great day again on Saturday recording two interceptions.  The first thwarted a touchdown inside the 5-yard line, while the second INT came on a tipped pass in the second quarter.
• The post-spring depth chart at offensive tackle should be interesting.  Anthony Oden, Jason Peacock, Brey Cook and Grant Freeman all fared well this spring.  Oden and Peacock, in particular, were praised by Coach Petrino after the game for their efforts against defensive ends Jake Bequette and Colton Nash.
• Sophomore transfer defensive tackle Robert Thomas was unblockable at times.  Playing for the White team, Thomas recorded four total tackles, including a sack.  His quickness and ability to rush the passer from his inside spot will put him in the mix come fall.

The Bad

• The words that came to our mind when watching Brandon Mitchell on Saturday: rattled, shaken and nervous.  Definitely not the kind of outing we expected to see from the sophomore backup quarterback.  Mitchell’s performance for the Red team (11-for-29, 85 yards, 3 interceptions) was uncharacteristic given what we’ve seen from him this spring.  So while we’re sure Brandon is disappointed, we’re going to give him a ‘mulligan’ and say it’s not a trend just yet.

The Ugly

• One troublesome trend that carried over from the Sugar Bowl and into the Spring game were dropped passes.  The drops plagued the Hogs’ receivers — especially the Red team — and added to that squad’s frustration and inability to sustain any drives.  It was a big disappointment from a group that many expect to be the best receiving corps in the country next season.

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

The Good

• The Hogs grabbed three more interceptions Saturday night, making them plus-12 in turnover margin for the season.  A stark contrast to last year when they finished minus-9.
• In just 10 games, Ryan Mallett has rewritten the Arkansas record books.  After his 405 yard, five touchdown performance, Mallett has now set or tied five more school records — the most notable being the single season passing mark which now stands at 2,882 yards and counting.
• Congrats to Dennis Johnson for breaking the school record for most kickoff return yards in a little over two seasons.  D.J. now has 1,799 in his career.  That either means you are a great return man, or your defense is so bad that you get more chances than you should.  Both are true in Johnson’s case.
• We’re not sure we’ve seen a Razorback cover 83 yards faster than Ronnie Wingo, Jr. did Saturday night.  After taking a screen pass and getting a few nice blocks, Wingo turned on the afterburners and showed his sprinter’s speed into the endzone.  Undoubtedly the most exciting play of the evening.
• Good news that defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was able to return home after being hospitalized on Friday.  Robinson is being treated for an infection, and we wish him a speedy recovery and return to the field.  Linebacker coach Reggie Johnson called the defensive plays Saturday night.

The Bad

• For the third week in a row, there wasn’t a lot of ‘new bad’ to be found.  One that did stand out was the penalty monster rearing its ugly head for the first time in a while on Saturday night.  The Hogs suffered through nine penalties for 63 yards, many of which were 5-yard defensive offsides or offensive false starts.

The Ugly

• The official booth review of a third quarter Troy 30-yard reception down the sideline makes you wonder if a 5-year old child was the SEC replay official Saturday night.  Jumping up to catch the ball, the Troy receiver clearly landed well out of bounds.  The ‘non-reversal’ led to a loud chorus of continuous boos from the Hog faithful as Troy marched downfield for a field goal.

The Good

• “Balanced offense” and “win all three phases — offense, defense and special teams.”  These are two things that we’ve heard Coach Petrino say numerous times.  But Saturday was really the first time that both of those things have happened in the same game since Petrino arrived in Fayetteville.  It’s definitely a winning combination that this team needs to learn how to repeat.
• Gus Malzahn must have nightmares about Dennis Johnson.  Just like last year against Malzahn and Tulsa, a big kickoff return by Johnson helped swing the momentum back after Auburn had closed the gap to 11 points in the third quarter.
• Welcome back Michael Smith and D.J. Williams!  As Chris Bahn wrote in his post-game column, if anyone thought that opposing defenses had ‘figured out’ how to stop Smith and Williams…think again.
• Overall, the secondary play was improved, with safety Elton Ford and cornerback Andru Stewart shining on Saturday.  Even though Ford had to sit out part of the game with an injury, he still had nine total tackles, including seven solo.  Stewart had his best game as a Razorback, with a season-high seven solo tackles and a forced fumble that led to the Hogs’ third touchdown of the day.
• And speaking of turnovers, the Hogs did a nice job capitalizing on their opponent’s mistakes, scoring 17 points off Auburn’s three turnovers.

The Bad

• Very disconcerting news about Joe Adams suffering a ‘mild’ stroke earlier in the week.  All Hog fans wish him the best for a speedy recovery.  Adams, who was on the sideline and apparently feeling better on Saturday, watched as Greg Childs (85 receiving yards, TD), D.J. Williams and Lucas Miller helped pick up the slack in his absence.

The Ugly

• Not much ugly on Saturday except for a botched extra point attempt and the third quarter defense against Auburn.  The Tigers racked up 20 points and 207 rushing yards in the quarter, including a 60-yard jaunt by running back Ben Tate.  Safety Anthony Leon had a shot to make the tackle, but took one of the worst angles we’ve seen this year and failed to even get a hand on Tate.
• We’re absolutely sure that the talent level it takes for pianist Jura Margulis to play “Stars and Stripes Forever” is something that only a few people in the world can do.  But can we maybe save that virtuoso performance for halftime of a ‘big game’ like, say…Eastern Michigan?  We’re thinking Jura won’t care.  And instead, we replace Jura on the halftime program with…hmmm…maybe ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC blaring over the loudspeakers?

Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

Even though the scrimmage stats were pretty gaudy, we weren’t overly impressed by the offense as a whole today.  They really didn’t amaze us with any consistency.  There were, however, individual players who had a good day.

The running backs were heavily showcased today and Dennis Johnson made the most of his opportunities.  After mostly getting lost in the shuffle of a crowded backfield this preseason, Johnson showed he still belongs in the conversation.  He also looks to be one of the Hogs’ better pass protectors.

Ronnie Wingo seemed to get going about midway through the scrimmage.  Afterwards, Bobby Petrino singled out Knile Davis as being behind right now because of missed practices and we would agree.  In general, the freshmen backs need to do a better job running “north and south.”

Broderick Green was given numerous touches with mixed results.  Green is getting every opportunity to show he is tough.  But other than a couple of runs, he didn’t show us much.  He did have one good goal line burst for a touchdown.

Ryan Mallett mostly looked sharp but seemed to fade and lose accuracy by the end of the scrimmage.  Tyler Wilson looked good and may have thrown the best ball of the day to Reggie Fish for a big gain downfield.

Both quarterbacks stepped up in the pocket well.  But they took a bit too long today making reads and getting the ball off.  And when the defense let loose, neither quarterback did a good job of avoiding the sack and getting rid of the ball.

The receivers as a group looked good.  Greg Childs is having a great camp.  There are several playmakers at the receiver position that can be weapons.  Opposing defenses will definitely not be able to focus on just one go-to guy.

Overall, we thought the offensive line play was sloppy.  There were too many exchange issues and shotgun snaps that were low — just below the belt line.

The Hogs ran several screens today but, in general, the O-line didn’t block them very well.  One exception we noted was tackle Grant Freeman, who took out three defenders on a screen pass that resulted in a touchdown.

As for the defense, they seemed much more solid in running their schemes today than even at the end of last season.  And unlike some of the other practices we’ve attended, today the defense played with a lot of confidence.

The defensive line just looks a lot better this year.  Their bodies are bigger, but they were still going strong at the end of practice when the offense appeared tired.  The D-line did leave too many holes at times for quarterback runs, as Coach Petrino noted after practice.

The linebackers and secondary have more size and definitely more speed this year.  Their pass coverage was good today, even though there were completions allowed.  A live pass rush could make the coverage look better.  Linebacker Wendel Davis had a good day and was very active stopping the run.

The scrimmage ended on a high note with kicks of 36, 42, 48 and 49 yards by Alex Tejada.  The snaps and holds look to be just a little off right now, causing Tejada to hit some of his kicks without making solid contact.

Overall, our grade:  Offense C; Defense B.  It was encouraging to see the defense show improvement, but we’ve seen the offense do better than they did today.

TipsterHog and Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

Casey Dick ended his career with a heroic touchdown pass to London Crawford…and as the third all-time leading Razorback in completions, attempts, yards, and touchdown passes.

On the ground, I loved the way that Dennis Johnson brought the ‘will to win‘ into the game.  His 127 yards rushing was not only a testament to him, but to the entire offensive front.

And whenever questioned about different players stepping up like Carlton Salters, I loved that Bobby Petrino said, “He’s a guy that we have a lot of confidence in.”  That’s exactly what all these players (especially the younger ones) needed from their coach.

And in the finest (or perhaps only) second half performance all season by the Razorback defense, LSU managed only 19 yards on their last six possessions of the game.

The Hogs had nine players with four or more tackles.  Malcolm Sheppard, Jerico Nelson and seniors Cord Gray and Walner Leandre came up big on the refurbished (yet again) defensive line.  Maybe Robinson and Mitchell should have been banished earlier.

But admit it…when the Hogs got the ball on their 31 yard line with 2:14 showing on the clock, you thought we had an outside chance to win, didn’t you?  The progress made this year is illustrated by the fact that not only did we actually run a two-minute drill, but that we scored on it to win the game.

For the season, eight games were decided by less than 10 points — the Hogs lost four of those.  The inability to play with any consistency, along with consistently losing the special teams battle, doomed the young (very young) Hogs to a losing record.

While this year will not go down as one for the ages, it will be remembered as the year that the battleship that has been Arkansas football began to turn in a different direction.  The focus has been changed from feeling limited in what we can do…to becoming confident in what we want to do.

This year was about starting over.  Next year the true journey will begin.

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.